Ingredients:
1/4 cup ancho or your favorite mild chile powder
1/2 t hot chile powder of your choice IF you choose
2 t cumin
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t Mexican oregano
Pinch or two of salt Read More
Chili Powder, v1
Ingredients:
2 T ancho chile powder
1 T guajillo chile powder
2 t cumin
1 t paprika
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t Mexican oregano
1/4 t cayenne powder
1/4 t ground black pepper
Salt to taste Read More
No Expectations No Regrets
Things got a little tough for a while. As the Spoon Mage™ of mindfulness, the first thing I did was sit and breathe away all the unfortunate “stuffs” that were causing me such pain.
Well, that is not exactly what happened.
Instead, like most folks, I did the monkey brained bouncing around never quite landing in the present moment acrobatics. I clung to visions of an “I wish” past and fervently hoped for or feared a myriad of futures.
I forgot to simply be and breathe. Read More
Spinach on Rice by The Silver Spoon
Mama D (Giovanna D’Agostino) guided my earliest cooking experiments. As a novice cook, I found the old-style Italian-American recipes in her cookery books simple to follow and delicious – although I do increase the garlic!
Immigrant Italians in Chicago and Minneapolis were cooking some serious deliciousness for dinner, but was it the same as meals made in Calabria?
To learn old country Italian cooking, I turned to The Silver Spoon, from Phaidon Press. Read More
Fairy Tale Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients:
6 fairy tale eggplants, sliced in half lengthwise
1 1/2 cups thick pasta sauce of your choice
6 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 cup Parmesan, fresh grated Read More
Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Garlic
Ingredients:
1 small head broccoli, trimmed into bite sized pieces
1 small head cauliflower, trimmed into bite sized pieces
8 large cloves garlic, halved
2 T olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/8 t fresh ground red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 t ground mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan Read More
Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients:
1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 T mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 T lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t dried parsley flakes
1/4 t dried tarragon
1 1 shallots, minced
Black pepper to taste Read More
Black and Blue Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 slices sourdough bread
4 oz leftover steak, warmed
2 T blue cheese dressing
1 slice red onion
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
1 handful baby arugula Read More
Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Basil and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
2 small or 1 large spaghetti squash, cooked, deseeded, and forked
4 T butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1/4 t white pepper
1/8 t hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
2 T flat Italian parsley, chopped
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
Optional: drizzle of olive oil and more hot red pepper flakes
Read More
Nick’s Pickled Jalapenos with Carrots and Pearl Onions
Ingredients:
6 extra-large (or 10 large) jalapeno peppers, sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
12 frozen pearl onions, thawed
6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
3 T sugar
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1 cup water
1 T kosher salt
1/2 t oregano
1 sanitized 24 oz jar with screw top lid (or use one 24 oz sanitized canning jar) Read More
Mindful Palate 