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Month: September 2017

Tikka Masala aka Butter Chicken: Updated

My sisters, Gary and I love, love, love Indian food. The sisters have traveled extensively in India for business and grew to love the cuisine. Gary and I used to frequently go to Little India on Devon Ave. while we lived in Chicago. Tikka Masala was always one of our dishes to order. In Charleston, we used to have a group of friends that got together a few times a year, and we would all scratch make an Indian dish. Unfortunately, the group disbanded after the matriarch of the group passed away, but we as a family continue to make…

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Dutch Baby with Spiced Apples

Yesterday morning I woke up with a plan. I was making a Dutch Baby with Spiced Apples. Decades ago, there was a restaurant in Skokie, IL that served something like this and I have always wanted to make it. As always I had researched several different recipes (it is also called a German Apple Pancake or a Baked Apple Pancake, Dutch Baby and several other names) and then recreated it with my own twist. Full transparency -> A Kitchen Confession: Before I get to the recipe, I need to confess that the morning started with a bit of excitement. I…

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Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken Dip

It is football season. Well, at least that is what my sister’s tell me. I usually can tell when the superstitions start reappearing like wearing certain jewelry on game day and other such things. It is also when friends come together to watch a game and cheer their team on. And that calls for food. This Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken Dip is one of my favorite simple appetizers, and it is always a big hit. This recipe makes a pot full, so you better invite lots of folks over. Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken Dip This dip is usually heated in a crock pot because…

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Simple Roasted Tomato Appetizer

This is the last of the three recipes on my platter that I took to Natalie’s house last Monday. I have posted a roasted tomato recipe before, but that style was to serve more as a side dish. This method is to create a dipping appetizer served with a toasted sliced baguette or torn from the loaf of a fresh baguette (to soak up the juice and oil). It is super easy and incredibly delish. By far, it was the favorite of the three last Monday. I buy Campari tomatoes at Costco because they tend to be the ones that are consistently…

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Remember, Ramblings and Recipes

Dear Hurricane Irma: While I would prefer you just dissipate, please leave Charleston alone. Our bank account is still recovering from Matthew and the tropical storm the month before that!   Rambling… My parents always had a string of “I remember” statements like, “I remember having to walk to school for a mile in the snow.” So here are a few of mine… I remember when: Spam is/was a meat-byproduct loaf that we ate when we could not afford ham or bacon not junk email I remember when outlet malls were for overstocks and seconds. And it was all about “the hunt” for…

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Appetizer Platters, Wine and Great Fun

Today was our neighbor Natalie’s mother’s birthday, and her parents were in town. Gary and I have grown close to Nat and her parents, so she invited us over for happy hour to start the celebration before they had dinner. I promised to make a couple of appetizers, and of course, we would bring a bottle of wine. We were prepared to stay for an hour or so and then allow the family to have a dinner celebration. Appetizer Platter I knew I wanted to “bring it” since Natalie always makes such fab appetizers to bring to our house. It…

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Peach Galette & A Cheese Story

I would like to tell you that the everything you are about to read was planned to happen. But it was not. How the Peach Galette turned out perfectly is as shocking to me as it may be to you. The cheese… well that is just down right crazy.  Read on and feel free to laugh or cry.  I’m having a glass of wine. A very large glass of wine. Who Moved My Cheese? I was at the grocery picking up a few things I needed for my fresh peach galette crust. (who keeps unsalted butter in the house?) As…

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