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Strong Coffee to Red Wine Posts

Lemon is Summer & Dinner for Four!

Saturday we had friends, Shawn and Michael over for dinner.  With Shawn being a destination wedding planner and me a wedding photographer, it takes some doing to find a Saturday when all four of us are free.  It was so great to catch up. Shawn and I’s cocktail wine was a bottle of the French, La Galoche, Beaujolais Blanc 2016.  Gary and Michael started with the Greek, Galavas Voudomato 2016 Rosé.  With dinner, we drank the Spanish Casa Morales, Rioja 2016 Rosé and ended the night with a bottle of the French, Puech Haut Prestige 2016 Rosé.  We were all over the…

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Bread Pudding: Oh, I am a Bad Boy!

I was going to write this post for tomorrow, but when I woke up this morning, I saw today is National Donut Day.  So I got busy and posted it today. Ok, now I bet you are confused.  The title says bread pudding but you had to post because it’s National Donut Day?  What gives?   Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.  That is what gives. Now before you get to the recipe, you must know that bread pudding is one of my all-time favorite desserts.  As such, I have rules about what makes this dessert “to die for” versus “to die from.”…

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Sartù di Riso or {Sartu of Rice}

What is a Sartù?  Sartù is a rice meal cooked in a dome-shaped bowl with a medley of ingredients as a filling. *Worth Every Minute* When my friend Karen suggested I make this dish, I thought sure, no problem, I got this.  She said it was like Arancini (Italian Rice Balls) on steroids. Then I read the recipe, and on the outside, I was cool, calm and collected. On the inside, I was sweating bullets. It took me a couple of weeks to commit and finally head to the market to get the remaining ingredients that are not always in my pantry. And…

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Chicken Marbella on Mother’s Day

Yesterday was Mother’s Day.  I hope all mothers had a fantastic day and were pampered accordingly. For dinner, the family met at my sister’s house on the beach, and we had a wonderful dinner of Chicken Marbella with crazy ingredients that are magic in your mouth;  Zucchini Spaghetti sautéed with sliced Vidalia onion, garlic and cherry tomatoes and a delightful Arugula and Pear Salad. But my day started with a trip to the market to pick up some flowers to give to “stranger” moms.  See my April 27th post to catch the gist. I have to tell you that this year it…

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Salted Caramel Butter Bars

I have been craving something sweet, but Gary asked that I not buy anything at the bakery.  So I didn’t, I made something.  This recipe first appeared on my Facebook feed.  I love salted caramel so, I went to the website and decided I had to give it a try.  Thanks Cookies & Cups for sharing this recipe with the world. Salted Caramel Butter Bars INGREDIENTS For the Crust: 1 lb. salted butter room temp 1 cup sugar 1½ cups powdered sugar 2 Tbs vanilla 4 cups AP flour For the Filling: (I did not use this portion of the…

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Me and You and a Little Peru…-ivan Style Chicken

Gary is out of town this weekend at a conference.  I have no dogs to watch over, so it is just me on a Friday night and it’s time for dinner.  Actually, I came to this realization early Friday morning and I thought…”This will be a great day for that delicious Peruvian-style Chicken with Tangy Green Sauce and Salad.”  I say that because this is a recipe that uses a whole roasting chicken with skin and bones.   Gary likes his chicken without bones or skin so this was the perfect dish since he is not here. So I called a…

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Roasted Grapes: Who Woulda Thought?

I was shooting a wedding a couple weeks ago and along with the accompaniments for the salad station was a bowl of what looked like red seedless grapes that lost its luster.  So I popped one in my mouth and was overcome by pure delight.  Roasted grapes – who knew!  I knew it was a grape but the flavor is more intense. It tastes nothing like a fresh grape but it is so so good.  My mind started racing about what one could do with these delectable morsels of goodness.  All I can say is, I never would have thought…

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Hola, Delicioso Beef Barbacoa!

When my youngest sister announced she was having a Mexican dinner party, I immediately volunteered to make barbacoa.  Gary does not eat beef so this is my opportunity so make a dish that I love!  I know you must think that we eat a lot of tacos based on my posts, but that is not the case.  It’s just that my sister was having this party.  What to do, what to do! FYI: I found the recipe on my neighbor Natalie’s highly successful women’s fashion blog designer bags and dirty diapers.  She found it on Gimme Some Oven. Slow Cooker…

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