Tuna Pasta Salad: Remixed

Attend any small town summer potluck and you are sure to find a Tupperware bowl full of tuna pasta salad. These small town pasta creations always seem involve “famous, world class, or Big Dave’s”. Every small town has a Big Dave right? Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of small town potluck pasta salads [...]

Rustic Apple Crostata

Crostata’s are a great way to add a rustic charm to any dinner party. The casual freeform nature of the dough enveloping around the fruity comfort is not only flavorful but also easy on the eyes. If you like classic apple pies or crisps, and then you will enjoy this crostata. It’s super easy to [...]

Gazpacho Mamor

While walking through my local farmer’s market, I noticed the most gorgeous vegetables I have seen in a long time. Baskets were brimming full of rich red tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, and peppers of all shapes and sizes. My most favorite part of all was the reasonable prices for fresh ingredients; sold to me by 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 [...]

Black & Blue Crostata

This is the best time to take advantage of all the rich and delicious flavors that summer fruits have to offer. A quick trip to my local farmers market found me with multiple pints of plump blueberries, blackberries and cherries. I loved the idea of combining the three flavors to create a simple and sweet [...]

Pesto Pea Pasta Salad

I totally enjoy reading and making Ina Garten’s recipes. Even as I write this post, I’ve finished watching an episode of her popular Barefoot Contessa television show on the Food Network. Her food has great flavor, beautiful visually, and extremely easy to prepare. But there are times when I feel like her food tends to [...]

Rustic Blackberry Pie

My friend Jimmy has begged me to make him a blackberry pie for years.  Instead of giving into his wishes, he has received recipe variations that contained blackberries, but never a full pie.  My most classic example was when he begged and begged for a blackberry pie, and I decided Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear [...]

Citrus and Ginger Broccoli Slaw

I was killing time at the mall when I found myself in the cookbook section of a bookstore.  Brent has recently decided to go on a low calorie diet, which means I’m on one as well.  Oh the pressure.  I was desperately searching for inspiration as I thumbed through the wide assortment of magic potion [...]