shallots

Grilled Shallots and Onions with Shrimp; the Glorious Twelfth

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We have an on-going discussion during the summer, regarding 'throwing a few shrimp on the barbie'. Mon mari likes the flavor the shrimp get from grilling. Since the only shrimp we can get are already cooked, putting them over hot charcoal tends to dry them out… Which I don't like. We agreed that this was … Continue reading…

Summer Vegetable Melange

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Sometimes, we I can spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make this vegetable or that green shine.  Is simple best?  Just picked green beans, braised in olive oil, finished with a sprinkling of salt and some shredded basil…. Perfect summer vegetable. Or maybe vegetable comfort food…. Cauliflower draped in a … Continue reading…

Potato Gratin with Caramelized Shallots; interior decorating

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Are you into decorating? I've been listening to internet radio and one of the ads is promoting buying stuff for your house, basically saying that winter is a good time to do some decorating, tarting things up a bit and all that. I have no interest. I used to, but, somewhere along the way the … Continue reading…

Stuffed Mushrooms; Football anyone?

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Rumor has it that there’s a Big Game this weekend. To be honest, I had to Google ‘Super Bowl’ to be sure. It doesn’t have much of a following here. It is broadcast here, live on some channels, but it starts after midnight, on a Sunday night.  You can see why parties aren’t really big. … Continue reading…

Beef Tips with Mushrooms and Shallots; the update

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Since it’s the first update of the year I thought I would give a ‘State of the House’. We have three rooms officially declared finished: The living room…. Yes, this has been finished for a bit – the first room completed, actually. The master bath… What?  You thought this was done last summer? Not so. … Continue reading…

Chicken Salad With Spinach and Red Pepper; the update

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We leave in an hour to pick up the first lot… Mon mari‘s brother and sister-in-law from Hawaii.  They’ve been travelling since Saturday. We leave at the crack of dawn on Thursday to drive to Umbria, Italy, where we will spend a week with 13 of mon mari‘s family (which is just about everyone – … Continue reading…

Risotto with Lentils and Spinach

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First, a disclaimer:  I was tending the stove; keeping the home fires burning and all that rot.  It's been warm enough that we only light it in the evenings. As usual, I lit the fire starter (little cubes of fuel), arranged a few logs and left it. I'd forgotten that I'd cleaned it out this … Continue reading…