Ditalini’s Chicken Tajine (Rotten Chicken)
The proper name is Chicken Tajine, but Ditalini has always called it Rotten Chicken, and that’s what kids and company ask for when they want a special dinner. We call it that because it’s prepared with preserved lemons, which soften…
Crouton’s Hamburger T Soup
I felt like making soup tonight. I had hamburger and a bottle of Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary Mix. Thus the inspiration for this easy, homey, tasty soup:
Christmas Eve Seafood
We invited all our single friends over to help us decorate our tree on Christmas Eve. Of course one has to give in order to receive, so we lured them over with promises of food. Our traditional Christmas Eve feast…
Jerk Pork Medallions with Brussels Sprouts & Potatoes
I felt like cooking last night, and I also felt like something new, so I decided to marinate pork medallions in jerk sauce and grill them. Potatoes and Brussels sprouts sounded like the perfect side dishes. It wasn’t too hard,…
Uncle Art’s Chili Beans con Carne
It’s cold and rainy, a perfect day to reattack Uncle Art’s Beans. This time I’m making them with chuck roast, so at the risk of offending chili purists (and Uncle Art’s family), I’m calling it Uncle Art’s Chili Beans con…
Cabbage & Hamburger Soup
Cabbage & hamburger soup? That sounds pretty, ah, pedestrian, doesn’t it? Friends, take my word for it, this is great soup, especially if you serve it with crusty bread. Easy to make, too. Notes When you add the cabbage it’ll really…
Smoked Turkey Breast & Brats
What, more turkey? In my previous post, I mentioned that I was going to smoke a turkey breast Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Since I still had a good bed of charcoal going after the turkey breast was done, I…
Thanksgiving Dinner Away
Our friend Pomodoro Calde invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner. We’d originally planned a DeMenthe family dinner at home, since our daughter Escargot was flying in from Las Vegas . . . but Pomodoro is a good friend and she…
Grilling with Friends
Our gang got together at a friend’s house last night for a potluck dinner. My share of the division of labor was to grill lamb chops, with the help of our host, Guido Trattoria. Ditalini and I prepped the lamb…
Ditalini’s Tortellini & Spinach Soup
Originally a Food Channel recipe, modified by Ditalini. Some nights we feel like something light, easy, and hearty . . . yeah, I can hear you saying “hearty doesn’t go with light & easy,” but trust me, in this case…