This is a easy dish featuring Swiss chard for your upcoming Memorial Day BBQ. You can put it together on the spot or make ahead. Click this link to read more about swiss chard. Print Sautéed Swiss Chard with Black Rice and Grilled Vegetables: Seasonal Chef Recipe Prep Time: 10… Read More →
Cooking with dill is not something I generally do. Generally it’s parsley, basil, thyme and occasionally rosemary. Dill has a particular flavor, a cross between anise and parsley, and lingers slightly on your palate. My earliest memory of tasting dill was probably in my mother’s Stuffed Grape Leaves. Her version… Read More →
With my friend Shari I ventured to The Beehive, in Armonk, for Restaurant Week. I’ve been to Armonk many times with my husband for dinner, but strangely never there. The Beehive is located only about a half mile from Main Street, on Old Route 22. I noticed it on the HVRW… Read More →
About a month ago I visited Village Social, in Mt. Kisco with my fellow blogger Margaret Rizzuto. For Christmas this year Larry got me a new camera for my food pictures and she offered to help me figure out all the bells and whistles. Village Social not only is a beautiful… Read More →
Last week the Friday Fish Challenge winner was a wonderful looking trout dish from Eastchester Fish Gourmet. So it got me to thinking about what I might be able to do to mix things up a bit with trout. If you know me by now, mixing things up is what I… Read More →
It’s Hudson Valley Restaurant Week 2013, and I am jazzed about the new twist on things! Liz Johnson is mixing things up this time and put together a fun Scavenger Hunt for everyone to participate in, while dining out at our magnificent Hudson Valley restaurants. Last night we decided to… Read More →
Dry beans, you find them in the relatively non-descript aisle at the the supermarket, usually positioned right next to the canned beans. You’re probably saying to yourself, “why bother? the canned ones are here and ready to use.” Truth be told I would have agreed with you a half dozen… Read More →
Halibut, very much like salmon, has tremendous nutritional value. It’s a mild flavored dense fish that has the perfect texture to grill, pan fry or even simmer in stews and soups. Halibut is loaded with Omega-3s, B Vitamins and a whole host of other nutrients. It’s a flat fish that… Read More →
When I found out last week that this week’s #FridayFishDish was going to be salmon, I wanted to jump on that bandwagon. Salmon ranks up there with not only being a super healthy ingredient for you to eat, but incredibly versatile and easy to cook. Salmon is high in protein… Read More →
If you’re like me, getting out to a restaurant in the middle of the week can be tricky. The hours don’t line up if you or your spouse are working late or the idea of sitting down for two hours in a restaurant is not that appealing. Frankly, sometimes it’s… Read More →
It’s February, the holidays are over and we’re in the dead of Winter. My computer weather icon is showing the low 20’s all week and we even got a dusting of snow. The good news is that we’re at the midway point of winter and I could not be happier…. Read More →
Lentejas, lentilles, lenticchie … whatever language or culture you look to you will find this tiny powerhouse. Lentils have been part of our diet for thousands of years. It’s thought to be one of the first domesticated crops during the Neolithic era. Lentils are a relatively inexpensive ingredient and come… Read More →
Last weekend I found myself with a free Saturday morning and feeling the “itch” to go to a farmer’s market. Except for a quick demo in late December at the now defunct Rye Brook Market, I’ve been pretty much off the “circuit” since mid-October. November and December are generally the… Read More →
So here we are, right in the middle of winter. It’s cold and snowy in my neck of the woods, and the vegetables are starting to all meld together for me … potatoes, parsnips, squash …. but what a pleasant surprise to come across this very special ingredient! Meyer lemons,... Read More →
The holidays are behind us now and everyone is making their New Years resolutions. Truth be told, I generally never make a bold statement of resolution. I pretty much feel that you should be resolving every day of your life to do better, live well and be happy. I have… Read More →
You pretty much just have to say “The Cookery“ to me and I’m game. I’ve totally loved everything I’ve ever eaten by chef David di Bari. His food is creative, inspired and just downright delicious. I’ve had the great fortune of dining at The Cookery on many occasions, not the least of which… Read More →
For the people that know me well, “looking back” is not part of my thought process. Moving and looking forward is how I live my life each and every day. However, taking stock of what you accomplished seems to be appropriate for all of us, at the end of the… Read More →
My series on pot luck foods continues this week with stew. Another dish that could not be easier and adaptable to your own taste. But before I launch into that, I thought it might be fun to share an appetizer recipe with you. If you remember, last week I wrote… Read More →
Appetizers are an interesting food category. The definition of appetizer is: a small dish of food or drink taken before a meal to stimulate one’s appetite. Interesting, indeed! Appetizers come in all shapes and sizes, with literally thousands of options floating out there. Hummus with Red Radish and Pita Crisps… Read More →
Mention four little words “can I bring something?” and many people shudder when the answer is “yes.” What is it about Pot Luck dinners that turn the most confident person into a quivering mess? Thoughts of creating a four-star restaurant quaility dish permeates your brain and you’re toast. Thinly Sliced… Read More →
It’s that gift giving time of year – for me, it’s all year long. I’m not sure when or how I started doing this, but I find things throughout the year for Christmas and place them in a big tub in the attic. At the beginning of December I pull… Read More →
As you know, I try to come up with an interesting take on a traditional ingredient. Sometimes that’s easy and sometimes not. It tends to be a little harder when you have a ingredient that is ubiquitous. That is definitely the case with potatoes. Really, what could I possibly do… Read More →
Every year we sit down and give thanks for all that is good in our lives. I am particularly thankful for many things this year: that my parents and Larry’s are with us this year, and in relatively good health. The same goes for our respective siblings and their families…. Read More →
HVRW is my opportunity to take a break and check out a restaurant that I’ve never been to – well, at least I try to do that! This year two out of the three I visited were places I’ve been to before – but Eastchester Fish Gourmet (EFG) is a… Read More →
On one of my trips this summer to Amawalk Farm I noticed they had a potato patch growing. Sweet potatoes to be exact. It was the first time they were trying them and at the time, they were not exactly sure what they would be getting in the Fall. Never fear …... Read More →
Restaurant week is great fun for me. Aside from my regular blogging duties as Seasonal Chef, I get to partake in and write about the best game in town: our very own Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (HVRW), and this year we get to have two of them! This week I… Read More →
It’s been quite a week for many of us in the Northeast. Hurricane Sandy swept through and left a path of heartbreaking destruction to millions. Many friends and family close to us were affected as we watched helplessly from afar. Many are still without power and another storm bearing down…. Read More →
Cue the Charlie Brown music, and let’s talk about pumpkins. Unlike Linus’ ongoing vigil in the pumpkin patch waiting on the Great Pumpkin, we do in fact have this glorious fruit (yes, it is botanically a fruit) appear every year in the Fall. Pumpkins are loaded with all kinds of… Read More →
Before I get to the topic at hand I want to share my little adventure this past weekend. Larry and I found ourselves with, as he likes to say, an “unprogrammed day.” Between both of our schedules which seem to be packed these days, we rarely find ourselves with a… Read More →
Working on this post brought back many wonderful memories of my time in Italy. I lived there for six months between the Fall of 2007 and Spring of 2008, as part of my culinary training. The road to cooking full time is a question I am asked frequently at demos… Read More →
