Settembre Cellars and Bakers Brew Shortbread Cookies

Wine. Did someone say wine? It must be happy hour! I have never written a post about wine except to say how much I love to drink it.  Growing up when wine was quickly becoming a fashionable way to imbibe, I had a mother and father who quickly became wine connoisseurs. As good parents, they let us taste whatever it was they were opening that day. ( I quickly decided no more brown bag Boone's

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Raisins, Pine Nuts and Parmigiano Reggiano Plus a Giveaway!

                                      "Parmigiano Reggiano is best eaten daily." (A. Odenwalder)




 I've had a lot on my plate this week and I wish it was just this pasta. Spring cleaning is in full force since I found out that I am going to have a full house for Passover this year! It is hard to believe that Alex came home last Thursday night from China; I know; and he already left! He is

Guinness Irish Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon

The problem with some people is that
when they aren't drunk they're sober.--William Butler Yeats






Well, St. Paddie's Day will soon be here, don't you know? I'm not one to celebrate but for those that are, this breakfast grilled cheese might be a good way to start the day. Or end it, for that matter. I don't believe I've ever posted a recipe for a sandwich that many love, myself included.

Pickapeppa Shrimp or 1 More Use for Pickapeppa Sauce

 During my informative years to the best of my knowledge, Kankakee, Illinois did not have bottles of Pickapeppa sauce available at the grocery. They certainly didn't at Weiner's Superette. Kankakee did not have parties where Pickapeppa sauce was dripped over blocks of cream cheese and served with crackers. The refrigerators in Kankakee did not contain bottles of Pickapeppa sauce lurking

Hamantashen or Hamantaschen? And Purim! And Yiddish! What a Spiel!

Hamantashen who? It seems no one can even agree on the correct spelling. So, before we get started on these sweet three cornered pastries-let's kibbitz a bit. Hamantashen (which in Yiddish means-Haman's pocket's) are eaten traditionally during the Jewish festival of Purim, which takes place in early March. The original story took place over 2500 years ago in Persia when King Ahasuerus