Spring Risotto with Garlic Shrimp

Chef Gordon Ramsay says one of the the marks of a “really good chef” is being able to consistently produce good risotto night after night after night. Well, we don’t have risotto that often, but I can say that from the first time I made the dish (which was a complete disaster) and up to [...]

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Tomato Pesto

My July-August Cook’s Illustrated magazine came in a few weeks ago and I swear I earmarked every single recipe in this edition! My first attempt at this set of recipes was a complete success. I learned pesto is more than a puree of basil and pine nuts. It can use a variety of vegetables, [...]

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Blackberry Peach Coffee Cake

I’m not sure how I stumbled across this recipe, but I’m sure glad I did. I brought it with us to Lake Gaston and as I came into the kitchen our first morning, it was already half gone! From the reviews by my family, they all loved it and kept saying ‘this is so moist!’ [...]

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Pizza on the Grill

My life has been changed forever. That is, my life in terms of pizza consumption. As we enter summer grilling season I’ve heard more and more about cooking pizza’s on the grill. I wasn’t skeptical of the idea, I just wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. Plus, we don’t own a grill. So [...]

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Voila! on Vacation

Hello dear readers! I am taking a week off from the blog for a family vacation at Lake Gaston, North Carolina. In addition to relaxing, there will be a lot of cooking and eating so I’ll be sure to come back next week with more delicious recipes.
Until then, here are some summer delights you [...]

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Chocolate Coconut Blondies

HAPPY GRADUATION DAVID!!!!
On that note….
Imagine a blondie infused with bittersweet dark chocolate and coconut. You probably could have guessed that from the title, but the title is so boring compared to the rich goodness that this recipe offers. Next time I would either double the batter or cut down on the chocolate since it’s so [...]

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Flank Steak Panini’s

Ever since I started cooking after college and experimenting with new recipes about two years ago, this panini has always been at the top of our list of favorite dishes. The recipe is pretty easy, but it took a few tries to get the steak cooked and sliced just right. At the end of the [...]

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Dynamite Spinach & Artichoke Dip

James and I are going on vacation next week so I’m trying to clean out my fridge before we go. In the freezer I had a package of frozen spinach and frozen artichoke hearts. The logical line of thinking for me was to combine them into a dip. Little did I know I was [...]

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