Category: Recipes

Variety, the Spice of Life

I was lucky to learn to cook at my grandmother’s side; she was an experienced Italian home cook, and her food was delicious.  At some point in my history of cooking, however, I noticed that everything I made had a combination of garlic, onions, olive oil, basil, tomatoes and cheese in it.  We were of Italian descent after all; this was what she knew and what I learned. Continue reading “Variety, the Spice of Life”

Meatball Mania

This past Saturday night I was at a loss for what to cook.  We’d been out to dinner a few times so eating out really wasn’t an option, and I was hungry, so a simple salad dinner just wasn’t going to cut it.  I was tired from a busy week, and not very motivated to cook creatively, if at all.  If it was going to happen, it needed to be quick and easy.  Continue reading “Meatball Mania”

Soup for Life

My grandmother in Gröden in South Tyrol likes to say, “Wer viel Suppe isst, lebt lange”, or “She who eats soup lives longer”. She recently turned 96, and is still cooking three whole meals a day for both her son and grandson (not to mention herself), so I’ll take her word for it. Soups come in many different varieties and lend themselves to seasonal adaptation better than most any other dish you can cook. Whether a simple clear broth or a hearty soup stew (like a goulash or bean soup), soups are both easy to make and healthy. Soups warm the body, causing good blood circulation, and their aroma, fragrance and seasonings stimulate the secretion of digestive juices, a plus for good digestion! Continue reading “Soup for Life”

Swimming Upstream with the Salmon

This week’s post is delivered to you straight from New Zealand where I am catching up with friends and gathering inspiration for  fresh and easy meals. When it comes to food, globalization has not yet taken over NZ; the markets are packed with products from small family-owned businesses that shy away from industrialized food manufacturing. If the fresh, delicious food abundantly available NZ is any proof, smaller is better. Continue reading “Swimming Upstream with the Salmon”