Category — Recipes

Yesterday I mentioned the outstanding sliders that Barb, Kim, and I had at Chaparral Pines in Payson, Arizona. We split an order and I’ve been dreaming about and wanting MORE every moment since then! I dissected the menu description and, by Joe, I think I’ve got it! They are so fabulous, they must be shared – here you go! These would be a great addition for next year’s 4th of July BBQ.  BTW, you will have extra mayo and onions leftover after you make the 12 sliders – this is a good thing… a very good thing!

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I spent the last couple of days in beautiful Payson, Arizona at the summer home of my dear friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl, along with Kim Howard, who rounds out our “3 Amigos”. 

Kim and I drove up on Tuesday morning and the three of us spent a wonderful day relaxing, catching up, and cooking together. Then early on Wednesday morning, we hiked for about 90 minutes up and down the Horton Creek Trail before heading back for a yummy lunch at the Chaparral Pines Country Club (recipe to follow tomorrow for my take on their sumptuous Ahi Tuna Sliders!)

Kim headed back down to the Valley after lunch, while Barb and I drove north to Strawberry, Arizona to check out Fossil Creek Creamery.

We tasted and purchased their lovely goat cheese, which you will find on fine dining menus around the Valley; including Binkley’s, T-Cooks at The Royal Palms, Quiessence at South Mountain, and Kai at Wild Horse Pass. While the cheese is tasty, the best part was petting the baby goats – adorable! The little black and white cutie at the top of the page was my favorite!

Now, what to make with this fabulous fresh goat cheese… I can’t think of anything better than these amazing biscuits that are served at Art Smith’s southern-style Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two. Art Smith was the personal chef to Oprah Winfrey from 1997 to 2007, so the biscuits have a pedigree! Enjoy!

P.S. Funny how things work out… my own adorable daughter talked about goats on her blog just a couple of days ago… strange when you think about it – how often do people you know actually mention goats?

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Green beans are not only delicious when served hot but also great served cold or at room temperature. This Asian-inspired salad is a perfect example of just that. Trader Joe’s sells Garlic-Basil flavored linguine that puts this vegetarian salad/side dish over the top.

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Gratin and scalloped potatoes are so versatile, from the cheese to the flavorings – the mixing and matching options are endless. For the cheese; Swiss, cheddar, blue, goat, or no cheese at all. There are too many flavorings to mention but a short list might include onion, red pepper, tomato, fresh herbs, bacon, or mushrooms. The liquid doesn’t have to be milk or cream; you can use chicken broth, wine, sour cream, yogurt, and even water. What I like best about the gratins featured here is the size. Individual gratins are prettier than the “scooped from the pan” version and are perfect with a summer BBQ side.

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“Hi, I’m back!”  That is what I feel like saying because I haven’t put up a new post in 12 days! “What?”, you say, “That doesn’t make sense, I just read your post from yesterday.” (you DID read it, didn’t you?!?!) Well, as previously stated, there is a wonderful thing in the blogging world called “scheduling a post”, so all the posts of the past 12 days were done weeks ago, so I really do feel as if I’m finally “back at it!”

Dave and I had a glorious trip to Wisconsin to stay at the gorgeous log cabin (really a big lavish house!) on a lake, in the “North Woods” where life is slow and relaxing. I was able to snap an even better picture of a bald eagle this year than I was able to snap last year… here it is!

The cabin belongs to our BFF’s, Jeff and Jen, and their three boys. Jen is a fabulous cook and one of the best parts of the trip is cooking with her and eating on the deck (overlooking the lake, of course) with our husbands. After each meal, the guys ask, “Why do we ever bother to go out to eat when the food here is so much better than anything we pay for?”  Good question!

Next year, I vote, we just stay in! A favorite all week long (for us adults) was this drink that I learned to make when Dave, Marissa, Connor, and I were in Turk & Caicos in May. And since we came home to 110-degree heat, I may be making another batch later today! As promised yesterday, you’ll find pictures of my fridge from classes at the bottom of the post.

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Potato skins are something I generally associate with the fall or winter. I’m not really sure why that is, but when they are grilled, instead of baked and broiled, they just seem more “summery”. These were a huge hit on the last day of summer kids’ classes! Speaking of which, ever wonder what the kitchen looks like before and during classes? A few photos are at the end of the recipe… I wasn’t brave enough to put up any “after” pics!  Tomorrow I’ll share a few photos of what my fridge looks like after a shopping “spree” before a week of classes – it’s scary – I’ll tell you that!

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Maybe I should explain my title choice for today’s post. So, I live in the southwest portion of the United States.  Here, we have two popular convenience stores, 7-11 and Circle K.  As previously mentioned, and actually bragged about, I am posting and scheduling my posts about 10 days to 2 weeks ahead of time. As I typed in my “scheduled” date, I noticed that today is 7-11, so whenever we (south-westerners) say “7-11”, we (or at least, I) like to follow it up with “and equal time for Circle K!”  The last thing we want to be is based – in Arizona, of all places! Yeah, right – tell that to our state legislatures! Sorry, no politics allowed here – just recipes and a bit of occasional humor or insights! Honestly – love it all!

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After yesterday’s post about “reading the recipe”, I thought I would show a couple (of the many) students who really do understand the importance of that very thing. We all know that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” For four full days, these two cuties never needed a thing from me and sometimes you feel as if you’re ignoring such independent kids.  I just hope they know, that I know, how very competent and capable they are and that my goal is to make all my students be just like them! Great job, girls!

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There is a lot of frustration in being a cooking teacher to young ones. But luckily, there is reward to. The frustration comes in many forms and I shall share with you just two examples from the last 5 weeks of summer classes. Heck, these occur every year and have for the past 15 years of kids classes!

1. Telling the same child for 3 or 4 days in a row to “read the recipe” over and over and over again. This occurs when he/she asks for the umpteenth time, “What do I do next?” or “When to I stir in the peppers?” or “How much milk do I need?” or “How long does this have to bake?” or “Does this onion need to be cut up?” My answer to each of these questions is, “Please go back and read the recipe and then you may ask me again -if you can’t find the answer to that question.”  OK, honestly, that’s what I say the first 2 or 3 times, then I just say, “Read the recipe.” [Read more →]