If you grew in a kitchen similar my Nana Edie’s, you know there are no recipes! You watch and observe. In my case, I could not just sit on the sidelines. The attraction to cooking came early and runs in my DNA. I come from a long line of amazing chefs. Yes, I used the term chef, because that is exactly who they were. They cooked for the entire neighborhood on a daily basis. That sounds like a restaurant with customers to me! The difference is, it was a labor of love, and the compensation was watching...

Yields 2 – 8” 1 – 10” deep dish Preheat oven to 350°F Ingredients: 8 Eggs 2 c. Heavy Cream 1 t. Salt 1 t. Pepper 12 Roasted plum tomatoes, diced – recipe on blog 4 oz. Smoked Gruyere cheese 4 oz. Colby cheese 4 oz. Jack cheese Tri-color tomatoes Fresh cracked pepper Pie crust...

Yields 2 —8” to 10” pie crust Ingredients: 3 c. flour 1 t. salt 4 oz. (1 stick) chilled butter diced into small pieces 1 ½ c. iced water Combine dry ingredients into a large bowl Add butter pieces to dry, use a pastry cutter or back of a fork to cut butter into dry...

Yields 12 Preheat oven to 325° F Ingredients: 6 Plum tomatoes, halved olive oil Balsamic vinegar Salt Fresh cracked black pepper Place tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Place in oven for 40 min. Remove and cool.

It is always fun to take a very traditional staple and funk it up. VINCENT COUNTRY loves grits! I decided to use blue coarse grits instead of traditional grits. To me there is a nuttier flavor and they cook up smoother. They are not a typical grit found in the grocery store, at least I have not found them. I order them fresh from a milling company. It is a fairly simple recipe. My tip is to stir often. 6 c. water 1 T Salt 2 c. Blue coarse grits 8 oz. mascarpone Salt and pepper to taste Put water and salt into a saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce water to medium, add grits while stirring constantly with a whisk. Add mascarpone to grits, continue to stir consistently. Reduce heat to low and...

Fresh corn on the cob just rings warm weather and barbeques! The weather has transitioned (fingers crossed) and it is time for outdoor entertaining. This a very simple salad power packed with flavor and vibrant colors. Ingredients: 8 Ears of corn 1 Pint grape tomatoes ¼ c. green onion, chopped 3 stems fresh oregano, remove leaves from stem 4 Fresh basil leaves 2 t. salt ½ t. pepper 2 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb ½ c. Olive Oil 2 T. Balsamic vinegar Cut fresh corn off cobb, place in medium...

Fish cakes are common place in southern kitchens. If you are like our family, transplants in the north, fish cakes were a menu staple as well. Our grandparents and great-aunties & uncles continued to pass along the legacy—inspired cooking. Fishing is an enjoyable pastime and creating dishes to accommodate the buckets of fish that made it into the kitchen required thoughtfulness and ingenuity. These salmon cakes are drawn from that inspiration, coupled with finding ways to incorporate the tremendous health benefits of omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon. Yields 48 —1oz. patties 24 —2oz. patties 16 —3 oz. patties Preheat oven to 375 °F 2 lbs. Salmon filet 2 T. Butter ¼ c. Maple syrup Salt and pepper (to taste) Line a baking pan with foil. Place Salmon on pan, season with salt and pepper Cut butter into four slices and place down...

Waffles have become a menu item for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A simple addition of fruit elevates the mundane to magnificent! Blueberries are nutritious and antioxidant rich.   Yields – 12, 4×4 waffles Ingredients: 3 c. whole wheat flour (I use King Authur) 1 ½ t. baking powder 1 t. salt 2 T. sugar 3 c. milk 3 egg yolks 1 t. vanilla 1 stick of butter (melted) 3 egg whites (whipped to a soft peak) 1 pint fresh blueberries Separate egg...