Entree

Party Chicken Piccata

This chicken is a party waiting to happen! Chicken Piccata is a wonderful dish but when you add all the flavors of spring, it becomes one happy spring chicken that your dinner guests will crow about. Citrus, asparagus, artichokes and mushrooms take ordinary chicken piccata to a whole new level that is so incredibly good you will wonder why you never tickled your chickens fancy like this before!

Continue reading →

No More Boring Chicken!

Chicken Roll 2 
Party ’til the Chickens come home! Chicken is so easy to get along with but sometimes it just gets a little boring. It’s time to ruffle those chicken feathers and say stuff it to the same old chicken. Stuffed chicken breasts are a favorite of mine because they sound fancy and are good enough for company! It is easy and yet so elegant. You can even stuff it for a week night dinner. 

Continue reading →

Comfort in a Bowl!

Comfort food takes on many forms and being an Irish girl, for me, it is usually potatoes! But this time it is lentils!
 
The evenings are getting cool even in San Diego and one of the first soups I think to make is a recipe from Ina Garten. It is simple, flavorful and amazingly low fat considering that is not what Ina is known for.  I don’t drizzle the olive oil on at the end and add more red wine. A personal preference. Serve this with crusty bread like Pain Rustic and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and this meal will warm the cockles of any chilly heart.

Continue reading →

M’m! M’m! Good!

When I was a child, I loved to sing the Campbell’s Soup Song, dancing all over the kitchen in anticipation of my cup of soup! My mom sent away for the official soup cup and that was the only way to have soup!
 
Now I prefer a more grown up version of this same satisfying tomato soup than when I was a child. You will still hear me singing that familiar song in the kitchen as I cut heirloom tomatoes, onions and garlic to roast in the oven. My idea of a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it has evolved too.
 
I hope these recipes will have you singing: “M’m! M’m! Good! M’m! M’m! Good! That’s what homemade soups are, M’m! M’m! Good!”

Continue reading →

Party Like There’s No Tamale!

Tamale with Salsa
But thank goodness you can make tamales and have fun doing it. The process of making tamales can be a party on its own called a Tamalada. These perfect little packages are all wrapped up like gifts to present to your friends. They can be filled with savory ingredients or enjoyed without filling for their natural sweet corn flavor.
I consider food a gift from one person’s heart to another person’s stomach. That is love! So gather your friends and have a tamale making party and share your creations together over a tasty margarita! 

Continue reading →

Salmon with East-West Spice Rub and Orange-Soy Glaze

Salmon-licious! This was the hit of Christmas dinner! Not that everything else wasn’t fabulous, but the salmon was rubbed and grilled to perfection thanks to Brett and Kelly.

My sister-in-law, Kelly, asked if I had a salmon recipe and I remembered this crowd pleaser from several years back. Even if you have a few people that think they don’t care for salmon “because it is too fishy”, this could change their minds about salmon forever! Continue reading →

Spoon Lickin’ Herb Tomato Sauce

Feeling Italian tonight? Pour a glass of wine and whip together this simple yet oh so luscious herb tomato sauce.

The secret to the thick flavorful sauce is the roux, a thickening agent used in three of the mother sauces of classical French cooking: sauce béchamel, sauce velouté and sauce espagnole. Usually it is equal parts of flour and fat. Another little French term that is used in recipes is Mirepoix, (pronounced “meer pwah”) A combination of onions 50%, carrots, 25% and celery 25% are the commonly used aromatics. Toss in some garlic and you will be saying Mangia, Mangia! Continue reading →

1 … 5 6 7
© Copyright 2022 Life of the Party Always – all rights and trademarks (TM) reserved.

Back To Top

";