Cooking With Michele®

What Makes an Egg Good…and What Makes Good Egg Salad

Michele — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:54:20 +0000

I was recently out of the country, having breakfast with some friends, when one of the guys announced to the group that he had thrown his eggs out at breakfast because the yolks were so deeply colored that they were almost orange. He was sure they were radioactive or something. At first I thought I had misunderstood him, but then I realized what was going on. He’s one of those poor souls that has never had a really good farm fresh egg.
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Restaurant Roundup – McCormick & Schmick’s, Julia Blackbird’s, Fuel Cafe

Michele — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:44:57 +0000

It’s been awhile since I posted about any restaurants I’ve visited here in the Denver area. In fact, if you don’t count a link to my daughter’s post about Frasca for her graduation, it’s been since last August that I posted about a Front Range restaurant. Well, let me remedy that right now.
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Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Ricotta and Sundried Tomatoes

Michele — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:48:44 +0000

Spaghetti squash, that weird winter squash that stands out from it’s peers by shredding into strands when cooked, has been piling up at my house. I thought I had pawned it off on my daughter to eat, but I found several of them in our pantry after she departed for Hawaii. (She’s surfing and playing for 8 months until culinary school starts and is working as a cook at Morimoto Waikiki – how cool is that?!) So in my constant battle to add interest and flavor components to vegetables (aka disguise them), I created this easy casserole.
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Sunday Supper – Roast Beef with Gravy

Michele — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:05:36 +0000

There is something wonderfully relaxing about cooking on the weekends. It’s not at all like a weekday for me. Weekdays are full of work, appointments, commitments, busyness, and rushing. I love to cook (obviously), but even I often feel stressed about putting food on the table during the week. And that’s just for my husband and me – I know those of you committed to cooking real food for families feel even more pressure. But the weekends – well that’s when we take it more slowly, and that’s when slow cooked meats during the winter make for a perfect Sunday supper.
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The Best Turkey Meatballs

Michele — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:30:12 +0000

I don’t buy a lot of ground turkey, but I just so happened to have a couple of pounds of it in my freezer from my friend Dallas. He’s the guy I buy my delicious heritage breed turkeys from each year, so I know his meat is flavorful, something that can be a challenge with commercially bred turkeys. But even so, turkey meat is somewhat dry, and to make a moist turkey meatball takes a little finesse. In fact, I also think it needs
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Pine Nut Cookies

Michele — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:05:03 +0000

Last weekend a friend’s teen daughter spent some time with me cooking and photographing for my blog. She’s interested in the food photography aspect of blogging and has taken some cooking lessons with me in the past. I’m also taking her to Italy next summer on a family trip with her mom, aunts, cousin and grandmother. I love sharing my passions with kids – whether that’s
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Endings and Beginnings – and Homemade Bread

Michele — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:02:10 +0000

I crossed a big threshold this week – I turned in the manuscript for my cookbook project. Two months early on top of that. [Insert sound of champagne cork popping!] It’s not that I’m an overachiever – although my friends might argue that point. It’s that I’m one of those people who relishes an accomplishment. You know, checking something off your list. The feeling that comes with knowing you’ve completed something you set out to do. And frankly, I wanted to finish the job because I have other things to do. Like clean out the files in my office so that I have a fresh start to the new year. Or make that sweep through my house and take a good load full of things I really don’t use or need to the Goodwill store so that someone else might enjoy them.Or bake
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Announcing…Cooking with Michele in Italy 2013!

Michele — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:10:13 +0000

I’m happy to announce that I’ve scheduled the dates for my next cooking trip to Italy. Without a doubt, taking guests to Italy is by far my favorite part of my business. I’ve been to Rome 10 times, and love sharing it with others.
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Chicken Tikka Masala

Michele — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:40:52 +0000

You might recall my recent visit to the Savory Spice Shop in downtown Denver. I was there primarily to get pink salt and juniper berries to make my home cured pancetta but couldn’t resist buying a bunch of other spice mixes while I was there. I love Indian food, but don’t have all the spices you need to make most of the dishes.
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Party Pate

Michele — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:50:57 +0000

Ever been to a great party with a wonderful spread of appetizers? Where they had a succulent pâté that was perfect on a crisp cracker, perhaps paired with a cornichon pickle? Well, I’ve had it on my list of things to make for some time now. It just took me months to
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