Aside from banana muffins, or simple toasted English muffins next to eggs for breakfast, muffins were often, decades ago, ho hum for me, kind of bland, mostly an aside to any meal. I never ate them as a child, even though my Dad owned bakeries. (We usually ate rye bread, bagels and yeast rolls, nice…
Category: herbs
Oriental-Style Pork with Oyster Sauce and Mushrooms
As I’ve stated in other parts of this book, I didn’t eat pork until after I was married because my Jewish parents kept a kosher house. However, I still recall a whiff of bacon cooking in the kitchen and I loved that smell and flavor, still do! I think my mother followed certain rules, and…
Shrimp Couscous Vegetable Chowder
I’m a big fan of shrimp, cooked in nearly any manner. I ate shrimp often as a teenager, since our mother took us, my three younger siblings and I to Florida’s beaches for Christmas break. There, I acquired a taste for shrimp cocktail, served with lemon slices and hints of a spicy cocktail sauce. I…
Cabbage, Potato, Zucchini, Mushroom, Barley soup with Bacon
INGREDIENTS Serves 8-10 9 slices bacon, cut into 1-2 inch pieces 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut in 1/2 -inch pieces 1 small head cabbage – savory, green or Napa variety, cored, cut into 2 inch pieces (1 1/4 lb) 8 oz fresh mushroom, crimini type, brushed cleaned, or a variety you have –…
Baked Chicken, Pasta and Vegetable Casserole
I rarely make homemade chicken stock.
Bun Cha -Vietnamese Meatballs
I had never heard of Vietnamese meatballs, until I was hired to make a light lunch for several ladies. It was a birthday luncheon and the special lady being honored, hailed from Vietnam. The casual event, a brunch, would be served in the backroom of their salon. All the ladies were hairdressers, and when business…
Zucchini Patties
As gardeners and cooks know, zucchinis, especially in summer, present a cornucopia of this green goddess fruit. There are even cookbooks devoted to zucchinis, mixed with other ingredients. Plus with the internet, cooks are flooded with selections of zucchinis for steaming, frying, boiling, baking, roasting, just to mention some. Other dishes mix this vegetable, shredded…
Mashed Cauliflower – Zucchini Bowl
Even though cauliflower appears plain and simple, I’ve always liked it. In simplicity shines its appeal. As a side-dish it compliments more substantial foods, like steaks, chicken, pork. It doesn’t scream out for attention, but certainly adds to a meal with its mild flavor. Some people say it has a sweet nutty flavor, a bit…
Old Fashioned Stuffed Peppers, Twisted and Colorful
I love color in food, in my kitchen, on plates, throughout my house, on walls, carpets, bathrooms, especially the garden, (where I grow an abundance of flowers and vegetables), wherever I ramble, play or work, my eyes open wide for color. Color at the grocery store, such as fruits and vegetables call to me; I…
Pork, Peppers, Pasta and Broccoli – A Skillet Dinner
For some reason, which feels a bit murky to me, our family didn’t eat many fresh vegetables, and that tradition stayed with me for decades and decades. Naturally we ate high quality Le Sueur canned peas, since our maid, directed from Mom, I suppose, bought only the best quality, at least with the peas. Deep…
Marilyn Raff 