Whenever I’m in Costco, I check to see what fresh fish is available and if I see ahi tuna, I can’t pass it up. Seared ahi is light and refreshing, and so is this salad. It was too hot to use the grill the other day when I made it, so I used the grill pan instead, but if the weather permits, use your grill outside and eat al fresco!

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Do you know what this is a picture of?

It’s the Girl Scout cooking badge.  I’ll be working with 10 young ladies, helping them earn their badges today. A recipe will follow from the class, once I’ve cleaned up the kitchen, that is…

OK, class of over. The girls have their badges. The kitchen is clean and I’ve had my enchilada for dinner. Life if good! One reason I like to use this particular recipe for Girl Scout cooking classes is that it is a real family-pleaser. The enchiladas are creamy, mild, and cheesy, what’s not to like?

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I helped arrange the food buffet at a dear friend’s funeral on Saturday.  On such a sad and heartbreaking day, it is so joyous to see the best in people shining through. Everyone wanted to help, be involved, and just be there for the family. One of the lovely neighbors brought a large spiral ham for the buffet. There was quite a bit of ham left, so I cut it off the bone, packaged it up for the family, and quietly snuck the ham bone into my stack of platters and chafing dishes to bring home. On Sunday I made ham bone soup that I’ve packaged up, froze, and will bring back to my friends to enjoy once all the leftovers run out… which won’t be for quite a while!

One family member is gluten-free, so I separated and packaged a special batch for her before I added the macaroni.  This recipe is a bit of a departure from the standard ham and bean soup. It’s also substantially quicker with the assistance of canned beans.

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Today we come to the end of our “Cook Once – Eat All Week” use of the Prime Rib.  I call this salad “bicicleta” because the way you arrange it on a platter is made to resemble the spokes of a bicycle wheel.  It’s a pretty salad when it’s laid out that way and even after it’s tossed, so bright and colorful.

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More comfort, more soup, enough said!

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This recipe comes from Martin Kuzmarski of The Lobby Boy, One Aldwych, London, England via the Food Network. It is in honor of my darling Marissa’s two-week trip to London, which she left for this morning. Have fun sweet baby girl!

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It’s hard to think of anything more satisfying than grilled vegetables. So fresh, colorful, and packed with goodness!

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About two weeks ago I told you that I was on a “special, highly covert, high-security assignment” for The Arizona Republic. Well, today is the day that the result is appearing as the cover story of the Food section. You may recall that the assignment was to develop recipes using Hamburger Helper. I have to admit that when Karen Fernau, the Food editor, called me and asked if I’d develop recipes for the cover, I was excited as could be. Then as she continued and told me exactly what it entailed, I was disappointed and – well, honestly – disgusted! Eww! But after diving into the task at hand, I have to say, I found it seriously challenging and that made it fun! Surprising all around! Here is one of the three recipes that I developed, with a couple more pictures than you’ll get from the newspaper. It was voted the family favorite in our house. And here is THE LINK to the full story and the other two recipes.

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So, you know how I’m smack-dab in the center of celebrating my self-proclaimed holiday, citruspalooza? Well, the Chicago Tribune has completely ripped off my idea and ran a whole article about citrus on the cover of their food section today! What the heck is up with that!? Granted, their story is all about weird and exotic citrus, some of which I’ve never heard of before. Buddha’s Hand, Finger Limes, Cara Cara Oranges, and more. You can check out portions of the article at THIS LINK.

And speaking of Chicago, I want to share one of the many fabulous salad recipes from my BFF, Jen, who lives in Illinois. The girl is a wiz at cranking out quick, easy, and delicious salads in a snap. This is one of my favorites she has made for our family. Jen uses a bottled dressing she can find locally that is put out by Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant. We do have a Maggiano’s Restaurant on the corner of Scottsdale Road and 71st Street, but I am not certain if they sell the bottled dressing in the restaurant or not, or even if you can find it locally at your grocery store. So just in case, I’ve included a homemade version at the bottom of the recipe.

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Friday, January 7, 2011

7:30 AM – Awake, shower, dress, eat breakfast and put up a blog post for the day.

9:40 AM – Open email and find this gem:

Happy New Year Linda!
Been following your blog and your bumper crop of citrus. I bought an ACME years ago when our landscape included many prolific citrus trees. It juices at lightning speed! Would you like to borrow mine? Let me know and I’ll drop it by ; )
Jeanie

9:43 AM – Immediately Reply:

Oh, Jeanie, you are a lifesaver! YES, a thousand times, YES! Thank you so much, I was actually thinking of putting out a neighborhood search for a juicer I could borrow. I’ll have to show you the one I have, you will die laughing when you see it! Thank you! xoxo
Linda

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