Archive for » May, 2014 «

Zesty Penne Pasta Salad

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us. The unofficial start of summer is here. And while most of you will be frolicking about in bathing suits on boats or beaches or hanging with your besties at barbecues or boils, I’ll be hold up inside with two very unhappy children who need to study for final exams. I think this is the first year since my kids have been in school that they have to return after Memorial Day. It has certainly put a damper on our holiday plans. Maybe we’ll be able to squeeze in a [ ... ]
Category: Pasta, Salad  Comments off

Crispy Jalapeño-Lime Chicken

I wake most mornings before dawn. Four-thirty to be exact. That’s when my internal clock starts ticking. Has been that way for as long as I can remember. On those occasions when I’ve stayed up way past my eighty-thirty bedtime or have had one too many craft beers, I may force myself back to sleep for an additional hour or so. But for the most part you can bank on the fact that I’ve downed my second cup of Dark Roast Community Coffee before even the most ambitious of roosters has crowed, “Cock-a-doodle-doo.” I love the dark stillness of those wee [ ... ]
Category: Chicken, Main Dishes, Sauces  Comments off

Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Tostadas with Ponchatoula Strawberry Salsa

Have I told you how much I love Mexican food? In my world, it comes in a strong second behind my hometown favorites. I love margaritas. “Big Texas Rocks Salt” is how I order mine at our favorite neighborhood Mexican joint which I affectionately call “The Ranch” (El Ranchero). I love chips and salsa. Thin chips. Smooth and spicy salsa. The Ranch does that right too. I also adore everything on their menu. And if you ask me for recommendations, I’ll usually suggest The Ranch’s Chicken Soup if you’re looking for [ ... ]

Finger Food Friday: Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

A couple of weeks back, we made our annual pilgrimage to Pike’s, our local gardening center, for some colorful annuals to brighten up our patio, a wide assortment of herbs for warm-weather cooking and several vegetable and fruit plants for the kids’ garden. This springtime ritual is always an adventure. If we’d let them, the kids would spend hours and thousands of dollars filling our carts with everything edible. That sounds great, but their enthusiasm and lack of understanding of just how difficult it is for their mother–me–to successfully grow anything always leads to disappointment. One of many tough [ ... ]