Homemade Ready

It's almost hard to believe it when Labor Day rolls around every year - the summer always seems to be over just a little too soon. I’ve been thinking all week about recipes to celebrate the end of this summer season. Grilling outdoors is always a good option for celebrating Labor Day - we may be having nice weather now, but we never know just how many chances we’ll have for grilling before the weather turns cold and wintry. For those hardy souls living in the cold climates, this could be the last hurrah for the year, and it could be quite a few months before heading outdoors for a cookout again. In our house, we’ve had our fill of burgers and potato salad for now, so I decided on grilling some chicken. With the impending chilly months fast approaching, my mind (and my belly) immediately went to something with a warm and spicy Caribbean flavor: jerk chicken, a dish that I quickly grew to love during my years living in South Florida. Jerk is hot and spicy, and just a little e...

Peaches are so ripe and juicy this time of the summer, I just can’t resist them. They are one of those fruits that I enthusiastically eat my fill of when they are in-season, and when the season is over, I leave the fresh ones alone until next year. None of those rock-hard peaches found in supermarkets in the dead of winter for me!  I also like to freeze and can a bunch of peaches in the summer, so that I can use them in cobblers and other recipes, as a reminder of warm, sunny days during those cold months of winter.  I don’t limit peaches to desserts only - they work well in savory dishes, too. One of my favorite ways to use them is on a homemade pizza. It may sound strange, but the combination of the sweet peach with the salty cheese and spicy sausage is just so good! It’s budget-friendly, too, using just a handful of simple ingredients and a homemade crust (of course you can just buy a crust, if that suits your needs better). The crust I use for this pizza is adapte...

Here is a recipe for an easy one-pot meal that my family just loves. Tender chunks of chicken in seasoned yellow rice, all cooked in one pot – so easy and delicious. The added bites of spring-green asparagus give this dish a dash of crispness and color. I like to serve this along with a simple green salad. For the yellow color and a punch of flavor, I use sazón, a Latin spice blend. It contains annatto, a spice that gives a beautiful yellow color, plus some other spices like oregano and cumin. You can buy it in little packets in many supermarkets, or you can just substitute a little bit of turmeric. (The turmeric won’t give it much added flavor, but it will give the dish the yellow color.) Recipe Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided 2 tablespoons butter 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces 1 small onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups long grain ...

I had a lovely, but quiet Thanksgiving dinner with my family this year (just 3 of us this time). Small though it was, we had turkey and all the trimmings – candied sweet potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, a super-rich homemade green bean casserole, loads of fluffy stuffing, and everything topped with a boatload of gravy. Yum! It was an excellent meal on Thanksgiving Day, and delicious for a second round Thanksgiving evening. 

I am a serious chili fanatic. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall - the time is always right for chili. I am not a purist, however, because I do like to change-up my ingredients and play with seasonal flavors. This chili uses one of my favorite fall ingredients - sweet potatoes. I know that sweet potatoes are available year-round, but they are harvested and cured in the fall, and their sweet taste and orange color are just right for a hearty bowl of chili on an autumn evening.