A few month’s ago, while in Carmel, I had what might be the best roasted chicken I had ever had out on the town at Hog’s Breath Pub. Maybe it was just because my husband and I were enjoying a weekend away together, maybe it was the wine, but either way, I couldn’t get the perfectly crisp skin, flakes of salt, and fresh vegetable succotash out of my head. So of course, I decided to recreate the meal at home.

Of course, I didn’t actually know what constituted a succotash. I assumed corn, because every succotash I had ever seen had corn. Making this meal was a little on the fly, as I noticed the grocery store had a large bunch of fresh corn in. So I wandered through the produce section, picking up some okra and zucchini, because it looked good. Only later did I learn that succotash also includes lima beans, by definition. So we’ll call this Courtney’s sort-of-succotash, sans beans, but you won’t miss them.

For the chicken recipe, I decided to try Thomas Keller’s simple roast chicken. (more…)

Filed under:
Comfort food, Dinner, Gluten free, Side Dish, Sunday Suppers, Wine pairings by Courtney

The final recipe from the Spanish picnic I enjoyed with friends a couple of weeks ago, the zucchini cake is a pretty versatile recipe that’s simultaneously at home for a chi-chi dinner party or low key enough for popping a couple in your mouth as you run out the door in the morning heading for work. It can be made in a pie plate or a muffin tin, and it makes great use of that proliferous summer vegetable, the zucchini.

For our picnic, I chose to make individual versions in a muffin tin, so I could only take with me what was needed for the day. These can be eaten warm, cold, or at room temperature, so it was a perfect food for a picnic. (more…)

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Appetizers, Gluten free, Spanish, Vegetarian by Courtney

Summer is in full swing and that also means that squash and zucchini are abundant right now. While I enjoy stir fries and steamed veggie sides, sometimes you need to dress up these summer vegetables to not get bored of their flavor. So I decided to try my traditional taco spices on these summer vegetables to see what happened. Magic. Magic happened. Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite magic, but just a good blend of flavors that transformed my zucchini and squash from “oh no not more squash” to “yum!” (more…)

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Dinner, Gluten free, Mexican, Vegetarian by Courtney

I first spied this lasagne in La Cucina Italiana magazine, and from that point on I couldn’t get it out of my head. Filled with spring vegetables, topped with hard boiled eggs, it looked beautiful. I wasn’t sure about the hard boiled eggs, and even though this is good without them, I wouldn’t think of leaving them off. The contrast of the green vegetables and the yellow yolk just make you think, “spring!”, but the flavors also work really well together.

The one thing I would change (and have changed) about this recipe? (more…)

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Dinner, Gourmet, Italian, Vegetarian by Courtney

While I made this meal over a month ago, I’m thinking my final fling with summer might have to be a repeat of the entire thing, beginning to end. Either way, I know the final bits of squash my garden yields would be well-served in this amazing gnocchi recipe that lets each ingredient shine, feeling light but oh-so-decadent at the same time.

The ingredients are simple – gnocchi, butter, squash & zucchini, a bit of corn, garlic, and goat cheese. (more…)

Filed under:
Dinner, Italian, Vegetarian, Wine pairings by Courtney