I just made a Chili Crisp condiment that is SO good that I literally licked the plate! LOL Chinese Chile Crisp is one of THE “GOAT” all-time great condiments, and I’ve been indulging in it for years- WAY before it got hot and trendy! Good ol’ amazon.com and Walmart.com have Read more
I listened to tales of “unbelievably good” Italian Beef (Portillo’s, Al’s) from my Chicago-born husband, Chef Dan, for Years… but, as a New Yorker, (a polite one), I smiled sweetly, but internally rolled my eyes, thinking: “roast beef with a spicy sauce- what’s the big deal?”, and chalked it up Read more
Truffles and I are kind of an old love story. I first enjoyed them when I lived in Italy, eons ago, usually grated on top of pasta, but I didn’t get to have them very often. Truffles are very “earthy” and aromatic, and somewhat of an acquired taste, but I Read more
This year’s garden wasn’t perfect, by any means, but the hot peppers- all of them in pots on the front patio of the Elkhorn Inn this year- did great! When October arrived, and frost was imminent, with the pepper plants still covered in peppers, as they always are, Dan did Read more
Thanks to being a member of Tryazon, the great sampling program, I was selected to do a Facebook Live Party for the Vasta Vegetable and Fruit Sheet & Noodle Slicer! The Vasta is an inexpensive, fun, and easy-to-use kitchen tool that enables you to make “sheets” from both fruits and vegetables, as Read more
Wine! Food! Penguini! As many of you know, I am a “sweeper” and a contest-junkie. While my friends are playing Candy Crush and Farmville at 2a.m. on Facebook, I am often entering sweeps and contests… LOTS of sweeps and contests! And while the downside is I get 1000+ emails a Read more
Tamarind Pods… Make Tamarind Paste! First, let me state that I love, love, love tamarind! Its unique, tangy, sour-but-with-a tinge-of-sweetness taste is inimitable, and whenever I find anything with tamarind sauce or tamarind glaze- or tamarind anything- I order it! It’s Asian, it’s Israeli, it’s Caribbean, it’s Mexican… everyone loves Read more
My 5 faithful readers may recall last year’s post on making Easy Apple Roses: https://southernwestvirginia.blogspot.com/2018/09/easy-puff-pastry-apple-roses-for-rosh.html I made them for Rosh Hashonna (Jewish New Year) last fall, and they were a BIG hit with our Elkhorn Inn & Theatre dinner guests- you don’t have to be Jewish to love Apple Roses! LOL This Read more
Chef Dan flambes! Baiju in Chengdu! The Greatest Noodle Chef… As the six faithful readers of my blog know (yes, that’s an LOL), my chef husband and I recently spent a pretty amazing month in China, eating our way across the country by train! We began our month in Shanghai, Read more
Chef Bond Chef Bond instructing Chef Dan… Chef Bond & Elisse We just learned, very sadly, that Chef Richard Bond of the Mardi Gras School of Cooking and Catering passed away… Chef Dan and I spent a wonderful day with him in his beautiful 140 year old home in Point Read more