1 gi-normous Idaho potato = $1. Truffle-infused olive oil = $17. Truffle salt = $15.
Truffle fries you can feel good about eating? Priceless.
Seriously – who doesn’t D.I.E. for truffle fries? Give me the name of one person. I guarantee it’s only because they’ve never had them. Truffles and potatoes were made for each other – heck, truffles plus {fill-in-the-blank-here} were made for each other, when I think about it…eggs, mac and cheese, garlic bread…
One of the very first recipes I ever posted was for seared scallops.
Not just any seared scallops…seared scallops to die for.
But, in reality, all seared scallops are to die for – as long as you’re working with deliciously plump, fresh sea scallops and you know how to get a good sear going. When you get a good sear on a good scallop, it’s heavenly.
And the best part of it is…it’s so. freaking. simple. It makes me wonder why I haven’t made these since, um, Valentine’s Day – that’s two years ago, hi – to be precise. Special thanks to my dear friends Zan and Scott for reminding me of how great these are (they wrote to tell me they enjoyed them, along with this chive pasta and mushroom dish, for New Year’s Eve – which makes me really, really happy…it’s like you’re somehow with your friends, a part of their night, even though they’re thousands of miles away).
I do need to be reminded sometimes, because as much as I obsess over so many different dishes I make, I’m always looking to try something new. It’s rare that I repeat a dish, and I can only hope that soon I’ll become a good enough cook that I’ll start repeating – because repeating dishes is what makes you really good, it’s what makes you learn the dish inside and out. I think, maybe, I’m getting there.
Making ceviche at home might be one of my new favorite activities.
Now, that I’ve finally discovered a fresh seafood market just minutes away… I mean, come on…we only live in the boating capital of the world. You’d think someone would have had this covered sooner.
This place is seriously awesome, and if you happen to live in Fort Lauderdale, I highly recommend it. Not only do they have an incredible selection of fresh seafood, they’ll even cook it for you, if you ask! Now that doesn’t really interest me, because you know I want to take it home and soak it in a big bowl of citrus to make ceviche…but, it’s a nice idea, don’t you think? And if all of that wasn’t enough, this place even sells baguettes from my favorite Las Olas bakery - making it a total and complete one-stop shop. Boom!
Have you ever considered tossing a container of salsa over a mixture of goat cheese, cream cheese, and toasted pine nuts – and then baking it off in the oven until heated through?
If not, I invite you to try it. It’s probably the easiest and quickest appetizer ever to exist, and it’s also super-delicious.
Now, you know I don’t usually condone using store-bought salsa, but here that’s the route I like to go. It makes this dip *that* much easier, and when you’re working with a recipe as simple as this one, it just doesn’t make any sense to complicate things.
I’m always looking for fresh twists on Mexican food, and Rick Bayless is probably my favorite source for doing so.
I spied this recipe on Pink Parsley eons ago, and then – finally – one day I got the urge to pull the trigger. I decided to make an entirely Bayless-inspired Mexican feast. There was guacamole…there was a great, big Mexican salad…there was fresh corn ice cream, which was the very first batch of ice cream I ever made…
Can one ever have too many recipes for guacamole?
I’ll give you a hint: It’s the same answer you’d receive if you were to ask me if one could ever have too many margarita recipes.
Duh.
These types of things just aren’t possible. So, I invite you to try this simple guacamole recipe from the wonderful Rick Bayless. Because…well, he may kiiinda know a thing or two about good Mexican food.
I have a confession: I made salad dressing from a store-bought packaged seasoning mix. And I liked it.
Understatement – I loved it. And you’ll love it, too. It’s a fact. This is the best salad dressing EVER. I got the recipe from Megsy, my pseudo mother-in-law, and it’s important for you to know that whenever she makes it, I am literally drinking the stuff.
This is not a joke. This is serious dressing. It’s so good, on a variety of things. Salad, yes – but I’m most partial to eating it with antipasti, specifically. I like to pour it on a piece of bread. I like to pour *a lot* of it on a piece of bread.
Good Seasons by Kraft, people. This is not a joke, either. I know you’re all surprised. Or maybe you’ve had this before, and you’re not surprised. You guys know I’m all about making dressings from scratch because it’s so easy to do and so much better than store-bought, but this is an exception. Well, kind of. It is partially homemade.
Try it, and prepare for addiction.
For a long time, I lived a broiler-less life.
It caused me to do things like…purchase a blowtorch for browning fluffy meringue and marshmallow-topped brownies. This I see as a bonus. But – it also prevented me from making things like this chicken, which is clearly not a bonus.
You probably don’t need me to tell you how to put together a cheese plate as simple as this one.
A cheese plate doesn’t require a recipe, though you could certainly make your own miniature cheese spreads and salads if you wanted to. For me, I think back to what I learned from Ina long ago: Don’t make everything from scratch when entertaining. If you’re reading this, you probably know that that can be rather difficult for me. For whatever reason, I feel the need to make juices from scratch rather than buying them. I can’t help myself – it’s how I roll. Sometimes I watch Ina buy a pound cake from the market and I think to myself, “I wish I could do that.” Maybe if I had markets as fabulous as Ina has to shop at, I would do things like that. That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
The most rewarding thing about cooking is when you start to feel comfortable cooking without a recipe.
Believe me, I’m addicted to recipes. I read cookbooks in bed like novels – it’s true. But lately, I’ve been making due with what’s in my fridge more. When I’m doing really extensive meals and grocery shopping over the weekend, the last thing I want to think about is what I’m going to make for the rest of the week. I usually have some odds and ends leftover, and so I’ve been putting those to use in my weeknight meals. Last night, for example…
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