• Italian,  Pasta & Rice

    Crouton’s Pasta alla Puttanesca

    This is my interpretation of spaghetti alla puttanesca (whore’s spaghetti), a simple yet robust pasta dish that’s easy to make with around-the-house ingredients (well, our house anyway). Don’t be squeamish about the anchovies … they add flavor to the dish,…

  • Smoking

    Weekend Countdown

    The kids and grandkids are coming for the weekend; possibly my niece and her boyfriend; maybe even some Aussie friends who’ll be in town. I’m planning a cookout for Sunday, and I’ve already started.  The menu?  Smoked pork spareribs, smoked…

  • Cookblogging

    Ditalini’s Birthday Dinner

    Our friend Mary Anne cooked dinner for us in honor of Ditalini’s birthday.  I swear, I’m going to have to feature some of her recipes on Crouton’s Kitchen, particularly her Brussels sprouts, which she prepared with bacon (bacon makes everything…

  • Cookblogging

    Memorial Day Barbecue at Dino’s

    Photos from the Memorial Day barbecue we enjoyed at Cousin Dino’s house in Las Vegas the other day: Dino’s a wet rib guy who prepares his own secret sauce (hint: it incorporates a can of Coke). He smokes exclusively with…

  • Cookblogging,  Meats,  Poultry,  Smoking

    Our Smokin’ Dinner

    I didn’t live blog dinner (that would have been pretty rude, wouldn’t it have?), so I’m posting a final smokin’ update this morning, long after the big family meal.  Because we all deserve to see how it turned out, right?…

  • Cookblogging,  Meats,  Poultry,  Seafood

    Smokin’

    This blog hasn’t exactly been smokin’ lately, and I apologize for that.  Tomorrow, though, I will be literally smoking: two racks of ribs, two chickens, two salmon filets.  I prepped the ribs and coated them with dry rub two days…

  • Cookblogging

    Bangers & Smash?

    Italian bangers, that is . . . my menu plan for tonight is Italian sausage with peppers, onion, & garlic, served with panfried smashed potatoes.  Ditalini, I hope, can be coaxed into making a green salad.  We’ll probably eat on…

  • Cookblogging

    Party Food

    We hosted a birthday party last night.  The friend whose birthday it was requested we serve our salad with grilled salmon.  We also had steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, and carrots), roasted chicken, and a corn casserole.  Here’s the…