I’ve always wanted to grill a whole fish but never really knew where to begin. It all came together last weekend at my Farmer’s Market when I found this Branzino just waiting for me at A & H Fish–they have the best fish around! I bought the fish…then thought…now what! Thank goodness my friend Stella from MangiConAmore was at her booth next door and told me all about Branzino, a Mediterranean […]
When Jake come home for Spring Break he had two priorities–Javier’s for lunch and then the market to pick up what he needed to make catfish Po’Boys and fried chicken. I did mention he’s currently living in The South, right? All I can say is you can take Jake out of Southern California, but you can’t take So Cal out of Jake. Only a So Cal kid (currently a Junior […]
You know those days when you get home and you’re tired and it’s hot and you don’t really want to cook but you’re too lazy to go out? Well, that’s how this “accidental” dinner came about. It all started with the shrimp. I thought I’d BBQ it, but didn’t feel like starting the grill. So then I figured I’d just bake in the oven–always good and so easy. Then I spotted […]
Park your Vespa and heat the grill…we’re going on a food adventure! It doesn’t get any easier…or tastier than this. I like to think of this meal as a little trip to Rome…not as good as being there, but if you listen to the original soundtrack of La Dolce Vita while you’re cooking, you can almost picture Fellini, Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg. One of the things I love best […]
Sean Mulville, Andrew Shapero, Richard Mattingley, Victor Pakpour and Jake Johnson I love it when Jake’s home from school and I get to cook for him and his friends. For his 20th birthday he wanted me to make marinated tuna steaks. I was delighted. I arrived at our Farmer’s Market at 8 sharp and headed straight to my favorite fish monger, Sam, at A & H Fish Market. It doesn’t […]
You might think the name Nokes sounds familiar, and you’d be right. They’re famous for their Pizza on the BBQ. In fact, it’s been in the “Top Ten Favorites” since it debuted last summer. Here’s the link if you want to revisit it. http://freshfromnancysgarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/pizza-on-bbq.html But I predict Cathy and Larry are going to have some stiff culinary competition from their daughter, McKenna, who is home from college for the summer. McKenna […]
In the time it takes you to read this, you can actually make this meal. Really. This grilled shrimp salad is so good and so simple you won’t believe it. I forgot how much I like shrimp on the BBQ. For most of the winter I’ve done the Ina Garten technique of roasting them in the oven and they’re delicious that way, but when the weather’s nice, there’s nothing better […]
The first thing Jake wanted to eat when he came home for Spring Break was Mexican food. New Orleans may be known for its great food and fabulous beignets, but Jake assures me they just don’t have good Mexican restaurants. And even if you could find a great Hass avocado to make your own guacamole, it would cost a lot more than our current price of 2 for $1. So […]
Grilled Halibut with Two Men Mango Salsa Last week my neighbor, Kurt Olson, Man #1 in this story, called and asked how I felt about mangos. I had to be honest. I told him I thought they were okay, but I never bought them because I wasn’t really sure how to cut them and I heard they had a weird seed in the middle and well…I just didn’t want to […]
Don’t let the word tarragon stop you from trying this! When I saw this recipe years ago in the LA Times I almost didn’t make it because I didn’t really care for the strong taste of tarragon. But to my surprise, I discovered the marinade flavors blended into a smooth mellow taste and didn’t scream “licorice”. Now it is one of my easy summer go-to BBQ recipes. Not only do […]