Tag: Kid Friendly

Saltimbocca alla Romana alla Oregona

Saltimbocca alla Romana alla Oregona

Traditional Saltimbocca alla Romana or Vitelo Saltimbocca, as it is occasionally dubbed, is a scaloppine of veal pounded thin with a thin slice of prosciutto and sage leaves. It is often sautéed in butter and then served with a pan sauce of stock and wine such as Marsala. It is also made with chicken, turkey or pork with equal success.

Saltimbocca is a contraction of i salta in bocca which means “it jumps in the mouth”. If we could be time-traveling flies-on-the-wall and go back a few centuries to the restaurant where saltimbocca alla Romana began, we’d probable hear some hungry Italian calling to the waiter, “Hey Guido, bringa me somma dat dish dat jumps ina my mouth!”

October 24, 2011 | 4 Comments More
Tuna Noodle Casserole Goes to Finishing School

Tuna Noodle Casserole Goes to Finishing School

How many boomers cut their culinary gourmet teeth on tuna noodle casserole? OK, hands down. I grew up making it and loving it too. The Beaver and Wally must have enjoyed it, and I’m sure Samantha Stephens twitched one up occasionally for Tabitha when Darrin wasn’t looking. But how would Samantha serve it to Endora, whose tastes were anything but ordinary? Endora would probably turn up her nose at Samantha’s can of this and can of that, wave her arm, and out of rising smoke would appear something like “La Cocotte Nouilles au Thon avec la Sauce de Mornay, Sherried Champignons Forestiers et l’Huile de Truffe Blanc.” Whew!

January 28, 2011 | 3 Comments More
Very Adult Comfort Food, Oregon Style • Truffled Mac 'n' Cheese and a Glass o' Pinot

Very Adult Comfort Food, Oregon Style • Truffled Mac ‘n’ Cheese and a Glass o’ Pinot

Well, la-di-da! It’s a finger-lickin’, chin-dribblin’, rib-stickin’, lip-smackin’ Mac ‘n’ Cheese! The Allison Inn and Spa leads the way with another “ultimate.” Truffle Macaroni and Cheese!

May 1, 2010 | 4 Comments More
More Chowder, Please, and Make It Mo's

More Chowder, Please, and Make It Mo’s

“Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation.” Clementine Paddleford.

Mo’s has been serving up soul-satisfying clam chowder since 1946.

April 24, 2010 | 10 Comments More
Doctors Whose Eggs Are Green...or...Green Eggs and Ham

Doctors Whose Eggs Are Green…or…Green Eggs and Ham

Ham I am and pink, I think.
Eggs, I beg, all preened and green.
Stuff with me and I will oink,
“Oh, such porkety eggsqueezeene!”

I’ve long been hooked on playing with words. Small wonder that I was smitten with the books of Dr. Seuss when I was young and later with the equally sophisticated artistry of Walt Kelly’s Pogo. Those masters created playful, amusing and rhythmical rhyming sounds with just words, whether simply twisted into a new shape and sound or totally made up nonsensically.

April 4, 2010 | 5 Comments More
Corny Shrimp Pups

Corny Shrimp Pups

Wherever you find a carnival, a state or county fair, you will surely find abundant, itinerant street food and some form of corn dogs have been a part of that culture for decades.

These days, with many chefs and cooks thinking outside the box, variations on the original recipes begin to appear. Inspiration for Corny Shrimp Pups came from a Neiman Marcus cookbook that I recently purchased at Tuesday Morning for a song.

February 26, 2010 | 5 Comments More
Stuffed Bell Pepper with Saffron Rice, Lentils, Shrimp and Bacon

Stuffed Bell Pepper with Saffron Rice, Lentils, Shrimp and Bacon

One of the great things about making stuffed peppers is the ability to recycle leftovers and/or unused items in your refrigerator or pantry and present them at the table with a fresh new look. The possibilities for stuffing are almost limitless, from vegan and vegetarian all the way to serious carnivore. How about kid-friendly mac and cheese or teach your kids to make their own thick sloppy joe mixture as a stuffing? They will enjoy playing with these colorful and edible packages.

February 7, 2010 | 4 Comments More
Pasta with House Sauce du Jour

Pasta with House Sauce ● Yours or Mine

How generic can you get with a recipe? How about “Pasta with House Sauce”? In truth, how often, especially when time is an issue, do we turn to pasta to help us put a meal on our table? It can be the “go-to” for stretching quantities when unexpected diners are coming. It can help turn boring leftovers into something new and fresh, as well as serving as a dependable base for knockout sauces. And…….it’s nutritious, satisfying and inexpensive.

January 29, 2010 | 5 Comments More
Forever Roasted Pork with Chipotle Glazed Apples and a Knockout Winter Salad with Maple Dressing

Forever Roasted Pork with Chipotle Glazed Apples and a Knockout Winter Salad with Maple Dressing

Vic gave me a copy of The Tra Vigne Cookbook from the Napa Valley restaurant of the same name some years ago. Two recipes captured me immediately — Forever Roasted Pork, and Mozzarella Martinis. The pork recipe can be made any time of the year, but the Mozzarella Martinis are best left to when the very best vine-ripened tomatoes are available. Check back in late summer for Mozzarella Martinis — they’re not what you think.

January 22, 2010 | 9 Comments More
Chicken Piccata with Grapes and Capers & Roasted Delicata Squash and Mushroom Risotto

Chicken Piccata with Grapes and Capers • Roasted Delicata Squash and Mushroom Risotto

When I came across a recipe for Sole Piccata with Grapes and Capers in Bon Appétit, I knew I had to try it. It was one of those “Holy capers Batman, this dish goes super kapow!” recipes. The grapes added a bold dimension without overpowering the lemon and capers but stood next to them equal in flavor. This is a weeknight dish that you can have on the table in a reasonably short time and can be dressed up for company if you don’t mind cooking at the last minute.

December 27, 2009 | 6 Comments More
Lovin' from the oven - Sweet Spiced Pecans and Cornmeal Anise Biscotti

Lovin' from the oven - Sweet Spiced Pecans and Cornmeal Anise Biscotti

“Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven, and Pillsbury says it best.”

—Poppin’ Fresh, The Pillsbury Doughboy

Here’s a duo of oven-baked love you can make for holiday gift giving. Sweet Spiced Pecans and Cornmeal Anise Biscotti.

December 21, 2009 | 4 Comments More
Oregon’s Got What It Takes to Serve Up a Taste of The Big Easy — Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Oregon’s Got What It Takes to Serve Up a Taste of The Big Easy — Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Making a gumbo can be a religious experience and shouldn’t be attempted when you’re short on time. Most will agree that any gumbo will begin with a dark roux and can be thickened further with the okra or filé powder (ground sassafras leaves). Not wanting to be exclusive, I use all three.

November 6, 2009 | 16 Comments More
Comfort Me with Apples — Alsatian Apple Cake

Comfort Me with Apples — Alsatian Apple Cake

One of my favorite and most frequently made creations is Martha Rose Shulman’s Alsatian Apple Cake from Supper Club: Chez Martha Rose. It is apple heaven reincarnate; a liberal amount of peeled, sliced apples fused with a pancake-like batter flavored appropriately with vanilla and rum. I make this several times a year and it never fails to evoke praise. I often share the recipe with gratitude and acknowledgment for my source. Enjoy!

September 24, 2009 | 5 Comments More
Life in Oregon Is Berry, Berry Good in August and September

Life in Oregon Is Berry, Berry Good in August and September

It’s that time of year in Oregon when marionberries and blackberries appear in abundance. Wild blackberries are everywhere in the Willamette Valley, even growing along the median of Interstate 5.

I can literally walk out my front door and return in a very short period of time with enough berries to make a pie or cobbler from scavenging along the nearby streets.

August 31, 2009 | 10 Comments More