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…
Another Rotisserie Chicken
Ditalini was going to the store this morning, so I asked her to pick up a chicken. She came home with a free range organic fryer that cost three times as much as the typical factory chicken, but we felt…
Beer Can Chicken on the Barbie
Everybody has a barbecue beer can chicken recipe. How is mine different? It isn’t, but I’ll try to make up for that by discussing good techniques for cooking it. Equipment & Technique You want to use a pie pan because…
Birthday Dinner
Our friend and neighbor Poulet en Crote prepared and hosted a lovely birthday dinner for me and Osso Bucco (63 & 72 respectively). On the menu: prime rib, butternut squash, sautéed Brussels sprouts with bacon & onion, salad, and cake…
Smoking on the Road: Cookblogging on the Installment Plan
Crouton and Ditalini are in Las Vegas, visiting our kids, Baguette and Escargot. Baguette and I are smoking turkey breast and sausage today; we’ll serve it with Swiss chard, sautéed with bacon, onions, and feta cheese. We think it’ll be…
Crouton’s 15-Bean Soup
Notes I had a small piece of salt pork in the freezer, so I used it along with the ham hock, removing and discarding both at the same time. I’ve prepared this recipe many times with just the ham hock,…