Cookblogging
Blogging about cooking
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…
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…
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…
Hillbilly Tex/Mex?
I’m cooking a pot of chili con carne this morning, using what’s left of my smoked beef brisket from two weekends ago and a bottle of Shiner Bock Ditalini left in the back of the fridge. Sure, it’ll have a…
Italian Family Barbecue Revisited
Here’s the original recipe, if you want the details. A few variations this time around. We recently bought a new gas grill, and in my zeal to protect it and make it last forever, I’m using grilling pans and sheets. …
Crouton’s Green Chile Stew
Three summers ago I delivered fancy motorhomes for a Tucson RV dealership. We’d frequently drive new motorhomes across the state line into New Mexico so that customers could take title there and avoid Arizona taxes. Whenever we did, we’d always…
Back in the Saddle
Home from vacation and restaurant meals, back in the kitchen and hard at work. Tonight’s dinner? Crouton’s Chicken & Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo. Fast, easy, and satisfying. It’s good to be home.
Apparently, Whoring Runs in the Family
Twenty years or more ago I started making a simple pasta dish for those nights we wanted something light and basically meatless: I’d fry some garlic and anchovies in olive oil, then mix it with spaghetti. At some point I…