Diary of a Home Cook Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we fast… Are you ready for Fat Tuesday? I am. Fat Tuesday is a day of indulgence and excess that precedes Lent for all Catholics in the world. Lent is comprised of 40 days of penance, fast and abstinence in preparation for Easter so you are allowed, and encouraged, to indulge big time the day before Lent begins. It is fun and festive and is a true party for the senses and the appetities. Everybody has heard of Mardi Gras (The word Gras in French means “Fat,” (more…)
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18
Feb
2012
Mardi Gras
14
Feb
2012
Hanging with the Cousins Making Homemade Ravioli
Diary of a Home Cook My cousin Geraldine Marretta Harris, a Mother and a marvelous home cook in her own right, shared a memory of cooking in our family you will enjoy. One thing I have to say about our Italian American family, the children were always included in the cooking if they were available and interested. That was back before the day of television and video games. Of course, we loved to be in the middle of things, so we developed a love of cooking at an early age. I think children are still interested but not invited (more…)
Read moreDiary of a Home Cook Let me tell you I have been on a roll this week. In and out, easy and delicious. It doesn’t get much better. I would have made my apple tart by now but because my sugars are out of whack, (you know my diabetes problem) I am hesitating. However, it won’t be long now, so keep watching for it. Let me state here and now, I love to cook but I don’t love to cook necessarily every day or when I am feeling lazy, or when a good movie is on, or when I (more…)
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11
Feb
2012
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Meatballs
Diary of a Home Cook Today has been one of those days. I planned ahead what I would cook but I didn’t get it moving for lunch which was my goal. Bob plays racquetball doubles on Saturday mornings and I tackled paperwork on my desk while he was gone. Didn’t get a lot done but at least made a minor dent. We both had hair appointments in the afternoon so it bounced my cooking back to the late afternoon. I generally cook according to my tastebuds and what they are craving at the time. My mistake was in asking (more…)
Read moreDiary of a Home Cook Sometimes temptation is just more than I can handle. Bob and I had already decided we would not spend a lot of money on a Valentine meal out. Then I got this email about Pappasito’s Valentine special and I was hooked. It wasn’t just because they had filet mignon fajitas, or because they were serving chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. It was because both of those coupled with grilled lobster and shrimp was too much to resist. I have this love of lobster that makes me crave it from time to time. It is (more…)
Read moreDiary of a Home Cook Today I had a minor medical procedure done and my doc said I could not have anything fried or spicy. Duh!! There went 90% of my favs. It doesn’t matter how minor the procedure was, I wanted to be spoiled and comforted. I moseyed around for some time trying to figure out something quick and tasty since I have not had a meal today and it is already in the evening. My husband repeatedly offered to go pick up anything I wanted but nothing fit. Finally, in a blinding flash I had my answer. (more…)
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08
Feb
2012
Remember the Rump Roast BBQ Beef
Diary of a Home Cook Well, well, the rump roast is still alive and well. Normally I would have frozen that baby by now but due to unexpected changes in schedule it is still in the fridge. My hubby LOVES barbeque beef so I sliced a goodly portion of the roast as thin as possible, put some of the roast drippings and barbeque sauce on it and warmed it up for him. Main course in minutes and very delicious. I had two hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator from last week, as you know from Easter boiled eggs last (more…)
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07
Feb
2012
Cook’s Day Off – Spanish Restaurant Review
Diary of a Home Cook Today we had errands to run in downtown Houston so we planned to try out a Spanish restaurant I was told had great Paella. I love trying new restaurants even if I am disappointed quite often. Even when the food doesn’t measure up there is something to take from the experience. One of my favorite foods is Cajun Jambalaya which has its roots in Spanish Paella. Jambalaya is most popularly made with chicken and Cajun sausage and is spicy. It can also be made with a variety of other meats like ham, shrimp or (more…)
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06
Feb
2012
Diary of a Home Cook – Roast Beef Poboys
Diary of a Home Cook Tonight was a breeze. Hubby picked up a sour dough flute when he was out earlier, long thin bread like a poboy. We made delicious poboys with the beef roast from the day before. I popped the bread in my toaster oven for 8 minutes, then sliced it lengthwise, slathered it with mayo and layered it with thin sliced roast, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Seasoned generously and had a feast. The hot crunchy bread was divine. And there is more roast left for sandwiches or even to make hash with potatoes and the roast (more…)
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05
Feb
2012
Diary of a Home Cook – Rump Roast
Diary of a Home Cook – Rump Roast Today has been a lazy day. Went to early church and then to IHOP with friends for breakfast. Ate too much – nothing new about that. Hmmmph! Good thing I had today’s meal mapped out in my head already. I lazed around until around 2 p.m. because we were so stuffed from earlier. When I did get around to cooking the meal was delicious. We had rump roast with pan gravy, Brussels Sprouts cooked with bacon, and baked potatoes. Simple and simply delicious and satisfying. No recipe needed. Most people, I (more…)
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