Welcome Summer! Memorial Day Weekend 2012

Friday afternoon after a full day of stocking up at Costco, mowing the grass, cleaning and dragging out the patio furniture.  Aahhh...

The Ultimate Macaroni Salad

One of Brian's most favorite foods is macaroni salad but not just any old version will do.  He and I share a mutual aversion to the mass market flavor of supermarket salads that all taste as if they originated in the same warehouse.  But he is particularly opinionated on how his favorite summer side dish should taste.

Fire Up the Blender! (Countdown to Memorial Day)

Whatever the calendar says about the official start of summer, we all know it really begins on Memorial Day weekend!  For the two of us, that is also the start of summer weekend getaways to the south shore of Long Island, to strolls on the beach, grilling, outdoor dining, the dog running free on the grass and lazy afternoons sitting in the garden drinking frozen cocktails. And so, as we hit the road early this Friday, settle in at the house and dust off the blender, here are our summer favorites as inspiration for your own blenders.  Cheers and have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Veggie Lasagna Roll Ups

Back in March I spent a cold, rainy Sunday making a pan of hearty lasagna. But instead of the traditional version, I made adorable individual rolls filled with tangy cheese, lots of fresh herbs and baked in a rich, meaty sauce. As popular as my recipe was, I almost immediately began getting requests for a vegetarian version.

Creamy Corn Salad

Today I have the great honor of guest posting for Chef Dennis. He left the choice of dish up to me and I've created a delicious creamy corn salad, just perfect for summer. It's technically based on the Mexican street food called esquites but I've adapted it to suit our milder and healthier palates. Enjoy!

Interrupting My Cooking...

MONDAY:
Ring Ring
Me:  Hello
Machine Voice:  This is a very important notice concerning your credit card account.  There's no problem but this is your final opportunity to speak to a representative about lowering your interest rate.  Please press 1 to speak to a customer service representative or 3 to discontinue further calls.  Again, this is your final notice.
Me:  Click (while foolishly thinking that, if this is my final notice, I can just ignore it.)

Beet Love!

While I was playing around with beet recipes I realized how easily I've dismissed the preparation with words like "roast a bunch of beets" as if everyone is going to know how to do that. While second nature to me now, I still do remember the first time I was faced with a bunch of fresh beets and wondered where to begin.

Strawberry and Basil Martini

It's strawberry season here in New York and we've been popping so many of the plump, red berries into our mouths that we're about to turn plump and red ourselves. It's true that in New York you can get strawberries year round but they are imported, expensive and largely flavorless. We don't bother, so when strawberry season arrives, we're all in.

Some More Blog Love

I am, unfortunately, very late in thanking some of my fellow bloggers for a few awards they've generously passed onto me.  It's so terrific to be part of this amazing community of talented food bloggers and I am so honored when they feel I'm worthy of an honor myself.

Strawberry Sauce

I love fresh, seasonal strawberries as much as anyone. But what if a man comes home from Costco with the big 'ole, honking, giant, feed an army, monster tub of strawberries? I gave it my best effort but after 3 days of stuffing myself with strawberries to the point where my skin was about to change color (while said man was off on a business trip), I knew I would lose this battle. So, what to do? Make strawberry sauce, of course!

Bocca East Restaurant

1496 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10075, 212-249-1010 www.boccaeast.com

Let me begin by saying that it's lucky we even ate at this restaurant. A couple of weeks ago, Brian and I had plans to meet a dear old friend for Sunday brunch. I'd suggested Bocca because it always looked inviting whenever I walked past and the menu on its web site was compelling. She agreed and said she'd take care of the reservations.

Blue Margarita

It is said that we eat with our eyes first but I think we also drink with our eyes. And there's something about a crisp blue cocktail served in an old fashioned mason jar on a warm spring day that just begs for a sip. And when that blue drink is a margarita and the occasion is Cinco De Mayo it's time to drink up!

What Smells Better Than Home Cooking?

We all know the way to make a house smell like a home is to cook dinner, make fresh bread or bake a pie. But bringing the outdoors in can also work wonders. Our lilac bushes bloomed a little early this year due to the unusually warm winter. We almost ran out of vases and containers to put them all in and now our place both looks and smells amazing.

A Kicked Up Frozen Watermelon Margarita

If you've noticed a lack of tequila drinks on our blog it's because neither Brian nor I drink much of it. Oh, we like the taste just fine but it does tend to hit us much harder than other liquors. With Cinco De Mayo coming up, though, we figured the holiday was worth a true margarita. Of course, when I say "true" I mean it's gotten the Hungry Couple cocktail twist.