Fattoush with Too Much Lemon!

(Marie’s latest report from the kitchen wasn’t a complete success, but we know how to adapt for the next time…)

Every catalog we get from Penzeys Spices is mined for ideas. This time it was the Fattoush recipe that we selected. The girlchild, who is not a terribly big fan of salads despite her numerous short-lived attempts at becoming vegetarian, was relieved to know that we were scheduling this particular salad for a day when she had other plans. She only likes iceberg lettuce, and I don’t like buying that stuff because a) it tastes like water and b) it goes limp almost immediately after opening the package. Romaine isn’t much better because the ribs go brown, but at least you can purchase it in bunches if the prechopped bags look iffy. First World problems, right? My son does not eat any kind of salad except pasta (he gets away with it because he has points for liking broccoli and pickled beets) so this was just for the two adults. It’s a quite substantial salad, and could easily feed four light appetites or three medium. Continue reading “Fattoush with Too Much Lemon!” →

Marinated Flank Steak with Smiley-Face Potatoes

(Marie made an interesting supper the other night. It was not a complete success, but at least one of the children adored it.)

This is about two things, because neither is really enough on its own. I really like this marinade for flank steak, and the girlchild had fallen in love with this recipe for smiley face potatoes. Continue reading “Marinated Flank Steak with Smiley-Face Potatoes” →

Curried Lentils with Pineapple

(Today, Marie presents a great take on a classic hippie-era recipe, one that should be in regular rotation in everybody’s home!)

As some of our friends know, we are working (with moderate success) on Meatless Monday fare. I say “moderate” because we haven’t conquered lunch yet, but we will manage it in time – I have faith! Continue reading “Curried Lentils with Pineapple” →

Bland in a Bun with Penzeys Roasted Garlic and Adobo Seasoning

We got the latest catalog from Penzeys and one of the recipes stood out as exceptionally interesting, as Marie reports…

First of all, I would like to state that this recipe is neither bland nor in a bun. It’s actually very much like a Sloppy Joe, but with beans instead of tomato sauce. It’s only a little more work than Sloppy Joes, too; very appropriate for a weekday meal. Continue reading “Bland in a Bun with Penzeys Roasted Garlic and Adobo Seasoning” →

How to Cook the Best Steak Ever

(Today, Marie shares some ideas for the next time that you grill.)

We don’t eat a lot of steak, so when we do I want it to be really good. Some years ago, my brother won a really nice grill in a raffle but couldn’t keep it due to rules at his apartment complex, so we got it. And somewhere along the line, while looking for ideas on how to make that grill do its duty, I found this story at Steamy Kitchen. Continue reading “How to Cook the Best Steak Ever” →

Grandpa Tony’s Dressing

This is Marie, contributing an article about a family recipe that resembles nothing I’ve ever seen anywhere else. My great-grandfather Tony LaFreniere, who was French-Canadian, invented it, as the story goes. He’d spend all day on Thanksgiving working on it, puttering about while the rest of the feast was being prepared. I don’t need to take nearly that kind of time so either that process is being exaggerated slightly, or he took more time that necessary on purpose. Continue reading “Grandpa Tony’s Dressing” →

Mustard Pork Steak With Apples

This is Marie, contributing a recipe that I chose because it seemed so much in line with the season – pork chops and apples. Actually, it was just as much because a) we have a bunch of apples lying around because my boy, who had been going through an apple or two a day so I’d stocked up, stopped wanting to eat them promptly thereafter; also, the previous week I reorganized my freezer while looking unsuccessfully for some pork tenderloin steaks I was sure were in there and set me thinking about how much I wanted them anyway. So I browsed through Google, finding a nice mustardy recipe that looked like my husband’s kind of thing, and carried on. Continue reading “Mustard Pork Steak With Apples” →