Moroccan Chicken

This simple dish is a combination of spices and olive oil brushed onto the chicken and baked until tender. Cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper. On the side is a simple saffron rice topped with fresh broccoli that was cooked quickly in a bath of hot water with a splash of olive oil, crushed red peppers, salt and pepper.

Filling and satisfying this dish is served great cold.

Shepherds Pie, Paso Robles Style

The final act..20 minutes or so...topped with Romano Cheese sprinkled with fresh parsley, carrots and a couple of peas....

A Paso Robles twist to a English favorite. Being in the Central Coast gets you thinking of warm and hearty, what's available for the best price at the market, melting both into the culture and client.

Since we are really an Agriculture center, wine being our biggest crop, the items at the store that seem the most appealing (and priced right) have the tendency to be orientated to the workers that bring in the harvest.

Taking a"fajita" cut of beef I started with a roasted garlic and shallot mixture sauteed in olive oil and threw in the flour coated (salt and peppered) beef into the fire hot pan. Quickly browning the meat with a splash of red wine, parsley and a couple of bay leaves, I added cooked slice carrots and a few frozen peas alongside sliced mushrooms with a nice beef gravy.

All the while I was boiling a few potatoes, preparing to mash away. With the potatoes the regular standard of butter, salt and pepper, and heavy cream instead of milk topped off with an egg yolk to add a bit of richness was beaten into the mix.

I placed the meat mixture in oven proof baking dishes and spooned the potato mixture on top to bake in a 350 degree oven for forty minutes.

I'm waiting now for the second round of creation to take place. I'll be back with the rest in 20 or so minutes.

Baked Califlower with vegi Tapas

This baked califlower makes for a wonderful display. Alongside of it are roasted brussel sprouts, carrot salad, pimento vinegarette. Serve at room temperature.

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad...

This cold penne pasta salad is made up of finely diced yellow and red peppers, snow peas, yellow and green squash, regular peas tossed in a creamy balsamic vinegar dressing topped off with asaigo cheese.

Muffins, Muffins here are my Muffins

These in the picture are apple walnut along side with a whipped orange butter.

Other mufins I like to bake are banana nut, a tropical muffin with papaya, coconut, rasin nut. Chocolate chip. Any berries too!

What a great way to start out the morning.

Plum Crumb Cake

When I was a little girl I loved crumb cake of any sort. I loved the two pack of hostess crumb cake.

This crumb cake I added sweet red plums to add a twist to this old time favorite.

Carna Asada...a summer treat...

Ahh, little carna asada with fresh corn with a garlic butter sauce, saute peppers, red onions, grilled mexican onions along side the carna with a fresh salsa, sour cream and chopped green onions to boot. A summer's fare in the heat of the evening.

Every dinner should be like this.

Black bean corn relish...

This is the beginning of my blog. It all starts with a little side dish. It is the side dishes of life that makes the main course worth it.