Top Posts & Pages
Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
Did you know that May is National Salad Month? I didn’t, but I did know that when we have sunny weather like we did this weekend, I crave salads. On Sunday the temperature reached 86 degrees in Seattle and it seemed fitting to fire up the BBQ, grill a burger, and serve Macaroni Salad, along with a beer. Growing up in the Bay Area we had family and friends over just about every weekend to enjoy the pool and sun – to make the macaroni salad a little fancier, my Mom would add Bay Shrimp on top (about 1/4 cup). It definitely made it more special – here is my Mom’s recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni salad
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 Tbl white distilled vinegar
2 green onions (use both white and green parts) – chopped
1 tsp salt
2.5 ounce can of sliced black olives – drained
1 small 2 ounce jar of pimento (chopped)
Method:
- Fill a large pot with cold water. Add a little olive oil to keep the pasta from boiling over. Bring the water to a boil, add macaroni and cook for 7 minutes (so it’s al dente).
- When cooked pour the macaroni in a colander and rinse under cold water, to stop the cooking. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add all of the other ingredients and blend with a whisk. Add macaroni salad to the dressing and lightly toss till all the macaroni is covered with the dressing.
- Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
Servings: 8
Jamocha Mocha Mousse with Creme de Cacao
Jamocha Mocha Mousse is definitely not Low-Carb, but tastes wonderful and I will be bringing it to a Bridal Shower later this week. There are hundreds of recipes in cookbooks and on blogs for chocolate or mocha mousse, but this is the recipe I have used since I was a teenager. I think I originally wrote it down when watching one of Julia Child’s TV shows, (more…)
Blood Pudding Sausage and Fried Egg (Low Carb)
Yum – a Sunday breakfast treat, especially tasty when one has been soooooo good throughout the week. Since I am avoiding potatoes at all costs I can’t have hash browns, yet I still want something special for breakfast on the weekend - and this dish is it! I have fond memories of my Father making Blood Sausage for us on Sunday morning after Mass – it was such a treat for us (although for him this was served most days as part of an Irish breakfast growing up in San Francisco). (more…)
Coq Au Vin (Low Carb)
To me Coq Au Vin is the epitome of classic French cuisine – and now I find I can make a low-carb version and enjoy it just as much. It’s sorta like when you use the holy trinity of French cooking – if you use fresh, good quality ingredients, you have some leeway on making it work for your eating plan.
If you look at the true translation of Coq Au Vin, it means “rooster in red wine”, hence the use of Red Burgundy in a typical recipe for this dish. I made Coq Au Vin the correct way for years, but half the time my sauce would turn the color of purple (more…)
Shrimp Scampi (Low Carb)
You can only eat so much beef when on a low carb diet, so I want to have a nice variety of seafood to choose from. Shrimp Scampi is a goody – quick to make, intense flavors, and only 2 carbs per serving. If you are not on a low carb diet I would serve this over toasted garlic crostini, or an ample serving of linguine. I on the other hand, will serve mine over spaghetti squash – yum! (more…)
BBQ spareribs (Low Carb)
I have been spinning the idea of low carb dieting for a couple of weeks now and finally settled down to officially and firmly starting today (after back/forth a bit the last 10 days, which did yield a weight loss of 8 pounds.) Eons ago I did the Atkins diet, but quickly tired of eating the exact same foods each meal every day (bacon/eggs, salads, etc.). Since I am committed to eating Low Carb for the next few months, I feel I should also be committed to creating some new and interesting twists (more…)
