From the category archives:

Meatless

Mushroom, Basil and Goat Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups

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There’s this thing out there called Wordless Wednesday. I think food bloggers tire of writing posts, but have some nice food photos to share, so they use Wednesday to get caught up. I like the idea. So, consider this an Almost Wordless Wednesday post. I created this Mushroom, Basil and Goat Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups for [...]

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Simple San Diego Sandwich

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It may look unassuming, but I’d been dreaming about this sandwich recently. THIS was the quintessential sammy of my San Diego college years and a defining food for me. Back when I was “college poor,” hanging with cheap friends, I rarely ate in restaurants. But I remember this sandwich, practically every San Diego casual menu [...]

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Lemon and Goat Cheese Pasta

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Here is last night’s dinner — an adaptation of the easiest recipe imaginable penned by friend Erika of In Erika’s Kitchen. Her Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Goat Cheese spoke to me. And I hadn’t planned on photographing the meal; I was just interested in eating it. But Larry said, “no, shoot it.”  Wayadaminnit, that’s strange… [...]

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Corn & Cheddar Chowder

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It may be summer weather where you are, but it’s still June Gloom here in Los Angeles. Soup is fine. This one of corn and potatoes, seasoned with Mexican spices and topped with cheese is only 233 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving, according to Martha. I tore the recipe out of a [...]

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Crockpot Overnight Apple Oatmeal

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I’m just thrilled with the fact that steel cut oatmeal can be easy to make. Waking up to the aroma of hot cinnamon and apples is lovely — breakfast is ready even before the coffee perks! This recipe includes fruit and nuts, healthy.

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Guest Post by Kelly, at The Pink Apron: Broccoli, Apple and Peanut Soup

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From Kelly:  Patti graciously asked me to pen a post while she is away on vacation. She will be helping me out by sharing a post on mine as well. I write for the blog The Pink Apron, which I consider a marriage of from-scratch techniques and modern flavors. I wanted to share with you [...]

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Guest Post by Elise at Hungry Hungry Hippie: Spaghetti Squash Mexicana

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From Patti: Elise of Hungry Hungry Hippie is my ‘lil cousin. She’s vegan, a voracious food blogger, and a cardiac RN in NYC. On top of that, she and Kyle are getting married next summer.  My rule in life?  Always ask such “Type A’s” for favors like guest posts while I go on a stress-free [...]

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Westwood Village Farmers Market and How to Sauté Mushrooms

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One recent Wednesday, I wanted to walk to our Westwood Village Farmers Market but had forgotten the hours. Google, google, google… where the heck is their website? All I found were press releases from last summer’s reopening after a lengthy absence due to construction, and plenty about our OTHER Farmers Market at the Westwood VA [...]

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How to Make Perfect, Best-Ever, Excellent Mashed Potatoes

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What you’re looking at are riced russet potatoes (not actually rice). It’s a step before whuupin’ em with butter and milk to make mmmm mashed potatoes. While volunteering this week at Project Angel Food, we prepped 250 lbs. of potatoes for Chef Adrian. Then, they were cooked in a humongous brazier, mashed in a monstrous [...]

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Thai Green Papaya Salad

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Well, I now know what to make when our four-couple Gourmet Club has a Thai themed dinner – this delicate Thai Green Papaya Salad. The dressing is Thai-YUM, I wanted to lick the bowl.  It’s a combo of textures, too – crunchy almonds to crisp cucumbers to soft papaya to airy fried rice sticks. But [...]

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Andersen’s Pea Soup

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Pea Soup Andersen’s is a California classic for road trippers up beautiful Highway 101. Heading to our Santa Ynez wine country, setting for the movie, Sideways? Visiting the showstopper Hearst Castle? Blasting thru from LA to SFO? Pull off in Buellton for a bathroom break and incredibly luscious all-you-can-eat split pea soup. I love the [...]

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Paula Deen’s Warm Potato Salad (almost)

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What would YOU bring to a potluck of food bloggers? Thanks to blogger In Erika’s Kitchen for pulling this growing group together! I hoped offering a side dish would give me wiggle room to ponder… salad? Veggie? Rice? Pasta? There would be husbands and kids. And of course, really good cooks (those dang food bloggers). [...]

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Vietnamese Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

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How making fresh pumpkin puree got me to prepare Vietnamese Nuoc Cham Sauce is like six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. A) Can’t find Libby’s canned pumpkin.  B) Buy fresh pumpkins, roast and puree. C) Cook some sweet things with the puree, burn out, a good supply still in the freezer. D) Decide to [...]

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Thyme and Goat Cheese Tart Topped with Mixed Tender Greens in Champagne Vinaigrette

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This isn’t exactly how we eat around our home, putting salad on top of a cheese tart. Yet, as swank as this appeared, our “Thyme and Goat Cheese Tart Topped with Mixed Tender Greens in Champagne Vinaigrette” (whew, the name alone is a mouthful) was neither pretentious nor weird. This was the salad course during [...]

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Greek Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Olives

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The simplest salad of all presented at LA Greekfest’s cooking class: Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Olives. Just those three ingredients, no dressing. Slices of watermelon, chilled Feta cheese in bite size pieces Black olives, Kalamata or others, pits removed, sliced Remove rind and seeds from melon.  Cut into triangular pieces.  Place on a [...]

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Lemon Lentils

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Autumn ~ the automatic trigger for my tummy to crave comfort food. Ordinarily, that means mashed potatoes or mac n’ cheese, but the ol’ hippie in me decided to cook lentils with lemon. Larry scarfed them down, and he doesn’t have an ounce of hippie in him. Lentils are legumes. Cheap eats. No soaking. Nutritional [...]

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Larry’s Pesto Pizza

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This is another installment in my series, “Hands Off, Ladies, He’s Mine.” Larry made dinner again recently and decided to create a spin-off of his most excellent pizza.   If you are skilled at making homemade pizza, then you can become comfortable playing with it.  Larry does this on occasion, deciding fun toppings and layouts. This [...]

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Tri-Color Bleu Cheese Potato Salad

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Picture a Sunday picnic at a countryside winery with good friends who like to cook and eat.   Homemade gourmet, local wine and a tinge of sun-kissed cheeks on a glorious Southern California afternoon really makes you believe that “life is good.” Larry and I enjoy Gourmet Clubs, which amounts to three or four couples agreeing [...]

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Mini Basil and Goat Cheese Turnovers

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Dinner party for four here. Casual menu:  Larry made his Excellent Pizza. I was excited for dessert, Butterscotch Pudding.  But while shopping for ingredients, it struck me…  I hadn’t planned an appetizer. Wracking my brain (well, not wracking, but thinking harder than normal while shopping), my sis-in-law’s recent pool party snacks struck me as do-able. [...]

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Egyptian Tomato Soup

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This is a shout-out to a terrific collection of Aussies and Kiwis (plus a few Americans and one Canadian) from our trip to Egypt.  Together, we covered long distances, soaked up history, rode camels, climbed pyramids, got our Sphinx fix, and ate lots of mediocre food. Egyptian food is not so great.  Don’t drink the [...]

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