Grilled artichokes is a family favorite, even the pickiest of my nieces and nephews love the prickly thistle when it’s steamed, marinated and grilled. I can never take the drive to our coastline in Monterey without stopping in Castro Valley for some artichokes. They even have Italy beat in their pricing. Most of the year you can find 10 artichokes for a dollar at the Castro Valley roadside stands. I love the bargain as much as I love eating them!
The first time we tried these Cheese-Stuffed-Bacon-Wrapped-Spicy-Wonders-of-the-Appetizer-World was about 13 years ago in Hawaii. We were visiting friends on the island and they whipped up a BBQ extravaganza including Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers! I’m not sure if it was the friends, the beach scene of the Jalapeño Poppers but we never forgot them and promptly made them part of our cooking repertoire.
When I was 19 years old I was invited to a “Pioneer” lunch at my friend Frieda house. She rolled out the red carpet for us with white tablecloths and fine China. It was my first experience with a “fancy” grown up dinner and I was wowed!
One day my husband was frying a few shrimp in coconut oil and I was thinking how coconut-y and delicious it smelled and it made me think how good Shrimp would be dredged in coconut flour and shredded coconut. So I got busy looking for a recipe and came up with this one.
When we are living in Italy, I am often asked what “American” food is and the answer is not always easy. American food is an amalgam of all other foods, we love to eat Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian food, Japanese among many others. This is the food we eat. There aren’t many “true” American dishes. Of course there is the Classic American Hamburger, apple pie, all fruit and cream pies for that matter as well as many cakes and cookies.
The Classic American Turkey Dinner…comfort food at its best. a Turkey dinner can be a huge hurdle for Keto eaters because of the carb heavy side dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams and cranberry sauce. Basically it’s a hard “No” all around leaving you with a few pathetic slices of turkey sadly looking up at you totally void of his faithful side kicks.
Fudge Brownies are as much of a hit in Italy as they are in America. Who can resist that moist, deep chocolate flavor? I love this recipe because you just dump all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix it up. It’s easier than using a brownie box mix! Some things in life are just delicious and easy! This recipe is another treasure from that little blue vinyl cook book I copied years ago from my mother.
What could be more homey than a chicken roasting in the oven with the smell of rosemary and thyme wafting through the air? The promise of a hearty meal soon to be set at the table. In our modern era of convenience foods the smells of a slow cooked meal are almost extinct. But this smell conveys the feeling of family and love and contributes to the families feeling of well being.
Seasons are changing and here in Italy fall is in the air. The mornings have that cool crisp feeling and we are starting our day a little later as even the sun wants to stay in bed longer. This slight change is bridging that gap between two seasons: the waning of Summer and the start of Autumn.
Oh, the Classic American Hamburger, so good in all of its simplicity. Or delicious in its complication when an egg is added or aioli or brie and cranberries, my goodness, how we have grown from our simple roots.
