tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66260477549100704392024-11-01T01:18:38.868-07:00Favorite recipes and stories about home cooking. We love comfort food and dishes that warm the heart. Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-11108566944502786272012-11-15T17:51:00.000-08:002012-11-15T17:51:17.366-08:00

Roasted Chestnut Soup The first time I had chestnut soup was at a small French Bistro in the West Village. It was mid-December in New York City and I looked like a living snowman when I entered Bouchon Bistro and Wine Bar. My friend was a regular there and insisted I try their chestnut soup. It was love at first taste! However, I moved to San Francisco the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-79057584318789394092012-10-14T17:23:00.001-07:002012-10-14T17:45:14.438-07:00

Spiced Apple Ricotta This recipe was just the product of a week-long brainstorm and a dire craving for something warm and spicy. The credit for the dessert's name goes to my friend, Marie French. The first time I made it, I used Bartlett pears and it was just as delicious. The second time I made this (just to be sure it wasn't a fluke and to get a few external opinions) was last night

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-65606020805722612042011-05-21T00:17:00.000-07:002011-05-21T00:43:25.044-07:00

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet - this is mostly just to show off the pictures of the final product... I made crème brûlée for the first time tonight and expected it to completely fail. Mostly because I didn't follow a recipe - just looked up the ingredients and decided to "wing it". I also didn't have all of the right ingredients, so I improvised. Surprisingly, my crème brûlée

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-23402501508489438482011-03-07T16:36:00.000-08:002011-03-07T16:38:48.731-08:00

Bacon Brownies I know the words “Bacon + Brownies” in the same sentence are hard to swallow, but I’ll swear to this: Once you go bacon, you’ll never be satisfied with a plain ol’ brownie again. And I promise that when you bite into these bacon brownies, you won’t get a chunk of meat that feels like it doesn’t belong there. These bacon brownies will give you the best foodgasm of your life (my

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-83604818927672237392011-02-28T23:45:00.000-08:002011-03-02T10:04:33.234-08:00

Grilled Cheese with Irish Cheddar CheeseGrilled Cheese with Red Onion, Cherry Tomato and Irish Cheddar Cheese is my absolute favorite grilled cheese sandwich. If you've got a craving for comfort food you absolutely must try this recipe on for size and if you have tomato soup to go with it, even better! Grilled Cheese Sandwich Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)4 slices of whole wheat breadThinly

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-87200638357661486312011-02-20T22:27:00.000-08:002011-03-07T16:57:27.419-08:00

 Brown Sugar-Candied Bacon I am obsessed with the combination of sweet and savory. And if you’ve taken the time to look through my recipes, you’ll notice that they have a much defined sweet-savory theme.   The first time I made Candied Bacon I used maple syrup.  But I find, unless braised quite a bit, that the bacon doesn’t absorb the maple flavor too well. And once cooked, it

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-1795043878803704312011-02-14T21:16:00.000-08:002011-02-14T21:16:10.467-08:00

Foodie Gossip: Anti-Valentine’s Day Food: Avoid the Sex by Feedin...: "Beer or Ale is a the perfect beverage to lower the libido.Want to avoid the sex without hurting your partner’s feelings on Valentine’s Day? ..."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-691841302122299692011-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:002011-02-18T22:47:51.284-08:00

Nutella + Banana = TLA Last night I had a double foodgasm that left me wanting more. I had tried Nutella before and wasn’t all that impressed, but after finding an article about Nutella, I decided to give it another shot. And after the first bite, I heard angels sing. I made a Nutella-banana sandwich and it was ammmazing. It was sweet and creamy… It was the perfect dessert sandwich. And when I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-30449414050058405362011-01-22T14:23:00.000-08:002011-01-22T14:23:19.325-08:00

Truly * Tastefully, Tara: Why Not Roast in Your Pot?: "Dear Readers, I grew up in a reasonably gourmet household where mom’s dinners consisted of meals like bouillabaisse and blue cheese and he..."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-3781580863710916242011-01-16T18:23:00.000-08:002011-03-07T17:00:41.834-08:00

I made this grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today and it was absolute heaven. The saltiness of the bacon, the creaminess of the Swiss Gruyere cheese and the sweetness of the caramelized onions blend perfectly in between the crunchy bread. If you've got a craving for comfort try this recipe on for size: Grilled Cheese Sandwich Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)- 4 slices of whole wheat bread-

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-152196818169626672011-01-16T17:17:00.000-08:002011-02-18T22:55:33.100-08:00

After a very random week-long craving for fish, I decided to pick up some sushi-grade Ahi tuna. However, with the exception of shellfish, my experience cooking fish has been pretty limited and I wasn’t too sure how to prepare it. And to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how I came up with this dish. The idea just popped in my head and I had all of the ingredients at hand, so I just decided to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-76622616326524717992011-01-15T15:29:00.000-08:002011-01-15T15:29:08.260-08:00

Truly * Tastefully, Tara: Skillet Chicken Parm: "Dear Readers, This is my first winter in the burbs and it’s not quite as convenient to just “run out and get something at the store” as it ..."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-4226607677796370552011-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:002011-02-18T23:04:29.293-08:00

Dear Readers, I must admit, I’m currently experiencing what’s commonly known as the post-holiday blues in a serious way. That magical time of the year between the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and New Years Day is over. All the parties, all the special food, all the visiting with loved ones you don’t see very often has fizzled down into the doldrums of the chilly winter here in the Northeast.

Truly Tastefullyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06765032096921073170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-31658828466371477562010-12-31T00:41:00.000-08:002011-02-18T23:05:36.765-08:00

Foodie Gossip: Top 10 Food Trend Predictions for 2011: "2011 is just around the corner and I’m always blown away by the culinary strides that have been made over the past year. Extreme cooking and..."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-90130408060726077742010-12-28T10:33:00.000-08:002011-02-18T23:10:19.886-08:00

After watching a cooking show that featured duck breast (kicking myself for not remember which one), I decided to cook up my own duck breast, for the very first time, for Christmas dinner. I didn’t follow the recipe for the show, but memorized the basic steps for the duck breast preparation and got some great sauce advice from my twitter friends (@ChefBevLazo and @burdladii). Keeping their advice

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-25780707772259054082010-12-23T14:02:00.000-08:002011-02-18T23:17:01.491-08:00

I absolutely love moussaka. I used to have it all the time when I lived in NewYork - it was on alomost every diner menu. And it was always done well. The Béchamel topping was always thick and firm, but not dry. But finding moussaka in San Francisco was almost impossible. Even if a restaurant did offer the dish, it was never prepared properly. So, I taught myself to make it - just the way

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-74515984607823587422010-12-15T21:46:00.000-08:002011-03-24T18:14:45.423-07:00

This Roast Beet Salad with Orange Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette has been one of my staple dishes for years. I’ve had friends swear they hate beets with the fiery passion of a thousand suns (I might be embellishing – just a little). Nothing brings me more happiness than to make my friends eat their words – and they did, after trying my roast beet salad. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-52447295869843251742010-12-15T17:39:00.000-08:002011-03-07T17:07:58.023-08:00

So rich and creamy, macaroni and cheese will always be the ultimate comfort food. And the bonus? This savory 5-cheese mac and cheese is fairly simple to make and has layers of cheesy flavor in every bite. Here's the recipe for my Super Cheesy 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese... Ingredients - 3 tablespoons butter - 1 garlic clove, chopped finely - 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 3 ½ cups milk - 1 ¼ cup

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-17924233267798946272010-12-06T21:09:00.000-08:002010-12-06T21:34:43.271-08:00

Dear Readers,It’s been a dream of mine to host Thanksgiving for a very long time. Although I held many parties of 40+ guests in my brownstone apartment in Brooklyn over the years, I never wanted to host Thanksgiving because I think of it as more of a sit down and gather around the table kind of a meal. That meant I could only have 6 other people for the holiday, which is only part of my family.

Truly Tastefullyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06765032096921073170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-61410474484817299272010-12-02T23:22:00.000-08:002010-12-03T14:36:57.597-08:00

I’m going to keep this one simple. It’s amazingly delicious and only takes about 15 minutes to make – unless you decide to make the ravioli from scratch.Ingredients:- Fresh Pumpkin Ravioli (Butternut Squash Ravioli also works fabulously)- Fresh Sage Leaves (1 per ravioli)- Salted Butter (1 Tbs. for every 8-10 ravioli)- Parmesan Cheese, grated- Pepper (to taste)Sage Brown ButterWhile the pumpkin

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-23184194789121556212010-11-28T22:36:00.000-08:002010-11-29T12:18:20.001-08:00

My mother made this fabulously beautiful tart for Thanksgiving this year and I talked her into sharing the recipe. This is a wonderfully rich dessert that some would say tastes even better the next day. What I would say: “If you want to bake to impress, try out this recipe!”Here is the recipe for my mother’s Chocolate Pear Tart:A crisp, cookie-like hazelnut pie shell supports a rich chocolate

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-14006879719892706122010-11-21T22:06:00.000-08:002011-03-07T17:12:31.931-08:00

This Pecan-Crusted French Toast is one of my favorite brunch dishes, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. Yet making it any other way would not yield the same tasty results. Pecan-Crusted French Toast Ingredients: - 2 cups Crushed Glazed Pecans - 4 Eggs - ½ cup Cream - 1 tsp. Cinnamon - 1 Tbs. Vanilla - 8 slices Whole Wheat Bread - 12-14 slices Applewood Bacon - Grade A Maple Syrup In a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-23130745700371103092010-11-10T16:14:00.000-08:002010-11-15T10:58:31.840-08:00

Beauty, brains and kitchen skills? Marilyn Monroe is hailed for her kitchen talent by a New York Times article that recreates a stuffing recipe of hers from the recently published autobiography, “Fragments”. So she really did have it all, there is a consensus of Marilyn experts saying, yes, the woman can cook. In a recent auction two cookbooks she owned and personally annotated were sold for $

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-4593770906697553802010-11-06T09:54:00.001-07:002010-11-15T10:57:32.323-08:00

This is the familiar rustic Italian stew but with a twist to the preparation that enhances its savory flavor. The flavors come together in a bold yet nonacidic manner leaving you desiring more. The chicken is moist and the vegetables remain intact so you get a delicious flavor combination with every bite.This dish has nice balance with campfire flavor and tomato oregano undertones, providing a

Jony.Seasonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18433778280698914846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626047754910070439.post-70719353795039454452010-10-23T21:49:00.000-07:002010-10-31T16:22:06.042-07:00

I cooked up my cioppino dish last night and actually took notes. Writing up the recipe now. Stay tuned for the best cioppino recipe ever...Yes, I'm tooting my own horn, but I've made this dish at least a hundred times and convinced it's the best one yet.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0