An ancho chile puree gives this pinto bean soup a rich and hearty flavor. These dried peppers have a mild to medium heat and a slightly sweet taste compared to other chiles. To bring out their flavor and make them more pliable to work with, you need to toast them on a dry skillet over […]
I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as a quick and healthy lunch, but if you have a food processor, this Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto comes pretty close. Our pesto has all the vitamins and antioxidants you would expect from spinach with the added bonus of extra virgin olive oil and walnuts. And because […]
Like most slow simmering dishes, our Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary and Tomatoes is full of flavor and tastes even better the next day. We use a boneless beef chuck roast which is a tougher cut of meat, but it’s ideal for slow cooking. The lengthy cooking time allows the connective tissue (collagen) to break […]
This blackberry orange quick bread is so good, it can almost double as a dessert. As the name suggests, quick breads come together quickly, and take about an hour or so to bake. Because they’re made with a leavening agent, such as baking powder or baking soda rather than yeast, it eliminates the need for […]
My husband’s aunt used to make a delicious sweet potato casserole around the holidays, and it was always a favorite of ours. She lived in the New Orleans area during the 1960s and 70s, around the same time Ruth Fertel opened up the original Ruth’s Chris Steak House. One of the more popular dishes on […]
What makes this green bean salad taste so good is the sweet-tart pickling liquid from the red onions. We marinate thin slices of onions in hot red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. It’s this simple combination that creates a delicious dressing and brings the whole salad together. The green beans are boiled for 5 to […]
An agua fresca is a delicious drink made with fresh fruit, citrus, water, and a little bit of sugar. It’s quite popular in Mexico where they use a variety of fruit combinations limited only by what’s in season. For this watermelon cooler, we puree watermelon with one cup of water, some freshly squeezed lemon juice, […]
This creamy and tangy Mexican corn salad is perfect with fresh corn from the farmers’ market. Whether it’s grilled, or cut off the cob and sauteed on top of the stove, the high heat brings out its sweet flavor while giving it a nice bit of charring. It’s cooked quickly, so it maintains that fresh […]
Zucchini is a great ingredient for baking. It adds moisture to a cake or bread in the same way that bananas, carrots, and applesauce add moisture and texture. When choosing zucchini, look for ones that are firm and not too large, about eight inches or less. For this quick bread, they don’t need to be […]
Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and adds a great caramelized flavor to whatever you’re making. That’s what makes this garden pasta taste so good. It combines the flavor of roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini with the light fresh taste of lemon and parmesan cheese. With just a little preparation, it basically takes care […]
