Easy Dipping Oil

Go to any fancy Italian restaurant and you are sure to be greeted with a basket of crusty bread and fruity olive oil. You don’t have to put on your Sunday best to experience the same pleasure of tearing chunks of bread and plunging them deep into a shallow bowl of goodness.
I wasn’t planning on [...]

Slow Cooker Marinara

An Italian friend of mine once told me the secrets to a great marinara sauce are good ingredients and patience. Good ingredients? Yep, I’ve got that one down. It’s the patience part that always has me stumped.
I suspect the only time you will see me standing over a stock pot of sauce for hours is [...]

Baked Goat Cheese Marinara

Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can look so good in a photo? I posted this to my Facebook Fan Page a couple of days ago because I was that excited to share it before the blog post went live. I figured why should I deny my fans from such tasty beauty? (insert gleeful [...]

Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers

Have you ever hunted for the perfect ingredient to make all your dinner party dreams come true? Only to crash and burn like a forgotten soufflé when it is nowhere to be found? But alas, you are saved from total destruction when you discover a completely new ingredient that evokes new thoughts of culinary greatness.
I [...]

Grilled Caprese Pizza with Balsamic Reduction

Summer is quickly coming to an end, but there are still a few more weekends to take advantage of outdoor grilling. Sure your neighbors might be satisfied with a classic combination of burgers and hot dogs. They even may be ok with a tub of potato salad mush from the grocery store. You, on the [...]

Marinated Artichokes

This recipe was a classic example of having to improvise to ensure I stick to the plan. I was originally intending to make roasted artichokes for my Party on the Porch. But, what seemed like a simple visit to the store, turned into an adventure around Pittsburgh to find them. The only place that had [...]

Tomato Feta Salad with Basil Parsley Vinaigrette

This was the salad served at my Impromptu Dinner Party.
Life has thrown several twists and turns this week, which has kept me fairly distracted.  Admittedly, I’m just now catching up on writing the rest of the posts for my Impromptu Dinner Party.  I know, I know.  I should have written these in advance, and set [...]

Impromptu Dinner Party: Brent & Ty Take Over

After returning home from a wonderful trip in Toronto, the last thing I wanted to do was eat in yet another restaurant.  I craved a home cooked meal and the comfort of relaxing in the backyard, without the annoyance of servers asking us if we were American based on what we ordered.  While trying to [...]

Savory Couscous

This was also a side dish for my Saturday Dinner Party.
I work in a completely beige, windowless, office with giant Post-it sheets covering every square inch of my tiny space.  I have three mismatched chairs for visitors, my filing cabinet sticks when I open it, and my tired old desk is piled with my various [...]

Tomato and Mozzarella Rolls

One of the things I like about my new neighborhood in Pittsburgh is the accessibility.  Within a five block radius of my house is a Whole Foods, Borders, Williams & Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Apple Store and a ton of independent shops for me to enjoy.  Of course, a plethora of great restaurants makes the area [...]

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