Month: October 2016

Cheesy Rice and Corn Casserole 

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2 cups cooked white rice 1 can sweet corn 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1/2 stick salted butter 1 can mushroom soup  1 small can chopped green chiles 1 small can sliced olives  1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Process… Preheat oven to 350 Combine all ingredients expect the cheese Spray a 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray, place the rice mix in the dish Top the rice mixture with the cheese Bake covered for 45 minutes, uncovered for 15.  * I cooked my 2 cups of white rice (to 4 cups water) with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon, 1/2 tsp salt and a 1/8 tsp pepper. Doing this adds a great base flavor to the casserole. 

That’s Amazing… Food! 

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Some days I wake up just… hungry. As I was killing time as to not wake up any of our housemates (i.e., family staying with us) by getting up too early… I got to looking at current news articles on my iphone, which naturally (for me ;)) led to this great food article by The Food Network.  By the way, another article  I came across this morning was the news about the recent earthquake in Italy. I can somewhat (native California gal here) imagine the scare and stress people must be experiencing, you’ll be in my prayers Italian friends! I am happy to know that so far no deaths have been reported.  Thank you for giving us such great food Italy.  In honor of our Italy friend this am, here you go…  Here is the article, it looks too yummy not to share.   Hungry in California, g.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/10-ways-to-take-cacio-e-pepe-way-beyond-pasta.html *stock photos 

That’s Amore, in Long Beach California that is. 

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My husband and I are Airbnb’ing this  weekend in a fabulous little apt., in a gem of a building. What a lucky find! That gondola thing… On Saturday we took a stroll around the Naples area, Long Beach. It is just a short 10 minute drive from where we are staying.  And I give you the fabulous Hotel Broadlind.  Hallway to our private oasis.  A cute little common area that doubles as a wash room. There’s great classical music playing in here most of the day. It’s a lovely space to be in.  There are 2 small washers and dryers just to the right. We played a competitive though friendly 😉 game of checkers…  This is the beautiful garden balcony, we sat here and enjoyed our wine on our 1st evening. No need to go out, it was a perfect night, enjoyed each other’s co. in this welcoming space.  This little arch door leads back in…  On Saturday morning I stepped out for a jaunt around the neighborhood. When I got back I spotted the …

Frittata Me Please 

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Let’s all frittata more, shall we?  Here’s my rendition… I found this great article on Epicurious.com Talk about versatile: A good frittata is an egg dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; tastes as good (and arguably better) cold or at room temperature as it does warm; and can be packed with just about anything—including leftovers. The bonus? It’s also incredibly easy. But to make this classic Italian dish even easier, swap the traditional (and tricky) folding-and-flipping stovetop technique for a stir-and-bake one. The result will be a frittata with a silky texture that hovers between quiche and omelet. That technique is covered in the infographic below, along with six winning flavor combinations. These are great starting points for those who are new to frittatas, but they’re definitely not the end. The whole point of a frittata is that you can make it anytime, with almost anything. Just keep these few tips in mind. SIZE IT RIGHT Any 2-quart baking dish works well for this frittata. (For a classic look, bake your …

Oma’s Chicken Soup 

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My mom was an excellent cook. Lately as we step into fall (or at least feel hints of it) here in So. Cal., I’ve been craving her chicken soup. She put so much love into her cooking I like to think I do the same.  Last night I made my version of her original magic. The only changes are, the addition of a touch tomato sauce, this gives the soup broth a nice finish, I add sweet whole kernel corn to the mix and a hint chile powder as well.   This recipe makes a very large amount, enough for a family of 6 adults plus leftovers for another meal.  Here’s the large pot I used…  Cut ingredients in half for an average size pot of goodness.  Feel free to add and or take away as you see fit here. These amounts and ingredients (the vegi’s) can be varied as you please.  The key is the 1st step… this adds such great flavor to the soup base, sauting the onions, tomatoes and garlic with salt …

A Night At The Opera 

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Macbeth, oh my Placido!   The Arts Center in Los Angeles, it such a fab place to be.  Pre-Opera lecture, I highly recommend attending these if you are able. You can gain so much more perspective on the said opera.  The hubster and I.  Vino in the courtyard is always a good idea.  It’s so good to be back! 

Herb Crusted Baked Pork Chops 

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I give you my Herb Crusted Baked Pork Chops. They make a great presentation, perhaps you’d like to entertain with these as the main dish. This dish is to easy to come together not to try.  Rosemary grows wonderfully in my back yard, so rosemery  it is…  My parsley plant will provide the 2nd herb delight in this dish  I like to mise en place (just French for gather your ingredients/have everything in place) 1st. Missing here is the Rosemary, opps.  I used a bit of Chinese hot mustard in addition to regular mustard as opposed to heading to the market just for spicy mustard. You don’t need to go out and buy the Chinese hot mustard, this my dear mother in law just happened to have on hand and it worked.  (Oh yes, we are living family style (ha) in laws and sis in laws as well in our home here in So. Cal. for a few months. We are all in a transitioning period. It’s all good and the extra family time has …