A nice rainy day in California requires a warm home-cooked meal, especially on a Sunday night! With the afternoon ahead, I decided to marinate some chicken thighs for a Chicken & Sweet Potato Tagine. My recipe is for a Moroccan style chicken marinated with an herb mixture of cumin, cardamom, ginger and a hint of saffron. If you’re feeling daring, you can toast & grind … Read more Sunday Supper
Black garlic is a type of caramelized garlic that is created through a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its desirable flavor. The process of producing black garlic is sometimes incorrectly referred to as fermentation, however it does not involve microbial action. It is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves. The taste is … Read more Black Garlic is one of the “Top Food Finds” for today’s Top Chefs!
There’s nothing better than a little fried onion and bacon flavor mixed with vegetables. My Talley Farms CSA box is always filled with exquisite, super fresh veggies and sometimes I am so overwhelmed, I just want to eat them all at once! That’s when I start creating dishes that utilize several items together and somehow it always results in a scrumptious blend of natures’ harmony. This … Read more This Versatile Vegetable Dish goes well for Brunch, Lunch or Dinner!
Last year when vacationing in Texas, I ate a side dish of Yellow Squash Casserole that was really scrumptious. Seeing all of the beautiful squash coming from my Talley Farms Fresh Harvest CSA box and my neighbor’s generous donation, I decided to combine them in a casserole. It turned out fantastic! I sliced and cut chunks in similar sized pieces and sautéed them with chopped onions … Read more Traditional Southern Goodness – Yellow Squash Casserole
As a chef, one of my favorite things to do is to introduce (or re-introduce) people to ingredients. It is inspiring to hear, “I’ve seen those in the store before, but never knew what to do with them”, or “I never liked these before, but this is really delicious!” Well, wait until you try this Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Crispy Shallots. It is sure to … Read more Don’t think you like Brussels Sprouts? Think again…
My Valentine’s feast needed a romantic, elegant soup to start the meal. With sweet orange carrots and fresh tasty fennel from my Talley Farms Fresh Harvest CSA box, I was stocked with the essentials for this smooth and subtle, purely delectable Carrot & Fennel Soup! The key to this soup is to slowly cook the vegetables to allow them to reach a deep rich flavor. You want … Read more Smooth and Subtle describes this delectable Carrot & Fennel Soup!
Brussels Sprouts are such a wonderful vegetable! They suffered from serious dislike for so many years and are finally getting their due appreciation. I continue to fill my cooking repertoire with new ways to serve them. This recipe happens to be one of my all time favorites and was voted one of the best items at our recent “Red Barn Kitchen – Thanksgiving Culinary Boot Camp“ … Read more Another Incredible Brussels Sprouts Recipe!
One of the best new discoveries I’ve made is Padron Peppers. They are so delicious and simple to prepare, it’s easy to get stuck serving them the same way over and over. However, the fickle side of me just won’t allow that, so I had to start getting versatile with padron peppers! Padron Peppers are small peppers (about 5 cm long), with a color ranging from bright green … Read more Getting Versatile with Padron Peppers!
