Ricotta Cheese Filling
I first came up with a ricotta cheese filling for stuffing manicotti, but since discovering that making my own pasta is now the ONLY way I want to serve pasta dishes to my guests, I’m finding that it’s delicious in ravioli as well. There’s something I just love about the flavors of ricotta cheese and…
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Roasted fingerling potatoes are crazy good. They are salty with a sweet creamy center. Fingerling potatoes were never something I thought I’d have as a “go to” side dish, but after making them with several different meals they have become one of my preferred sides. I saw them for the first time not long ago…
Vegetarian Chili
This might possibly be the best vegetarian chili ever. Many of the ideas for this recipe came from Cook’s Illustrated “Best Vegetarian Chili“. (“Cook’s Illustrated”, Number 119, November/December 2012, p.14). In their article and recipe they are basing their claim of the “best” on the texture and flavor they have achieved from some surprising ingredients. After…
Potato Pizza
Potato pizza–really, not the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear my favorite word “pizza”. I usually think tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and sausage. But after having this pizza, I am converted to a non-traditional pizza lover. Some time ago, I was watching an episode of Food Network’s “The Best Thing…
Asian Noodle Salad
Asian noodle salad with spicy peanut vinaigrette is the perfect compromise to two of my favorite salads. There are two restaurants nearby where I live that have two totally different noodle salads on their menus. One has a thick spicy peanut sauce and the other has a light sesame ginger vinaigrette. The salad I have created…
Hawaiian Punch Cocktail
Hawaiian Punch Cocktail is an adult version of the kids’ classic Hawaiian Punch we all grew up with. It is remarkable how much this cocktail tastes like the original. If you liked “Hawaiian Punch”, you’re going to love this drink. I first discovered this drink years ago when I tended bar at TGI Friday’s. I…
Pork & Kraut Sliders
I recently needed to come up with a recipe for a German type slider for a cocktail party. I was having trouble coming up with the perfect slider until I remembered my favorite German meal my grandmother and mother used to make for us. It was braised country pork ribs in sauerkraut. Since country ribs…
Karl Ratzsch’s
On a recent visit back home to Wisconsin, I was craving some good Milwaukee German food which I hadn’t had since I left the Midwest seven years ago. One of my favorite places to find a hearty German meal was always Karl Ratzch’s Restaurant, a landmark in downtown Milwaukee for well over a hundred years. I…
Frog and Onion Pub
The Frog and Onion Pub is a restaurant very near the cruise ship terminal at King’s Wharf, Bermuda. It’s an easy walk for cruise ship passengers in search of local food along with British and American pub food. The bar and restaurant is located in an old historic fort built from Bermudian limestone. The interior has…
Pistachio Butter
Wow, what a burst of roasted pistachio flavor in this butter! Ironically, when you taste the butter by itself you get a burst of slightly salty, toasted goodness. But when you spread it on something hearty like whole wheat crackers or wheat toast, that wonderful rich flavor seems to take a back seat. The distinctive…
