Gourmet tips news

I am very enamored with my basil bush right now. It is August; temperatures are in the upper nineties and heat indexes are topping 100 degrees. Unlike me, basil thrives in this weather. There is just enough rain to keep it moist and because it's in a shady spot it hasn't gone to seed. This is the first time I have actually planted basil directly in the ground and not in a pot; I had no idea what a difference that would make. With this plethora of basil I was craving something simple and herby. The dish is basically pasta with a rough chop pesto. Instead of emulsifying the basil with oil, cheese, garlic, and pine nuts I rough chop everything and toss it together. To bring out a more intense flavor I always toast pine nuts before adding them in. I also make this with pistachios and walnuts as a substitute. Fresh Fettucini with Basil 1 pound fresh pasta noodles 3 cups (approximately) fresh basil, cut into chiffonade 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup toasted pine ...

I am certifiably obsessed! I can't stop making and eating ravioli. I am waking up in the middle of the night and pondering new fillings. Really, there is something wrong with this- but I truly don't care. I will work out extra hard just so I can eat these guilt free to my heart's content. Last night I made arugula and goat cheese ravioli for dinner again, the second time around was considerably easier (not making pasta from scratch obviously makes a big difference). I think they even tasted better, I ditched the original recipe and improvised with pre-made pasta. (As with all non-baking recipes, use the recipe as a guideline). I was eating dinner with my girlfriends and I was so absurdly happy I sort of laughed to myself. The company was delightful, but the true source of my joy at that moment was the food. Dinner was sort of an impromptu thing, I had spent the better part of the day recouping from the night before. I had a wedding cake to finish and deliver that mo...

I'm not even going to make up excuses to explain my absence, nor say I'm back permanently (I will try though). Thank you for all your kind emails. Thank you for continuing to sign up for the newsletter. No, the subscriber service is not broken, it's the newsletter writer- she took a hiatus- a long one. But, I have so much more to say, still. There are about a dozen unfinished posts in the edit posts section, hopefully I'll get to most of them soon. Be on the lookout for my grandmother's home-made tortellini, it's one of the unfinished posts and my very favorite. I just need a little motivation. A new camera would help- until then, we have Arthur and his camera. Recently, my friend A said to me, "Your blog should not be about food!" She said this in reference to all the shenanigans that go on in my life, maybe I'll incorporate both- it will certainly be much more amusing around here. It's a good thing I have the ability to laugh at myself...

This is my photographer friend Arthur's asparagus recipe. The recipe is very simple to make, easy clean up and super tasty. I actually cooked them in the oven, but they can easily be cooked on the grill. Wrapping the asparagus in foil keeps them from falling between the grill grates and makes clean up easy. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the asparagus. Pencil thin asparagus are my favorite, but they are not always available. This time around they were rather thick so they took a little longer to cook. I usually trim asparagus about 2" or a little less, depending on how fresh they are, basically you want to go as high on the stalk to the point that you could snap off with your hands- cutting off the dry area. From start to finish the recipe can be prepared in about 25 minutes. Marinated Grilled Asparagus: 2 bunches fresh asparagus 1/4 cup chopped red onion 2 tablespoons minced garlic salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup olive oil juice of 1 lemon 1 lemon, sl...

In my life I always find that actions speak much louder than words and apparently this applies to my blog as well. I keep saying I'm back, but then months go by and there's no sign of life around here. Well, I think 2 posts in one week officially means I have returned. This is evident not only in my blog, but in my surroundings and activities as well. I did not realize until this week how deep a hiatus I had taken from myself and my life. I slowly started working in my garden again and there it was- ocd all over again. I think it's been lurking somewhere all along, I had just not engaged in the activities where my desire for perfection so prevalent. Not resting until whatever it is I'm doing is finished is I think more gratifying to me than it probably should be. But, this is the little thing that drives me and makes me who I am, and while I am half way kidding about the ocd thing, rising to a challenge and making something better than it was before gives me imm...

I have come out of my gardening strike in the last week and I'm well on my way to getting my garden back in order. I find it hard to believe I have neglected it for the past year like I have... weeding has consumed the last few days. I have planted tomatoes, peppers and re-vamped the herbs, but my most pleasant discovery was finding figs on my tree. I have a beautiful little fig tree in the backyard, which apparently did not mind the neglect. The tree has done just fine without me- bursting with figs. The challenge now is to harvest before the birds do, since they seem to like them as much or more than I do! The figs I used for the pizza are black mission, but any type or combination of fresh figs will work well. Figs are highly perishable and are best eaten soon after picking. Using them in a grilled pizza works well because they don't get much overhead heat and remain plump and juicy. I just recently bought a new kitchen toy, one that took numerous trips to the ki...

I think I am officially back. I know I keep saying that and then disappear for months at a time, but this time I really mean it! My life was turned upside down, but is now back together. Life is good. This pound cake is one of my favorites. The recipe is easily adjusted to accommodate almost any flavoring you choose. I like the lemon blueberry combination, it is one of my best sellers at a local coffee shop. The cake comes together easily, but it is extremely important all ingredients be at room temperature. When creaming the butter and sugar beat the mixture until very very fluffy, I usually use a timer and set it to five minutes. Once the flour is added, take the bowl out of the mixer stand and fold. After the flour comes in contact with liquids, the gluten starts to form a chemical reaction and if stirred too much the cake will have a tough texture and uneven grain. LEMON BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE WITH LEMON ICING 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature 2 cups granulated su...