Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Shrimp Tacos with Grilled Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa

I am obsessed with shrimp tacos right now! We are eating them at least twice a week and even that isn't enough for me. They are such an easy meal to put together. Sometimes they are more fancy than others and other times it's just the tortilla and shrimp.

Shrimp tacos always taste better (to me anyways) with a sweet-heat factor. For this recipe I chose pineapple and jalapeno made into a simple salsa. It makes the taco!! I think fresh corn would have been amazing in there as well. However, I did want a little complexity so I grilled the pineapple to give it that "burnt sugar" flavor, which is always amazing in any dish.

Fresh pineapples can be daunting to slice. I know many people shy away from giving it a try. But friends there is no reason to do that! This OXO Pineapple Slicer is an awesome tool that really works. I always place my pineapple in a bowl, like you see here, to catch all the flavorful juice. It slices beautifully! And the hard core remains in the pineapple. Get one if you can, your summer might not be the same without it. And if you are having a summer luau, don't even think twice about not having one of these on hand.

Weeknight Dinner Extravaganza

I know what you're thinking. Weeknight dinner and the culinary term reduction are two words that do not go together. But I double-dare swear that they do. This recipe is so perfect for any night that is filled with reckless activities caused by our busy and crazy lives. This recipe will take you back to the simple life you crave.

You cannot get this from a box, you cannot get this from an ox. You cannot find this here or there, but you can make this in your underwear...or something like that.

I mean are you tired of your pathetic nightly dinners? Does your family dread the dreaded chicken recipe again? Have you been wanting your inner-chef-dom-tendencies to shine through without much effort? This is your lucky day.

This simplistic, tasty, somewhat-savory, somewhat-sweet dinner is for you. It is by far the most effortless (well, I guess McDonald's would be more effortless) weeknight meal you could possibly throw together. And it's so good, you could even serve it for Sunday night dinner. After making this, no one will believe you've running around like a maniac all day.

Golden Gate Grilled Cheese

With the very cold, very rainy, part snowy-sleeting weather going on outside, comfort food reigns supreme at the moment. Grilled cheese is always a favorite so the hubby and I went for this kicked-up version of grilled cheese for lunch the other day.

The name of the sandwich caught my eye as we lived for years about 70 miles east of San Francisco. We went there as often as we could (which was never enough). San Francisco is truly one of the most beautiful cities in America and the food there is always incredible and very much inspired.

The idea of Parmesan on the bread is pure genius and flavoring the butter that cooks the sandwich in the pan...it's like a Monte Cristo, only better. Of course the Muenster cheese, avocado and turkey made it just over-the-top. We truly enjoyed it!

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

Last night I made one of the most requested meals at my house, Sliders. However, I was in the mood for the whole burger and a milkshake experience.

I recently saw this recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes and I knew I had to try it. Let's not mention there was a bag of marshmallows burning a whole in my pantry.

And honestly, I think this was the best milkshake I've ever had. It's very sweet but the flavor is incredible and authentically toasted marshmallow. The family could not believe I was serving dessert with dinner. Hey, it was one of those kind of nights.

Lobster and Chanterelles

Golden-Chanterelles It is the time of year when the spring fiddlehead foragers return to our store to sell us chanterelle mushrooms packed into rounded over Tupperware containers. It is an exceptional year for chanterelle mushrooms because it has rained a lot in Maine this summer and that make them grow large, luscious and most abundant.

We eat mushrooms regularly at our house usually sautéed in a combination of butter and olive oil with a touch of minced garlic at the end but once in a while I make “the dish”. The ultimate chanterelle preparation is combining the mushrooms with lobster meat, cream and cognac. I know what you are thinking; how rich… Yes, but spoon a small portion on a beautiful plate and eat slowly as you ponder how anything could taste this wonderful..

I use 1 pound of chanterelle mushrooms and I pick out the largest ones. Wipe them clean, trim the bottom of the stem off and I like to pull the mushrooms apart by hand keeping the pieces fairly large. The reason I prefer the mushroom pulled into large pieces is because it’s the star of the dish. You’ll see.

Comfort Foods and Indulgences