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So the surprise breakout star of my culinary week is a sauce I used to top off a dish last night. It was an Eggplant and Pepperoncini Tomato Sauce that was simple and actually quite delicate. If you read this blog often you know I have random and strong cravings that need to be satiated immediately.  For weeks I have been craving spicy food, and yesterday it was those funky little green peppers. If you don't know what Pepperoncini are, they're those pickley, and a little spicy peppers you find in Italian Antipasto and Greek Salads. You find them near the olives at the grocery store. They look like this- The gorgeous recording artist Chantae Vetrice  was coming over to record with P2 , so I needed to make something impressive, but this damn craving was bugging me. I sent Chantae a message and asked what she would like for dinner, and she said she eats everything, so it was on! I knew a few things going into this meal; 1. I wanted a sauce to top breaded chicken cutlets....

Fall is here, and if you live in the North East like I do then you know that Apples are in season. Apples, Pumpkins, Cinnamon, and Corn are all over the place, so naturally I started to crave the comfort of Apple Pie. Well not really the pie but those soft, cinnamony Apples inside the pie. So that being said, I am happier with a crumble than a pie. Not to mention I hate to bake, so a crumble is much more my speed. I fell victim to my cravings today, and the picture above shows that I have no regrets! In the spirit of health I cut out the bad stuff because the more I do that, the more I realize we don't need it. Mind you, I still kept real sugar in there, but it was organic. Does that count? What I did was follow this recipe, but switched out things to make it gluten, soy, and dairy free; http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/apple-crumble-recipe/index.html . Admittedly it is not the best recipe out there, but again, I do not bake, and it was real easy to follow....

Have left over chicken and not sure what to do with it?? Do what I did.. Make a Chicken Fajita Frittata!   Seems like Friday night is a popular night for roast chicken, so when a weekend brunch comes along why not use the inevitable left over chicken for a quick and fun take on a brunch classic? I have been kind of obsessing over frittatas lately, They are so easy, pretty healthy, and pretty cheap to make too. With a little cash you can feed like 8 people. That is not too shabby if you are counting your pennies! So what I did was saute slices of different colored bell peppers and onion in my cast iron pan with a little olive oil, and when they started to develop color I added in the meat I had pulled apart from one chicken breast. I seasoned the mix with Adobo, chili powder, salt, and pepper. While that cooked and the chicken got heated back up, I whisked a dozen eggs with a handful of chopped cilantro, a little more adobo and chili powder, and a splash of cold water. When th...

I had a chicken, I had stock, and I had left over Mango Corn Salsa. I didn't intend on making this dish until it was done. I had intended to make the chicken with Swiss Char, but at the last minute I wondered about what the salsa would taste like once it mingled with the chicken and gravy, and thank God I did! Wow wow wow! I am a huge fan of the sweet and savory mix in a meal and this was a perfect example of why it's so good! Plus it's a super simple fall dinner to make.  I happened to have the Corn Mango Salsa already from the other night, but you will probably have to make it, so here is the no recipe recipe; 2 Mangos diced 4 ears of corn grilled and the kernels cut off 1 Jalapeno diced small. Take the seeds out if you don't want the heat About 1/4 of a red onion diced small A handfull of Cilantro roughly chopped A large tomato seeded and diced small About 4 tablespoons olive oil Juice of one lime Salt and Pepper. Mix everything in a bowl and...

So these incredibly yummy potatoes are equally incredibly easy to make. I made these below today to blog about, but they are also a perfect solution to left over baked potatoes you might have now that the weather is cooling off, and heartier dinners are in the future for our kitchens. Whether you are starting with leftovers or not, you need cooked potatoes for this. I have only used russets , but any starchy white potato should work. Here is what you will need to do Start by heating about 2-3 inches of olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Then take your cooked potatoes (about one or one and a half per person) and cut them in half. Then pull them apart with your hands to get that rustic, smashed look.  Now take your potato pieces and role them in corn starch. No need for egg or water or anything. Just roll the potatoes in the corn starch and let them get a good covering all around. Don't worry about them falling a little apart, it will be good to have different sizes be...

I have been trying to put a book together with stories, photos, recipes, etc.. And while working on that I thought I would publish a photography eBookto get a feel for how people like the look and vibe. Please download it and let me know what you think! Click here for directions on how to get it on your iPhone, iPod, or iPod Touch! Thanks, XOXO - P

I have had a lot of good food in my life. In fact I have had a lot of great food in my life. Sometimes I have even had amazing food. Very rarely do you have the chance to take a bite of something and have it change your life! OK, that might be a bit much, but this sure did change my day and put a big smile on me and my sister - in -laws faces. Seems that my mom-in-law, the accomplished Chef and Poet, Joanne , thought she was just whipping something up for her and my father-in-law's dinner last night, but she happened to make the most perfect Puttanesca ever! Before I give you the scoop on how to make this sauce, I thought it would be nice to tell you it's history. Apparently it was made popular in a sexy Italian novel written in 1961. Loosely translated into English Puttanesca means "whore style". You Minx Joanne!! :) Without further Adieu... Joanne's Puttanesco Sauce! Here's what you'll need; 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 TSP of red peppe...