Bond Girl CocktailThe Bond Girl Cocktail is a great addition to your holiday and everyday cocktail collection. A few years ago, while visiting Vienna, Austria during the Christmas market season, we were in need of sustenance after visiting multiple Christmas markets. Laden with Christmas ornaments and assorted holiday tchotchkes, we found ourselves near the University of Vienna,…
More information Grilled Red Pepper Sauce and ShrimpGrilled Red Pepper Sauce and Shrimp brings sweet red bell peppers and spicy red Fresno chilis together for a sauce which starts at the grill and finishes in the sauce pan. The sweet and spicy sauce balances and complements simply grilled shrimp, with fettuccine pasta filling out this eye-catching dish. While the flavors of Grilled…
More information Autumn Apple Cider MashThe Autumn Apple Cider Mash cocktail is inspired by fresh, unfiltered, locally produced apple cider becoming available in the market, making us think of Autumn. Depending on where you live, the weather may or may not underscore this feeling. Living in the Southern California desert, October days and nights are not quite cool enough to…
More information Ropa ViejaRopa Vieja is the national dish of Cuba. Beef is browned and then braised in seasoned, tomato-inflected broth and wine until it falls apart. Likely of Spanish origin and brought to the Americas, Ropa Vieja means “old clothes” in Spanish. Legend has it that a penniless old man of good faith had nothing to feed…
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Grilled Shrimp Scampi PastaGrilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta is a delight! Sweet marinated shrimp, grilled to perfection, top pasta in a zesty sauce for a delicious dish. The marinade and quick grilling yields tasty, soft shrimp full of flavor. The easy to make yet richly flavored sauce coats the pasta and together serve as the perfect platform for the…
More information Fresh Fig and Walnut PieFresh Fig and Walnut Pie is absolutely delicious! When you have a mission fig tree in your garden, as we do, it will yield bountiful crops of figs in the summer. Use some of that crop to make Fresh Fig and Walnut Pie! Easy to make, the crust uses almond and coconut flours and the…
More information Bistec de PalomillaBistec de Palomilla, or Cuban-style Steak as it is colloquially called, is one of the definitive dishes of Cuban cuisine. While growing up in New Jersey, most of Vito's classmates and their families had newly arrived from Cuba. After school, it was a very special treat to be asked to stay for dinner at friends’…
More information Grilled Italian Sausage and Peppers Two WaysGrilled Italian Sausage and Peppers Two Ways offers two crowd pleasing ways to serve these favorites. Growing up in an Italian-American family in New Jersey, Italian sausage and peppers was a favorite and familiar summertime meal, whether from the backyard barbeque grill at Vito's grandparents’ house or from one of the innumerable kiosk restaurants rising…
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