Garden Broccoli Cheese Soup

Garden Broccoli Cheese Soup

I can’t believe I grew this broccoli.

Wowzers; I’ve got a green thumb…

Who knew? There was a time in my life I couldn’t even keep a hardy bamboo plant alive. Times have changed.

Thank you fertile Sonoma County soil; you do a body good.

Not having any real clue what I was doing, I planted a bunch of broccoli in late September. All of a sudden, I had a ‘bumper’ broccoli crop.

…It was time for some broccoli cheese soup.

This soup’s gooey cheese goodness is a must on a crisp fall day.  Serve this with a hunk of crusty sourdough bread and get to dunking!

And since this is wine country, a ‘perfect pairing’ with Sbragia’s Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc rounded out this delectable nush – beautifully.

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Fall is in the air; Tomato soup in the kitchen

Drag out your sweaters; put a pot of soup on in the kitchen.

Grab a book, a blanket, and curl up in your favorite chair.

As soon as the air gets crisp, and the tips of the leaves turn orange, this is where you’ll find me.

Summer was mild this year; so I’m just beginning to enjoy my beautiful tomatoes.

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{Saturday Dinner} Poulet a la Creme.

Comfort. Especially on a cold and rainy Saturday. This recipe is inspired from Jacques Pepin, though he uses a whole chicken in his version. Feeling lazy, I decided to use boneless skinless chicken breast and modify the recipe–and it worked.

I served this meal with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and a tangy spinach salad with Sonoma County’s Laura Chenel goat cheese, honey crisp apples and vinaigrette.  It was lovely. Bistro dining courtesy of my kitchen. I love when eating at home feels like being treated to a night out.

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Timesaving Trifecta; Simple, Healthy and Tasty.

Warm, home cooked goodness without the stress; dinner goal achieved.

Sometimes I don’t have it in me to work on dinner for two hours.

SOMETIMES I need to come home after work, pop something into the oven and “zone out” to mindless reality TV.

This dish is inspired for those days. Warm tomato sauce married with gooey swiss, nutty pecorino romano and pleasantly salty parmesan cheese bubbling over encrusted chicken filets. Outstanding.

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