Additional Recipes

Mushroom-potato Bake

Irish Ayes Potato Bake (An Ahead-Of-Time Side)

      We have found hosting a dinner party without auxiliary help to be a bit tricky. If we are assuming the roles of both host and cook, we have to divide our time. We must work in the kitchen and have a socializing presence where we can engage in pre-dinner conversation. Prepare the Dishes Ahead of Time      We can’t be in two places at once. I have found it’s ideal to have the food cooking and much of the preparation done before the guests arrive. As an example, if the entrée is beef bourguignon, we would assemble and…

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Fresh peas

Creamed Peas – An Ahead-Of-Time Side

      We have found hosting a dinner party without auxiliary help to be a bit tricky. If we are assuming the roles of both host and cook ,we have to divide our time between work in the kitchen and having a socializing presence where we can engage in pre-dinner conversation.      We can’t be in two places at once, so I have found it’s ideal to have the food cooking and much of the preparation done before the guests arrive. As an example, if the entrée is beef bourguignon, we would assemble and begin cooking the dish about five…

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Creamed corn

Creamed Corn – An Ahead-Of-Time Side

      We have found hosting a dinner party without auxiliary help to be a bit tricky. If we are assuming the roles of both host and cook ,we have to divide our time between work in the kitchen and having a socializing presence where we can engage in pre-dinner conversation.      We can’t be in two places at once, so I have found it’s ideal to have the food cooking and much of the preparation done before the guests arrive. As an example, if the entrée is beef bourguignon, we would assemble and begin cooking the dish about five…

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cod

Cod Oven-baked With Herbs

     Have you ever kissed a cod on the lips? Me neither. As a matter of fact the thought of doing so had never even occurred to me until I read an article in The New Yorker magazine (March 27, 2017, page 19) entitled “Plane People:”      “On September 11, 2001, after flights were rerouted to their nearest airports, thirty-eight jets suddenly landed in Gander, Newfoundland, stranding some seven thousand passengers for up to five days in a town with only five hundred hotel rooms.”      The residents of Gander rose to the…

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bowl of Mulligatawny soup

Mulligatawny Soup (A Decent Bowl)

     “So, where do you have to go to get a decent bowl of mulligatawny soup?”      How many times have I heard some needy and hungry soul utter those words? Actually . . . never – but that doesn’t mean it’s never been asked.      As a matter of fact, Arthur Robert Kenney-Herbert wrote about this problem back in 1885 in his book Culinary Jottings: A Treatise In Thirty Chapters On Reformed Cookery For Anglo-Indian Rites, Based Upon Modern English And Continental Principles With Thirty Menus in which he…

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Preparing fish

White Fish With Crispy Caper Bread Crumbs

     I have mixed feelings about people in the kitchen when I am cooking. I think the proverb is true about too many cooks. It can lead to confusion and ultimate failure (spoiling the broth).      I’ve also found it to be distracting. My efforts at trying to cook a meal and carry on a conversation has resulted in burnt French bread, sauces ending up being too thick, and meat that was overdone.      But there are times when you will want extra people in your kitchen. It might be…

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Seared tuna

Fresh Tuna Pan-seared With Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce

     It wasn’t as if we didn’t have choices. We could choose if we wanted to buy our tuna in pouches or cans and packed in water or oil. We also had the choice of serving it in either a sandwich or a casserole. This was the extent of what I knew about tuna the first four decades of my life. Fresh tuna steaks? Whoever heard of such things?      Well, fresh tuna steaks have often been described as “the fillet mignon of the sea.” The meat’s texture is dense and firm,…

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Turtle for soup

Turtle Soup (A Louisiana Delicacy)

      Seeking culinary adventures while vacationing in New Orleans, Dorothy and I thought what better way to begin than to dine at Commander’s Palace. We’d heard so much about the great food and impeccable service, and we were very excited about the evening’s possibilities.      As a first course we ordered turtle soup. It was suggested by our waiter that we might order a glass of sherry to drink with the soup, and we followed his advice.      The soup arrived at our table. It had a wonderful aroma and…

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Garlic (Baked And Garlic Toast)

     I’m a huge fan of garlic. I love the taste, and I love how it adds interest to a recipe. Cooking with it also gives the whole house a wonderful bouquet. Its aroma signifies happy times in the kitchen.      It contains the chemical allicin.  This is what gives garlic its odor.  Some studies claim that it can kill 23 types of bacteria (including salmonella and staphylococcus) and 60 types of fungi and yeast.  Other studies say it’s helpful in preventing heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol, and clogged arteries.  And others claim it…

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Seared scallops

Scallops With Lemon Butter (Simply Divine)

     For those of us who love fish, nothing can compare to that delectable taste we experience when we bite into a scallop. Sweet and delicate with a melt in your mouth goodness, it’s heaven at the end of your fork. And scallops served with a lemon butter sauce are divine. Pay Close Attention When Cooking Your Scallops      It should be noted that we lovers of scallops are a fussy lot. We detest one that isn’t cooked properly. If it’s overcooked, it will be chewy and rubbery – and undercooked…

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