Dinner for 100- no problem

Recently, my husband and I signed up for an Outstanding in the Field dinner in Elkhorn, Wisconsin at Deitzler Beef Farm. I’d received emails from The Outstanding in the Field for the last several years. As you probably know, the Field Dinners are roving culinary adventures held across the country on farms since 1999. The mission of the organization “is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, honor the local farmers, and the food artisans who cultivate it.” Anyone care to share your experiences with a Field Dinner? [More]

Summer on a Plate

Summer means great vegetables, eating outside, and keeping it simple. Let the great taste of juicy tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, summer squash, and sweet corn shine. Add snipped fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil, and you have great meals in no time. Try Vegetable Sauté, a twist on Grilled Corn (inspired by the street vendors in Toronto), and the best tomatoes prepared simply with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh picked basil. [More]

Recently, I learned to use a home smoker. This is one secret to delicious restaurant food, and we can do it at home. I bought a stove top smoker on line for about $50. The home smoker comes with recipes, different types of wood chips, clear directions for smoking and cleaning, and ways to use it for poaching and roasting without the chips. Smoking not only cooks food, but flavors it too. [More]

When looking for my Paris/Le Marais apartment in May, I was lost and jetlagged. I walked into the five year old Monjul Restaurant and Thierry, the host, graciously helped me find the address of where my apartment keys were stored. Thierry was so kind that I booked a reservation for dinner that night. I went back several times and met the chef and his assistants. They invited me to observe them one morning as they did the prep for the day. They were all French trained and used classic French techniques, but their flavors were worldwide. Here were some of my observations from my morning at Monjul. We can take so much back to our own kitchens! (I rarely take photos in restaurants so there are no photos with this blog. To see beautiful food, please visit monjul.com.) [More]

Is there anyone on the planet that doesn’t like pizza? Pizza is loved all over the world, and everyone has their favorite ingredients and their favorite style pizza- deep dish or thin. Perhaps, we love pizza because it just tastes good or we love the tomato and oozing cheese as it is ladled onto our plate. Sure there’s a pizza joint in every small town or on city street corners, but you can make your own – very easily, and for a few pennies. You control the fat, the salt, and the ingredients. My version is vegetarian and it’s called Grilled Margherita Pizza. [More]