Crouton’s Pasta with Italian Sausage
Here’s another easy pasta dish anyone can make. It tastes as good as it looks. Notes I’ve tried this with both kalamata olives and canned black olives. The strong flavor of the kalamatas overpower the bell pepper and broccoli, so…
Ditalini’s Goulash
This is the Czech version of goulash, as served at the Tábor Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, modified by Ditalini. Traditionally it is served with dumplings, which I’ll include in the recipe, but we serve it with pasta, as shown. The…
Future Projects Photoblog
Today, a photoblog. These are all things for future Crouton’s Kitchen posts. Pizza w/bread machine dough Ditalini preparing lumpia & wonton soup Lumpia & wonton soup Truffle deMenthe’s jambalaya Ditalini’s egg sliders Crouton’s Fortress of Smoke™ Fried polenta w/eggs There.…
Crouton’s Fortress of Smoke™
A while back I added an equipment & technique section to this blog. This post is the first entry in that section, and describes my method for setting up and using a Weber Smoky Mountain cooker (aka Crouton’s Fortress of Smoke™). This post…
Shelter in Place: Bread Machine Basics
Like many of you, judging by how hard it is to find flour and yeast these days, we’ve taken the old bread machine out of the closet and put it back in the kitchen where it belongs, mostly as a…
Crouton’s Hot Party Wings
Ditalini and I try to have a special meal on Friday night. It’s our way of marking the end of the work week, less stressful than drinking and partying all night. Sometimes we’ll bring home takeout hot wings from Hooters or…
Crouton’s Sloppy Joes
Ditalini had a busy day planned and asked me to make dinner. She left a packet of Sloppy Joe mix on the kitchen counter, along with a pound of ground beef to thaw. I was underwhelmed by the idea of using…
Crouton’s Crockpot Venison Roast
Ditalini’s sister Gina Cannolini came to visit from Michigan, restocking our freezer with venison from our brother-in-law Lengua’s most recent hunting trip. Among the cuts were two bone-in roasts. I decided to look for a good recipe, and one titled…
Crouton’s (Easier) Beef Bourguignon
When you think beef bourguignon, you think Julia Child. But honestly, preparing the dish her way (which indeed I have done) is more of a lifetime culinary achievement than a practical everyday recipe, so when I found a small chuck roast…
Eleventh Rule of Cooking Club
It’s Paul Ryan’s fault. The On On Gourmet Hash House Harriers met last night at one of Magret de Canard’s many casas to prepare and consume Portuguese food. Magret prepped and cooked the main dish, Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa,…