May 2013
3 posts
3 tags
Spinach, Orange, and Candied Almond Salad
Our best friends had a dinner party for us and some of our friends over the weekend at their beautiful home. In June they will have been in this home for just two years.
Prior to this they had lived down the street from us. We were 8410 and they were 8401…we had a connection from the very beginning.
They moved here almost 25 years ago just like us..we came from Chicago, and they came...
2 tags
Chantilcleer Gardens
I mentioned on a recent post that my sister, cousins from St. Louis and I visited Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, PA several weeks ago.
This estate began as the country retreat of Adolph Rosengarten, Sr. and his wife Christine, and dates back to the early 1900’s.
The photo above gives you a glimpse of what the 48 acres of Chanticleer has to offer.
An excerpt from the brochure says it...
3 tags
Pan Fried Chicken Breasts with Orzo
I hate when this happens! I haven’t posted on my blog for almost 3 weeks. We are approaching the home stretch of our upcoming move, and life cooking as I know it is no more.
In the last few weeks my husband and I have made a trip to San Luis Obispo to check on the status of our future home.
We were there for the required framing walk-through, which turned out to be a 3 hour procedure...
April 2013
4 posts
3 tags
Strawberries and Cream Spectacular
Strawberries and Cream Spectacular! This recipe comes from the Time Life Series of Books called The Good Cook/Techniques and Recipes published in 1981. I had the entire collection in those days, and through the years I have donated many and sold some at yard sales, but this particular one simply called Cakes remains on my shelf.
It is a great resource for anyone who loves baking cakes...
3 tags
Smoked Whitefish Salad
For our brunch last Sunday I made Smoked Whitefish Salad.
I use very little mayo relative to the amount of fish so the rich flavor of the smoked fish really shines through. You could even omit the mayonnaise altogether and simply add a little olive oil to the lemon juice.
The only thing challenging about this dish is deboning the smoked fish.
In the past I usually did it in a trial and...
2 tags
Sunday Brunch
As we are approaching our move to San Luis Obispo at the end of June we added another last to our long list of memories of our home that we will take with us.
My kitchen island (and before the remodel, penninsula) has been home to too many Sunday Brunches to count over these past years.
This past Sunday with cousins visiting from New England we hosted what will most likely be the last of...
3 tags
Ina's Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Here’s a recipe from Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa that never disappoints. It is one I have made numerous times. It is quick and delicious, and you will likely have most of the ingredients on hand, except the shrimp.
It’s a good idea to keep a bag of shrimp in your freezer for use in shrimp stir fries and other recipes that cook up quickly.
To make it even quicker Ina says...
March 2013
8 posts
4 tags
Passover Chocolate Sponge Cake Roll with...
In addition to the Passover Lemon Cheesecake which I made this year I also took this Chocolate Sponge Cake Roll with Raspberries and Cream to the seder at our aunt’s home.
I am not a chocoholic by any means ( I usually prefer desserts without chocolate with a few exceptions), but i know that for many people it is not dessert if it’s not chocolate. So I always like to include...
3 tags
Passover Lemon Cheesecake
This luscious lemon cheesecake is one of the desserts I took to the Seder at our aunt’s home last night.
The crust is made from ground almonds and matzo cake meal making it perfect for Passover when flour is prohibited. Its sweet crunchiness complements the smooth lemony light filling.
Passover Lemon Cheesecake (Epicurious, Gourmet/ April 2008)
(8 to 10 servings)
Crust
3/4 cup...
3 tags
Charoseth for Passover
Passover began last night with the ceremonial seder meal.
We were invited to the home of my husband’s aunt whom he has been especially close to since he was old enough to walk, and whom I became close with since I first began dating my husband in high school.
At that time his aunt and uncle and cousins lived in the same town in which we grew up.
In the late 70’s, years after...
1 tag
Bourbon-Butterscotch Pudding
I love pudding! Just a spoonful of sugar pudding helps the medicine go down, or anything else that ails you! It is the epitome of comfort food.
This past week I had an unexpected visit from my terrific niece from New York who will be graduating this spring from college.
It seems like yesterday that we got the call that she was born. My sister and I filled the car with all the food we had...
4 tags
Corned Beef and Cabbage with a Twist
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Although we are not Irish this day will always be one we celebrate because our oldest son was born on St. Patrick’s Day 1975 at 8:36 pm in Chicago.
With our upcoming move on the horizon we are really looking forward to celebrating birthdays with our sons once again since incredibly we will be living within a few hours of each after being on the...
3 tags
The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.
I wake up early every day, whether I need to or not. That’s just my body clock.
But I can’t really start the day until I’ve had my second cup of coffee. I love my coffee, and have since I began drinking it in college.
(I’m so thrilled that the recent health pundits have been touting the benefits of caffeine! Whew!!!)
Although I do love croissants, muffins,...
3 tags
Baked Pasta with Sausage and Four Cheeses
With spring on the horizon there still remain enough wintry days to cook up some one dish meals such as this Baked Pasta with Sausage and Four Cheeses.
Soon we will be turning our thoughts to all the great grilling possibilities, and endless salads and such that will be heralded by the opening of the farm stands everywhere.
Until then consider making this delicious baked rigatoni dish which...
3 tags
Hearts of Palm Dip
Sometimes the simplest and fewest ingredients result in the tastiest dishes. Such is the case for this Hearts of Palm Dip which I found in a Food and Wine magazine from a year ago, and made recently.
While so many of the dips and spreads that we love are filled with high fat ingredients…think sour cream, cream cheese, mayo, all kinds of cheeses… (although I use them at times the...
February 2013
5 posts
4 tags
A Gluten Free Chocolate Birthday Cake
Our good friends from our “Chicago Days” who now live in Rhode Island spent the night with us on their way down to Florida yesterday. It was so wonderful to spend some time with them.
They were a part of a close knit group of friends we had who, like us, were all transplanted to the Windy City from the east coast in the 70’s. We were all beginning our own families at this...
3 tags
Pappardelle with Porcini and Garlic
This is a delicious quick dish for any night of the week or for guests. I’ve been making it for years. Although the recipe suggests porcini and pappardelle almost any kind of mushrooms and most pastas will do.
You can’t miss with this classic blend of sauteed mushrooms, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan or my favorite Pecorino Romano. Enjoy!
Papardelle with Porcini and Garlic
...
3 tags
Valentine's Day Dinner for my Sweetheart
This is the dessert that ended our Valentine’s dinner this evening.
Nothing too fancy, just a few of my husband’s favorites…homemade rich chocolatey brownies cut into heart shapes, sharing the plate with pure vanilla ice cream blanketed with fresh ripe macerated strawberries.
Dinner was a mixed green salad, steamed lobster tails with drawn butter, pan seared T-Bone Steak,...
3 tags
Coconut Cream Pie
My sister came to visit this past weekend so we could all celebrate her birthday.
Our best friends who have become good friends to her as well joined us for a terrific dinner Saturday evening in DC at a wonderful restaurant called District Commons. Check it out.
Our cocktails, appetizers, entrees, salads, and desserts were all great and it was a really fun evening.
After dinner we...
4 tags
Cheesy Mac and Cheese
Every now and then I get an uncontrollable craving for mac and cheese.
Since my husband’s love for cheese is limited to a chunk of Jarlsberg or melted mozzarella on his pizza or Chicken Parm I can’t use him as the excuse for why I would make this large pan of Cheesy Mac and Cheese in the photo above.
Yep, I must admit I made it for me…although I’m always willing to...
January 2013
7 posts
3 tags
Pan Seared Veal Chops and Rosemary Potatoes
Lately I find myself looking for all kinds of excuses in the kitchen to use the rosemary that is still thriving in the huge pot it’s been planted in for the past 3 summers.
When the weather turns cold here I take my perennial pots from the patio and move them into our garage for the winter.
In early spring when it appears the days will be increasingly warmer I bring them out and let...
2 tags
Jazzed Up Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions
Over a month ago Southern Living Magazine contacted me for confirmation to print a recipe of mine in their February issue!
I was shocked, wondering what recipe they were interested in, and how it happened that they found it, and me! Here’s the story…
About a year ago I submitted the recipe for Jazzed Up Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions pictured above to the Food 52 site, an online...
4 tags
Meyer Lemon Curd Tartlets
One of the things I love to do most in the kitchen is to take left-overs and re-purpose them. In other words, use it in a different way than originally intended.
Case in point: the Meyer Lemon Curd Tartlets pictured above.
I love making Meyer Lemon Curd whenever I find Meyer lemons available. A small jar makes a great house gift at the holidays.
It is also delicious on scones or toast for...
4 tags
Giusi's Ragu
I’ve really been enjoying The Tuscan Sun Cookbook by Frances and Edward Mayes this past week. So far I’ve posted the Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes recipe which includes the Roasted Tomato recipe.
Now I’m sharing with you Giusi’s Ragu. Giusi is one of the authors’ close friends whom they met early in their move to the Tuscan countryside, and who, like the...
4 tags
Easy Pizza with Roasted Tomato Sauce
Remember that Roasted Tomato recipe featured in the previous post for Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes …here’s another delicious way to use it other than as a topping for bruschette, in a frittata or risotto. Use it as a topping on a quick pizza.
Yesterday I found I had some whole wheat pitas (from Trader Joe’s, I think) in my freezer.
I pulled them out, and with a drizzle...
4 tags
Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes
Much has happened this past week. Last Friday our home officially went on the market.
Beginning then and through the weekend we had realtors bringing clients to show the house which meant my husband and I were “out of here”…prospective home buyers don’t feel comfortable looking at the house with the home owner within earshot, so we found ourselves having breakfast,...
4 tags
Pasta with Roasted Caulifower, Sage and Walnut...
Okay, so you may not have been asking where has Dinner at Sheila’s been these last few weeks, but I have been asking myself that question, and there is a legitimate excuse for my absence of blogging.
We have been readying our house for its upcoming listing. I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post that we will be moving in early summer to the west coast. Since then things have been...
December 2012
7 posts
2 tags
Roasted Applesauce
This Roasted Applesauce recipe I discovered last week when I was about to make applesauce to go with my latkes for a party I was hosting.
I had been cooking all day, and although I love my go to applesauce recipe, I was looking to avoid using the food mill, and started checking out some recipes online.
That is when I found this gem which comes from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. It is...
4 tags
California Toffee Butter Crunch
Between Christmas and New Year’s most of us find ourselves snacking on the abundance of cookies, cakes, and candies, which throughout the rest of the year are not as easily within our reach.
But during the holidays it seems even the diehard dieters give themselves a bit of a reprieve. After all it’s the season of joy, and can anyone really say that sinking our teeth into some...
4 tags
Peppermint Brownies
These peppermint brownies are perfect for holiday entertaining. I served them recently for dessert at my annual latke lunch I’ve been hosting for my aerobic dance class the past three years.
It is a moist rich chocolatey brownie with a pronounced peppermint flavor. Peppermint extract added to the batter along with the sugar that has been ground with peppermint tea leaves provides the...
3 tags
White Fruitcake
The classic fruitcake has been the brunt of many jokes. The often ridiculed cake popular at Christmas is typically a heavy, dense, overly sweet cake laden with artificially colored candied green and red cherries as well as other fruits and nuts. It has usually been soaked in rum or some other liqueur.
Supposedly, Johnny Carson poked fun at this holiday dessert on the Tonight Show years ago ...
5 tags
Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts)
It is traditional during the eight days of Hanukkah to eat foods fried in oil commemorating the miracle of the oil. The story goes…
After Antiochus’s forces had been defeated and driven from the Temple, the Maccabees discovered that most of the ritual oil had been destroyed. A single container was still sealed by the High Priest, but it was only enough to light the Temple’s...
5 tags
It's Starting To Look A Lot Like Hanukkah!
Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, began last night with the lighting of the first of eight candles over the coarse of the next eight days.
My husband and I sat down to this holiday dinner after what will be the last of many garage sales we have had over the many years in our home.
Yes, it was December 8, 2012, and we were having a garage sale! But, it was sunny and in the mid 60’s!
...
3 tags
Sweet-And-Sour Cabbage Soup
This is a soup that my mother made regularly, and one that remains popular in the repertoire of Jewish cooks today.
It is a delicious hearty soup that incorporates some kind of beef (usually still on the bone such as short ribs or beef back ribs). However, it can be made vegetarian by simply omitting the beef and using a vegetable stock.
The other essential ingredients are cabbage, onions,...
November 2012
5 posts
2 tags
Thanksgiving 2012
An arrangement composed of foliage from my garden…
Beautiful, beautiful mums from my baby brother…
My Thanksgiving mantel…
A beautiful birthday bouquet from my brother, sister-in-law, and niece…
My husband surprised me with this spectacular serving bowl for my birthday 2 days before Thanksgiving. I loved it, but thought I shouldn’t buy it. I’m so...
1 tag
3 tags
Turkey Gravy
What would Thanksgiving be without gravy? Gravy for the roast turkey, gravy for the mashed potatoes, gravy for the stuffing…. and then a little gravy to pour on all those yummy left-overs the day after the holiday.
My college roommate sent me an e-mail this morning in search of my gravy recipe. I was certain I had posted it on an earlier Thanksgiving blog. I had not! So here it is,...
3 tags
Turkey Tetrazzini
Why, you may ask am I making a dish with leftover turkey before Thanksgiving? I’ll explain.
My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is a week away. I will be having a larger crowd this year, which means I’ll be making all the same traditional dishes we love, but just in greater quantities.
I try to do as much ahead as possible, but most of the cooking must wait til a day or two...
3 tags
Spiced Apple Pie
In 1980 we moved from our apartment in Chicago with our sons who were ages 6 and 2 at the time to a very spacious apartment around the corner. This was our third move around the same square block which faced a wonderful park called Indian Boundary Park in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, complete with a playground, tennis courts and even a small zoo.
Our first apartment was a...
October 2012
5 posts
1 tag
Garlic-Roasted Caulifower
Roasting fresh cauliflower along with fresh garlic and good olive oil will turn this boring vegetable into a colorful and richly flavored dish. And it couldn’t be easier.
The recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? cookbook by Ina Garten.
I substituted toasted almonds for the pine nuts, but either one would work equally well. Your choice. Here’s the recipe...
2 tags
Salmon "Bulgogi" With Bok Choy And Mushrooms
There’s a reason I find it difficult to part with my cooking magazines, even if they’re seemingly outdated. Good food doesn’t have an expiration date, as evidenced by the salmon dish above.
In an effort to purge some of my Bon Apppetit magazines recently I grabbed a few to scan in case there was something there I wanted to save.
And that is when I came across an article by...
3 tags
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
If you are looking for a simple coffee cake recipe that will also satisfy your chocolate cravings this one’s for you.
The recipe comes from a book I purchased from a good friend and co-worker years ago when I was working at The Chef’s Catalog store in suburban Chicago.
The book called “Specialties of the House…And More” was compiled by the North Suburban Guild of...
2 tags
Garlic Chive Shrimp Fried Rice With Garlic Chips
The other evening I had some raw shrimp and some left-over rice so it made perfect sense that I should make a fried rice dish for dinner.
A couple of years ago when scouring the internet for a buttermilk fried chicken recipe I landed on Marc Matsumoto’s food blog called norecipes.com.
He had some amazing dishes on there, all his own creations, and among them I found this winning recipe...
1 tag
Fennel, Garlic and Potato Soup
My neighbor who lives alone returned home from the hospital and is recovering from an intestinal problem. He is on a limited diet for now, consisting mostly of cooked starchy vegetables and is allowed no dairy products or spices.
I wanted to bring him dinner because since he has returned home it seems he’ s been microwaving or boiling vegetables for whatever meals he is able to eat.
He...
September 2012
4 posts
Anonymous asked: Looking for a seven-layer salad that is not the normal version. Any suggestions? Beef BBQ will be served as the main course and chicken is utilitzed in another dish as well. I hope you answer soon because our event is this Sunday, September 23rd. Thanks! Deb
2 tags
ROSH HASHANAH 2012... HAPPY NEW YEAR 5773! ...
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Crunchy-Topped Whole Wheat Plum Cake
The Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah begins tomorrow evening at sunset. As is traditional we usher in the new year with a delicious meal abundant with all kinds of sweet dishes symbolizing our wish for a sweet year ahead.
As I’ve been busily preparing all week for this special dinner I realized that much of the menu I will be serving I have already blogged in previous posts over the...
2 tags
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake
On a recent trip to Costco I spotted a huge carton of beautiful Meyer lemons.
These fragrant lemons, a cross between a lemon and a mandarin or regular orange, bear a deep yellow hue with an orange tint when ripe.
Meyer lemons are sweeter and less acidic than the lemons we usually buy.
They are not always available, so when I find them, especially in bulk as most items at Costco are sold, I...
August 2012
6 posts
3 tags
Grilled Pork Chops with Mint Chimichurri
Here’s a quick recipe for delicious grilled chops marinated and dressed with a twist on the traditional chimichurri sauce. This is actually the Argentine version of pesto. It incorporates all that fresh mint in the garden, and at the farm stands.
The recipe comes from grill master Steven Raichlen. It calls for pork chops, but I also think it would be fantastic with lamb chops as well. ...
1 tag
Most Beautiful Garden Contest 2012
Yesterday it was announced in our local community newspaper that my garden has won first place in our village’s annual Most Beautiful Garden Contest. I know I’ve already shared many photos of my garden with you this year so I promise to just post these few more.
Gardening has been challenging this summer with the record heat, hungry deer, lack of rain, and a back problem which...
