Search Results for: Summer

Instant Pot Classic Marinara and Her Distant Cousins (a no-recipe recipe)

Posted on Sep 3, 2020 by Peggy

My kids gave me an Instant Pot for Mother’s Day. Both passionate cooks, they told me they couldn’t imagine life without the contraption. But, to be honest, I rolled my eyes when opening the box—the last thing I need is another kitchen gadget cluttering my counters. That’s until I spied a yogurt button on the panel. I can make … Full recipe post »

Potato Salad, My Way.

Posted on Aug 3, 2020 by Peggy

I believe in choice, my choice of potato salad being no exception. This choice is gut-driven and deeply personal. My grandmother made a simple potato salad that accompanied her fried chicken and hickory nut cake to our family reunions in Selma. She made that same salad when a tragedy befell a friend, the bowl of love left quietly on their porch. My mother made the same salad that … Full recipe post »

Apple-Hickory Smoked Chicken

Posted on Jul 2, 2019 by Peggy

This morning I woke up from a nightmare. I was the cooking wench for the House of Stark in their ancestral castle of Winterfell, located in Westeros, the northernmost province of the Seven Kingdoms. I had just pulled these birds from the pit as winter fell, promising to linger for many, many years. Yes, indeed. The weather is a … Full recipe post »

Pasta Salad Preview: Pastazanella (First in a 3-part series)

Posted on Aug 22, 2018 by Peggy

You’ve heard of panzanella, right? That oh so delicious  salad celebrating tomatoes when they’re bursting on the vines–even more handy to have in your recipe repertoire  when you’ve a loaf of slightly stale Artisan bread that’s begging to be utilized? But what about Pastazanella? I just made a big batch, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never heard of that. Pastazanella … Full recipe post »

My Secret Weapon Flavor Bomb for Savory, Summery Vinaigrettes

Posted on Jul 2, 2018 by Peggy

Last night we had friends over for a Fourth of July warm-up dinner party. The hyper-local menu–Grilled Sumac Lamb Chops, Cherry Couscous Salad and Asparagus–was created with the bulk of ingredients sourced in a one-mile radius; easy to pull off at this time of the year in the orchards and farmlands of Northern Michigan. The day before … Full recipe post »

She-Deviled Diva Eggs

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Peggy
Stuffed Eggs Florentine

Deviled Eggs (aka: Stuffed Eggs) have taken on star-status in the past few years. No more are a plate of these rich and tantalizing mortals content to find themselves nestled up to a Maraschino Cherry Jello Mold on a boomerang-patterned formica counter. For good reason. Stuffed eggs are a great canvas for a variety of flavors. A perusal through the web … Full recipe post »

Farewell to Summer Salad: Cracked Wheat Salad with Seasonal Fruit

Posted on Sep 1, 2016 by Peggy
Cracked Wheat Salad with Fresh Fruit, Black Beans and Feta

Taking care to practice what I preached in my last blog, I remain tasered into beans. (Been researching tasers for the current novel I’m writing. A cool word. It can be used as a noun: He’s running down Nine Mile, grab your taser!  A verb: You tasered the wrong guy, man! Even an adjective: His eyes, a knee-buckling shade of … Full recipe post »

Michigan Beaches, Strawberry S’mores and a Goodreads Giveaway

Posted on Aug 12, 2015 by Peggy

Michigan’s underrated. Some of us have long known that to be fact and now Thrilllist  agrees. In “The Definitive and Final Ranking of all 50 States”, Michigan was recently pronounced the best state to live “…ranking the states on everything”. And I quote:  “…Did you know Michigan has more coastline than any state other than Alaska? Did you … Full recipe post »

Simmer and Smoke paired with Grilled Caesar Salad

Posted on Jul 28, 2015 by Peggy

Five years since inception and Simmer and Smoke is available in paper and Kindle, with other formats on the wing. Mallory, Shelby and Miss Ann are, at last, alive. A feeling akin to childbirth? Not quite. It’s more like a funeral and I’m mourning their loss. I can’t revisit my people––give Mallory another pill washed down with booze; push Shelby … Full recipe post »

An Outdoor Barbecue Party Featuring Hot Slaw & Shoulder Sliders

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Peggy

Happy Memorial Day! Perhaps the long weekend will offer you more time to relax and fire up the grill, and the following recipe for Hot Slaw and Shoulder Sliders has been a family favorite for generations. My millennial son, Zan, is getting married to Lucy in 4 weeks, I’m hosting a party the night before the wedding, the boy wants mama’s … Full recipe post »

Turks & Caicos Ceviche! (using fresh conch, scallops or shrimp)

Posted on Mar 2, 2015 by Peggy

A sea-to-table recipe for fresh conch salad from Turks and Caicos. Full recipe post »

Putting up Tomatoes: The Easy Way

Posted on Sep 18, 2014 by Peggy

Here’s a no-recipe recipe for folks with little time and large palates. Tomato sauces are great to have hanging out in the fridge for impromptu meals. With their high acidic content, they have a lengthy refrigerated shelf-life, at the ready for spooning over, or incorporating into, grain dishes and proteins. The best bottled, freshest tasting … Full recipe post »

Lamb Burger Sliders with Beetroot Relish and Tzadziki

Posted on Aug 10, 2014 by Peggy

The burger – be it White Castle or Farmer’s Market Veggie-Grain – could be the most telling testimonial, the most apt memoir of the 20th and early 21st century American palate.  Little sis “Slider” drills into this hypothesis. The Slider, especially, is suited to our national temperament and accommodates our multitasking lifestyle. It’s easily held in one … Full recipe post »

Explosively Delicious Recipes to Enhance Summer Celebrations! (A promise.)

Posted on Jun 28, 2014 by Peggy

It’s that time of the year and I don’t mean fireworks; I’m talking the explosive media grilling blitz. An hour doesn’t pass without some TV personality, electronic feed, or magazine headline firing off their ultimate recipe for “whatever” on the grill. Recipe overload, no doubt. Why not? Grilling on the Fourth of July is as … Full recipe post »

Super-Fast Caprese Canapes

Posted on Aug 30, 2013 by Peggy

Beach fires dwindle, the days grow shorter, and we understand the end of summer is upon us. Oh no — say it ain’t so! This summer saw more than its share of rainy days and temperatures below average, our consolation being the lakes and farmers are loving it. But beautiful days are here at last. … Full recipe post »