My dear friend, Kim Howard, brought me a wonderful gift a few nights ago when she came over for a little party I had. From one cook to another, a gift of a pretty squash is just the most perfect gift. Kim found the red Kuri squash at Whole Foods. She correctly knew that I would love to try something new and then share it here, with you. Thank you, Kim, love you!

Red Kuri squash has a delicate chestnut flavor and is smooth and creamy. Like pumpkin, Kuri is perfect for both savory and sweet dishes. It is thick-skinned, brightly colored a red-orange, and has the appearance of an oblong pumpkin without the ridges. It is available year-round and can be baked, braised, pureed, or steamed. Served as a side dish, soup, or even dessert. Red Kuri is a good source of fiber. It also provides vitamin A and vitamin C, some of the B vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron, riboflavin, and thiamine. Low in calories and sodium, this deep-colored squash also contains beta-carotene.

When you see the name of the recipe, you may ask yourself, “What is a mélange?”  Mélange is a synonym for stew, you see, both Marissa and I have a nasty image in our heads when we hear the name “stew”, so I went a bit French on you and change the name. It sounds so much more gourmet, doesn’t it?! [Read more →]

I’m going to take a long weekend break from my “reminiscing about our first trip to France” month for the next 4 or 5 days and instead focus on appetizers! Fun and creative appetizers because now that it is fall in AZ… it is THE time to party outside and enjoy our weather!  We are going to start out nice and slow with a cool serving idea for a party staple … the Mexican layer dip.

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This was Dave’s birthday cake. Since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it seemed a pink cake was in order.

As many of you know, I am a past chair of both our local American Cancer Society gala, The Jewel Ball, and the Key To The Cure fashion show, benefiting breast cancer research, so pink is already my favorite color in October.

Several things coincided to make me think pink for Dave’s cake. First, I found a gift pack of those cute little Anthon Berg chocolate liqueur bottles at Costco and thought they would make perfect stocking stuffers and gift toppers in the coming months and also wondered how I could incorporate them into a recipe.

Next, I saw my friend, Larry Fitzgerald’s, PSA about breast cancer and how real men wear pink (Click HERE to see).

Finally, I remembered that I had blood orange juice in my freezer that I’d squeezed earlier in the year. So that is how the cake came to be and now you know that real men eat pink cake too!

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My beautiful, talented, and generous friend and neighbor, Amy Kilpatrick, embroidered these adorable tea towels for me. I love them to pieces and now she is going to teach me how to embroider – believe me, that is a friend!

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My favorite sandwich, hands down, BLT!

Warm toasted bread, spread with tangy mayonnaise, topped with hot salty bacon, tart juicy tomatoes, and cold crisp lettuce = heaven on your tongue and happiness in your tummy. What is your favorite sandwich? How do you like to eat it? I’d love to hear, really! Leave me a comment here, on this site, not on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll draw a name from a big wooden salad bowl on Monday and the winner will be mailed a gift card to Paradise Bakery where they have some of my other favorite sandwiches and salads.  If you don’t live in AZ or have a Paradise Bakery nearby… we’ll work it out.

My husband, Dave, and his BFF, Jeff (men don’t say BFF, do they?) have a boy crush on Travis McGee. He is a fictional character in novels by mystery writer John D. MacDonald. Travis is a detective or actually a self-described “salvage consultant” who recovers others’ property for a fee. He eats sandwiches, lots of different sandwiches and he likes to eat them while standing and leaning over the kitchen sink with a couple of cold beers. I’ve read a few of the books myself (there are 21 featuring McGee) and for some reason, that image has always stuck in my brain.

Correction: Since posting this 12 hours ago, my husband has corrected me saying that his hero Travis McGee would not be so crass as to eat sandwiches over the kitchen sink. That, in fact, the fictional character I’m thinking of is novelist Lawrence Sanders’ detective of the “Deadly Sins series”, Edward X. Delaney.  That actually makes more sense since I read all of those “Sin” books. I stand corrected!

I’m certain Travis, oops I mean, Detective Delaney would appreciate this terrific salad, as well.  Even though he’ll have to sit down and eat it with a fork and knife. By the way, a couple of optional garnishes, which I didn’t use only because I didn’t have them on hand, would be thinly sliced red onion and homemade garlic croutons.

Side note: If you read this before 4:30 today (9/8/10), I am cooking with Tram Mai on Channel 12 Valley Dish. Main course salmon during the live show and a taped segment from Saturday’s Phoenix Cooks. Hope you can tune in…

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Today is my friend, Larry Fitzgerald’s, 27th birthday. Larry and I began cooking together when he was only 22 and I was exactly twice his age (ouch!). He was a star wide receiver even then, beginning only his second season, but now – well, now he’s a superstar. Deservedly so! He’s beyond talented. Larry has an incredible work ethic and is as humble as can be, one of the nicest and most genuine people on the planet. It would be hard for the average person to imagine being as humble as he is after you watch this amazing video from ESPN Sport Science.

Dave, Marissa, and I attended the Second Annual Larry Fitzgerald & Friends Celebrity Servers Night to benefit The Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Foundation and The Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund, last night at Morton’s. My favorite thing about the photo of us above is how I’m looking at my camera that Marissa is holding, and Larry is looking at the camera that his professional photog is holding. So neither picture turned out well, so typical!

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The final recipe for our premiere shot at “Cook Once – Eat All Week” is inspired by nonother than Costco!  I don’t know if you’ve tried Costco’s Sonoma Chicken Salad or not. Honestly, it would be hard not to if you’ve been there during their prime “sample time”. But if you have, you already know how deliciously fabulous it is! They shred and chop up their own rotisserie chickens and package this tangy-sweet delight. With this recipe, you can make your own for much less. I know, I’m saying out loud that there is actually an item at Costco where I can beat their price! Crazy Talk!

My friend and neighbor, Rainey, served Costco’s salad as a spread for crackers the other night and that is what inspired me to “copy” it.  Enjoy it that way (addicting) or as a main course. Either way, it couldn’t be easier!

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Yesterday was my dear friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl’s, birthday. Our tradition is to take each other out for a birthday lunch. I’m taking Barb to Modern Steak today for her celebratory lunch. So while we’re enjoying that, here is a couscous salad for you to enjoy. The picture above of my sister, Sloane, Mark Tarbell, me, and Barb was taken at a party a couple of years ago at Tarbell’s restaurant. The party was a fundraising event to celebrate after Mark won “Iron Chef America” on Food Network.

Happy Birthday, Barb. I love you and love all our time cooking together! xoxo

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Today and tomorrow feature more recipes from the weekend with Marissa’s friends visiting from Tucson. When they arrived late on Friday afternoon, they promptly hit the pool to cool off and play volleyball and basketball.  There were also some wicked ping pong matches happening under the patio. I took a dozen pictures of the guys doing the “jump shots” at one end of the pool… showing off for the ladies and for each other. In every single photo, you can see the guys (John, Will, and Chris above – not pictured: Albert, Kevin, and Shoaib) totally enthralled with their moves – while the girls, (Paige, Astrid, and Marissa) at the other end of the pool, are completely oblivious of them… cracks me up!

There are two ingredients here that you may or may not be familiar with. If you’re not sure what either Nduja or piquillo peppers are, just click on their name and a link will take you to a previous post all about them. With all the young men to feed, I, of course, doubled the recipe.

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Now that Marissa is living back at home, the house is always filled with a boatload of friends. Her boyfriend, Albert, and three other friends from Tucson drove up yesterday and stayed overnight. Luckily, I picked up a 2-pound box of blueberries at Costco yesterday and I happily found 3 overripe bananas in the fridge. Thus they shall have these muffins plus blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Actually, by the time they roll out of bed, it’ll probably be more like brunch. The pancake recipe will be up tomorrow.

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