Years ago, I spent a month in Nepal trekking in the Himalayas around Mt. Everest National Park. After all this time, I still marvel at the staggering beauty of those mountains. The massive Himalayan peaks dwarf the Rockies and make them look like ant hills in comparison. This region, where yaks are the means of transporting goods and cars are nowhere to be seen, can only be reached on … [Read more...]
Creamy White Bean Soup
Our pantry is out of control. Jim, a.k.a., Mr. Organization, gives me a regular food inventory in an effort to head off my food buying tendencies. If I'm shopping and I can't remember whether we have a certain item, I'll buy another one just in case. Those duplicates have spilled out of the pantry and into other areas of the kitchen. I admit that I'm a little obsessed with keeping a "well-stocked" … [Read more...]
White Bean and Chicken Chili
Our local farmers market stocks shelves and shelves of every variety of dried beans you can imagine. I was thinking about soup on Saturday while I was shopping, so I picked up a large container of Great Northerns. Chili with white beans and chicken has been rolling around in my head for months now, and this week I took it off my to-do list and gave it a whirl. I got an electric pressure cooker … [Read more...]
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Maple Dijon Sauce
I never tire of roasted chicken. Always on the hunt for a variation on this classic comfort food, I've made it a million ways I'm sure. This version might be close to the top of my list. The sauce made with maple syrup and Dijon mustard might have a little to do with how much I liked this recipe. We're not having the same cold weather that the Northeast has been experiencing, but it's been … [Read more...]
Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage
Black-eyed peas were a common part of my southern diet while I was growing up in Mississippi. As I've written about food over the last couple of years, I often get curious about foods that I know so well, and I always find it interesting to investigate their history. It's easy to think foods that you've eaten your entire life have been around forever, but that's not always the case. Black-eyed … [Read more...]
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Did you ever think about how hard it must be to learn the English language? Words spelled the same way are pronounced differently and have different meanings. For example, "desert" means to abandon, or it can refer to a dry, sandy environment. Rules have tons of exceptions and words that you would think would be pronounced the same are not. For example, "trough", "rough", and "bough" each have … [Read more...]
Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts and Golden Beets
I vividly remember sitting in my freshman comp class many years ago on a cool October day. Professor Kemp began the class by assigning a 300-word essay on any topic to be completed by the end of class. Never being a quick thinker, I wasted the first fifteen minutes of class trying to think of an interesting topic for my essay. Desperately watching the time and realizing that a good idea just … [Read more...]
Red Lentil Soup with Collards
I admit that I'm a carnivore from way back. I've been a serious meat eater for most of my life, and I've always justified my meat-loving ways by thinking that my body requires animal protein. However, I'm turning over a new leaf in 2015, and rethinking the types of protein that I consume. Now I'm not saying that I'm giving up meat (I don't think that'll ever happen), but there are so many other … [Read more...]
Rosemary Asiago Potato Stacks
Our good friends, Jim and Cheryl Hagy, are in town this week, and we're hosting them for dinner on Saturday night. The Hagys own and operate Chef's Market, an award-winning restaurant and catering business in the Nashville area. Readers of the Nashville Scene voted Chef's Market "Nashville's Best Caterer" for the past three years. Jim and Cheryl know good food, and if you're ever in Nashville, I … [Read more...]
Braised Red Cabbage with Apples
Have you ever noticed that Thanksgiving menus frequently feature a whole lot of brown and beige food? Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes topped with pecans and brown sugar, casseroles, and so on make for a monotone menu. I'm all for those holiday dishes, but I like to highlight the table with some color. Even in the midst of engorging on the holiday feast, I still crave some healthy stuff in the … [Read more...]
Potatoes au Gratin
So Thanksgiving is over, and I'm on to my Christmas menu. Many cooks make a Thanksgiving redux for their Christmas dinner, but I prefer making something completely different for this holiday meal. In the past, I've made a stuffed pork loin roast, Beef Wellington, and surf and turf with filet and lobster. I haven't finalized my main course for Christmas this year, but I'm definitely making … [Read more...]
Lamb Stew with Apricots and Chickpeas
Our good friend, Dan, came over for a night of cooking a few weeks ago, and we made a delicious Parmesan Chicken with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers. It's a blast to prepare a meal with another great cook, so we've been trying to get together for another night of fun in the kitchen. Crazy schedules have gotten in the way so far, but we'll find a date soon. Dan is a storehouse of culinary … [Read more...]