Taste this Pasta

Taste by Stanley Tucci is the featured selection at Cook the Books for April/May.

As soon as I started reading Taste it was clear there would be much food inspiration.  Tucci had a way of describing his childhood which evoked so many memories of my own.  The benefits of growing up in an Italian neighborhood were immense and I loved every bit of it.

This book is humorous, engaging and sad in parts. Some of my book friends listened to this on audiobook and I can imagine it was very good hearing some of his stories in his own voice.

There are many recipes included in this book and you'll be hungry as you read about his foodie experiences.

I have enjoyed movies where Tucci had a starring role, particularly Big Night.  I just bought a copy of Big Night after reading this memoir because I wanted to see to again. 

So many wonderful recipes - here is the first one, classic carbonara . Click on this link for more recipes.

If you'd like to join in check out Cook the Books.  The deadline to submit is May 31 and the host is Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. 

Also sharing with The Intrepid Reader for Weekend Cooking and Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

How can it be Sunday already?

This is a ramble for Sunday Salon and Weekend Cooking events as we made a spur of the moment decision to go camping.  Finally arrived in Georgia and it's so hot! While I'm cooling down inside here's the week of reading and baking.

Reading

The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger  was pretty good and I would read more by this author.  Financial crime, murder and mystery.  Currently I am reading The Ruin by Dervla Tiernan.  This is the first in a series featuring D. I. Cormac Reilly.  It's set in Ireland and the blurb on the front states it's for fans of Tana French so...I'm on board.  Tana is one of my favorite authors.  So far I'm loving it.

Library Loot / two movies with Morgan Freeman.  That was actually a coincidence.  Lucky # Slevin and Seven.  Similar titles too.  You just can't plan that.

Clouds which were quite interesting in formation.  Doug took the photo.

 Sipping / Côtes Du Rhône 

Baking / English Muffin Toasting Bread, a recipe from the King Arthur Flour site HERE. 

Baguettes are our favorite so they are made fairly regularly.

Sharing with Sunday Salon & belatedly with The Intrepid Reader for Weekend Cooking.

Looking forward to Deb's photos from Paris this week!

Sunday Salon time.......{reading, sipping, camping and plants}

Here it is, Sunday already. What a week.  We are just back from camping at Seminole State Park in Georgia.  

It never gets old looking at the lake and I sometimes wish we lived there.  I couldn't get the walking in as I usually do because I injured my knee. Again.

Just for the record it was through my own dumbassery.  I was cleaning off a few steps at home and stepped back, without looking, because I thought I was already on the bottom step. Yeaaah.....flying through the air is an amazingly scary experience.  Honestly, I could have done a worse injury so........lesson learned and do I feel like a dope. Ugh.

Here's the roundup for Sunday Salon.

Books / For fiction I have a mystery by Lisa Unger featuring stalking and intrigue and a collection of old Maeve Binchy short stories.

A Few of the Girls by Maeve Binchy

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger

Aesop's Animals: The Science Behind the Fables for a nonfiction reading challenge hosted at  Book'd Out.  Upcoming is Taste by Stanley Tucci for Cook the Books.

Sipping / I’m not always a seasonal sipper. It’s usually whites I seek out when it’s hot but here are some reds that are our go-to no matter what the temperatures outdoors.  

Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon, a Jadot Beaujolais and a George Duboeuf Beaujolais and a Malbec. The wine cooler has more whites now than red but it's ever changing on the mix.

New to us / Picked up this double cream cheese produced from a local dairy in Thomasville Georgia.  We are only about 45 minutes away from Thomasville.

Outside / The azaleas are loaded with bees and butterflies.

I didn't know the name of this plant when we brought it home but it was so pretty and could take full sun so....here it is. It's labeled Mandevilla whihc I looked up and liked the other name - Rock Trumpet.  

That's it. I hope you had a great week and life is good wherever you are!

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Wine, cheese, tomatoes and black bean enchiladas

I don't have a great deal of new items for the In My Kitchen post this month.  A highlight was this cheese. Dorothy's Diggin' Truffles was a treat.  We were shopping at Publix and the young lady stocking the cheese section heard us talking about what we might want to pick up.  Doug said it would be nice to find a washed rind cheese.  She snapped her head up at us and started chatting excitedly about different cheeses.

We commiserated about not finding any Chaumes cheese in years and so, she decided we were "cool" and wanted to share this Dorothy's truffle cheese with us.  She's put it aside for herself but offered it to us if we'd like to try it.  What a sweet girl!  

In the wine department I tried this Malbec, new to me, and liked it.

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An extension of the kitchen is a tiny garden of tomatoes.  This one looks like it has promise and it's close to the house so....maybe deer won't destroy this plant as they've done in the past. The squash plant is thriving but I don't want to curse it so, no photos yet.

Last buy not least are these vegetarian enchiladas.  It's a simple toss together dinner as long as you don't mind an assembly line of ingredients on your table or counter.

Prepare rice (I used a short grain) then let cool a bit. Mix one can of black beans and one can of refried black beans together. Place shredded cheddar (or a taco mix sort of cheese) in a bowl. I used a canned enchilada sauce for convenience but of course you could make your own.

Set up the line of ingredients and open a large sized flour tortilla. Use a large plate and you can have two tortillas open at once for filling. Simply place a bit of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking dish.  Now spoon a tablespoon or so on the tortilla. Add rice then a layer of black bean mix then cheese.  Roll up, place in pan and repeat until you have six in the baking dish.  Cover with the remainder of sauce and sprinkle liberally with cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 F for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and place back in the oven to let cheese melt a bit more.  Serve with avocados, tomatoes and sour cream.

In the past I have added cooked chicken but this time we wanted it without.  You can mix it up per your taste.  To make vegan you'd replace cheese with a vegan variety.

Sharing with

The Intrepid Reader for Weekend Cooking

Sherry's Pickings for In My Kitchen

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Sunday Salon - Welcome April...

A few new things at home this week.

Doug had his second cataract surgery done on Friday. Things are healing well. He may only need readers now and that's very cool.  After the torn retina and surgery for floaters this past year this was a very welcome surgery.

Plants / So far we have a cherry tomato and a tasty tomato plant in.  A couple of basil plants, chives and oregano.  The oregano is going to be relocated as it's not loving the full sum.

I don't know what this plant is called but I transplanted it from a cutting.  It has beautiful delicate flowers and is cold tolerant.

Books / I finished another Imogen Clark book called Postcards from a Stranger.  From the public library I picked up Red Sparrow for Cook the Books Club.  This combines food and reading so, I am on board with that!  I made Rogan Josh for the foodie part of that book - posted it HERE.

That's it for this week. Battling the pollen and hoping all the storms we have been getting will wash some of it away. I hope everyone is having a good week.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon