Living the Dream in Retirement
On the cruise ship Discovery Princess, you can count on delicious salads, starters, entrees and yes, the desserts. And some days a light breakfast of almond croissants fresh from the oven or my Brie croissant sandwich with arugula, orange marmalade and toasted walnuts. Chef’s kiss!
Tonight I was inspired to put together a dish by items on hand and the fresh herbs I recently planted. The result turned out so good I felt compelled to do something Spence always asked me to do. He would compliment me on a dinner I’d prepared then say “are you going to write it down so you can make it again?” Of course, I would say “I’ll remember”.
This was delicious enough to make me write down exactly how I made tonight‘s dinner if for no other reason than I want to have this meal again.
Pancetta and Fresh Herb Spaghetti
1-2 servings
1/2 lb spaghetti
5 oz diced pancetta
1 shallot, sliced
1/4 c chopped green onions
1 diced tomato
Chopped fresh herbs – I chose Basil, Thyme and Flat Leaf Parsley
Toasted Pine Nuts and Sliced Almonds
Olive Oil
Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt, Garlic Powder and Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Bring salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, drizzle olive oil over top and set aside.
In a sauté pan, cook the pancetta over medium heat until browned, remove from pan onto a paper towel to drain. Pour off and retain the rendered pancetta fat.
In the same sauté pan, add the sliced shallots and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, adding 1-2 teaspoons of the rendered pancetta fat. Remove from heat.
In the bottom of a large bowl, place the shallots, green onions, thyme and a drizzle of olive oil. Place spaghetti over top then toss until mixed. Add the pancetta, tomato, basil, parsley, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Toss to mix. Drizzle a bit more olive oil and 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, toss again.
Serve in bowls and top with the toasted nuts. Pour yourself a glass of Prosecco and enjoy!
I recently returned from my beloved Smoky Mountains and wanted to share one of the highlights of my trip. I discovered the Smoky Mountain School of Cooking last year and loved everything about the class – the instructor, recipes, learning new techniques and then enjoying the delicious meal we prepared. When I booked my Airbnb for this trip, I looked at the classes for that week and signed up for Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Almonds, Blackberry Dumplings and Savory Tomato Pie.
To say the food was delicious is an understatement – but the Savory Tomato Pie was so outstanding I dreamt about it. Several days later as I was leaving Tennessee, I stopped at the Lodge Cast Iron store and bought a nine inch cast iron pie pan. The day after I got home, I shopped for ingredients and made it that afternoon! It is my new favorite meal and one I’ll be making for myself and others. And as a bonus it’s easy to make!
I’m sharing the recipe with a slight modification as in our class this made two small cast iron skillets – I’m using my new 9 inch cast iron pie plate and had to adjust the cooking time a bit.
Savory Tomato Pie – serves 4
Homemade Pie Crust for one 9 inch pie crust
If you’d like to check out my 2023 cooking class click this link:
Smoky Mountain School of Cooking Appalachian Store & Cafe – a new experience
The Smoky Mountain School of Cooking and Appalachian Store is located at 1004 Parkway #301 in Gatlinburg Tennessee.
So many delicious breakfasts on my cruise, here’s a few of my favorites!
“Do you ever get a sign from Spence?”
Tonight granddaughter Kira dropped by with a Shepherds Pie made by daughter-in-law Tonya. It was the best Shepherds Pie I’ve ever had, every bite flavorful and satisfying. The food equivalent of a warm hug.
Spence never met Tonya, they would have loved each other. Shepherds Pie – if on a menu he’d order it every time. Seriously every time. I sat in his chair while enjoying this meal and thought, “yup this is a sign”
I have often said that I could live on bread, cheese and wine (if need be). I’ve been hesitant about baking bread, in particular because I’ve had little experience with yeast.
During the bitter cold, windy and icy winter days, I spent time on Pinterest and discovered several recipes that looked interesting. Today I gathered all the ingredients and decided to go for it. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? If it’s inedible, I can throw it out…..
Using this recipe, https://bakerbettie.com/easy-no-knead-skillet-bread/ I added garlic powder and poppy seeds to the top just before baking. The rosemary called for in the recipe was easy as I grow and dry it at the end of each summer. While Bettie’s recipe used a round cast iron skillet, mine is square and I went in the direction of a foccacia. The whole house was filled with the aroma of baking bread – reward enough for my effort.
Mom is joining me for today’s Easter dinner and for the last week I was on the fence about what I’d fix. Mom is easy as she loves everything I cook – and tells me I should be on Chopped (home chef edition), with my inevitable win launching my own Food Network show but I digress.
A few days ago I saw rack of lamb and the decision was made. Mom and I both love lamb chops and I’ve made those many times. I’ve cooked rack of lamb only once and grilled it. It was delicious though my friend Terry had to start my grill as the one time prior that I’d lit it, I blew the lid back and lost all my arm hair. Spence was always my grill master and though Mom would (and could) light my grill I had decided to go a different way.
After scanning cookbooks and Pinterest for ideas I quickly realized that I hadn’t picked up fresh herbs – never a problem from May-October when my herb garden provides more than I need. What’s a girl to do? It was noon, my homemade croutons were done and cooling, our favorite Rhubarb Custard pie is in its final 20 minutes of cook time, sweet potatoes poked and ready for baking, my dijon vinaigrette prepared. I’m still in my jammies and not enough time to shower and run out for fresh herbs before mom arrives. Though dried herbs might work, I knew I could do better.
Then it hit me – make a crust using pesto with its lovely green color and fresh herb flavors mixed with Panko breadcrumbs, both of which were in my gourmet pantry! Brilliant kitchen hack if I don’t say so.
Pesto Panko Crusted Rack of Lamb – serves 2-4
Several hours before dinner mix together the breadcrumbs and pesto. Score the fat side of the rack, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap the bones in foil to prevent burning. Cover all sides of the rack with the breadcrumb mixture using more on the fat side which will be face up when cooking. Pat it down to make the crust. Refrigerate for several hours.
Two hours before you’d like to serve dinner, remove the rack from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 45-60 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper and place the rack into the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the rack.
Cook time will depend on how rare you like your chops – check at 15-18 minutes for rare to medium rare (my preference) by inserting a meat thermometer look for the internal temp of 120 degrees. Remove from oven and tent, the temperature will increase to 125-130 degrees; allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
Remove the foil. To preserve the crust for serving and presentation, I cut them 2 bones per chop. I served these with a nice bottle of red wine, spinach salad with homemade croutons and Dijon vinaigrette, the aforementioned baked sweet potatoes with butter and fresh grated nutmeg – and of course the pie.
When I received my box on Tuesday this week I was disappointed to see that the two entrees I received were not the ones I selected. The good news was two-fold 1) the ones they sent were meals that looked delicious and 2) when I called, they immediately applied a credit to my next order. I offered to send photos and it was not necessary. An email arrived within minutes apologizing and documenting their resolution. I couldn’t ask for more.
Especially now that I’ve had both meals – absolutely loved them.
The first one I fixed the day I got the box. Although I’ve enjoyed some pretty spectacular burgers in my lifetime, it would be easy to say this might have been the best one ever.
The Melty Monterey Jack Burger with Red Onion Jam and Breaded Zucchini. Seriously. This burger rocked my world.
Tonight I fixed the Sweet as Honey Chicken with Green Beans and Jasmine Rice. And again, I had a meal that was delicious and flavorful but also it was one of two 540 calorie meals that were offered for this week which was a nice benefit (others being higher in calories but still balanced and healthy). If I’d had this in a restaurant I would have sent my regards to the chef. As it was, I patted myself on the back.
So far, I’m a fan of HelloFresh and with each new box, I feel certain that my positive experiences will continue.
This blog represents my opinions and enthusiasm but no compensation from HelloFresh. From inception I didn’t want to have advertisements on my blog, (no judgements) simply my preference.
I use a dutch oven pan to create more surface area for warming the berries. Place cranberries, sugar, jam and vinegar in the pan on a low to medium setting, stir. Zest one navel orange and then juice that orange, adding both juice and zest to berry mixture. Stir again
Using a veggie peeler or small sharp knife, remove about 1/2 the peel from the second orange, careful not to go beneath the “orange” peel (avoiding the bitter white part). Chop the peel fine (see below) until you have 1 tablespoon. You may use more peel if you end up with more or freeze it for later use.
Add peel to berry mixture. Cut the second orange in half and then section it, adding the sections to the berry mixture. Squeeze any residual juice from the second orange into the pan.
You will start to hear little pops from the pan, those are the cranberries bursting. Give it a stir, put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low. Check back every 15 -20 minutes for another stir, letting it simmer. After 45 minutes, stir in the Grand Marnier, the berry mixture should be breaking down like a chutney. Continue to cook for 15-20 minutes more. Cool and serve. Makes 2-3 cups of relish. This can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to two weeks and freezes beautifully, simply thaw and serve.
This is delicious as to serve not only with your Thanksgiving dinner but with chicken, pork or even seared scallops (trust me). For a festive appetizer, make a charcuterie platter with cheeses like brie or a spreadable goat cheese or camembert, manchego, sharp white cheddar, cornichons and marcona almonds with sliced baguettes! Get creative…..and always, enjoy!
Looking for other Thanksgiving or Holiday recipes? Here’s links to a few of my best recipes:
Chestnut, Apple and Sausage Stuffing
Roasting Chestnuts – a Labor of Love
As I’m making my 2016 batch today, I decided to re-publish this recipe in hopes that it might be helpful to someone this Thanksgiving!
Taco Fiesta Casserole serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 package pillsbury grand biscuits (10 count)
Taco seasoning – 2 T Pampered Chef Fiesta Seasoning, 1 T Cumin, 1 T chili powder (you can use packaged taco seasoning)
1 1/2 cup salsa
1 chopped chipoltle in adobo, chopped
1 c black beans (rinsed)
2 cup diced peppers – green, red, yellow & orange
1 cup diced red onion
2 cups Mexican shredded cheese
3 chopped green onions
Sour cream for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef, stirring in taco seasoning mix, salsa and chipotle. Set aside.
Cut the biscuits into quarters, then into eighths. Place half the biscuits in the bottom of a 9 x 13 in pan. Top with 1/2 the meat mixture, then all of the pepper, onion and black bean mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the top. Now add the remaining biscuit pieces, meat mix and 1 cup of cheese followed by the chopped green onion.
Place in oven, tented with foil for 35 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven for 15 minutes more. Remove and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top servings with sour cream if desired.
