Drool-worthy, scrumptious, "scary good" recipes for people who love big flavors!

Spinach Rice Casserole is a cheesy, comforting hug that is much more than the sum of its parts.  This simple heritage recipe finds new fans today. Serve with a salad, for lunch or dinner.

I often marvel at the culinary experiences my children take for granted — sushi, capers and smoked salmon on their bagels, Hatch chiles in their tamales, pad Thai when we go out to the neighborhood Thai restaurant. It’s all a wonderful global cornucopia, and these incredible delicacies are part of their everyday lives.

Lattes with vanilla syrup? Dinner at an authentic Basque restaurant with pickled tongue? Ho hum.

I grew up in far, far simpler food times. I can tell you when the first fast-food restaurant came to our town — 1973ish, those golden arches, a new idea to us — and it was a fact of life in a family of 6 that eating out was a very rare event. Four rambunctious children were no treat in a restaurant, not to mention the cost of the meal.

So we relished being invited to dinner to my great aunt’s house in a nearby city. She and my great uncle had no children of their own and were a bit proper by our thinking, so I imagine we were a great big noisy bunch to them, running in and out of the back door, nosing around to see what was in the candy bowl (we fought to be the first in the house to get there), getting in spats with each other (some resolved with fists, back in the day).

My mother tells a great story about my brothers and I at their house one day when I was playing with paper dolls, coloring their dresses or something, and one of my brothers sidled over to give me grief and tease me. I dispatched him quickly with a swift punch, leaving my great aunt agape at the entire exchange. Apparently I had (1.) experienced, and (2.) solved the problem, in under 15 seconds, before she even could form her thoughts. The merits of being a middle child.

And when we finally sat down to dinner at her table, with the good china and the nice silverware, what exotic things confronted us! These were recipes my mother didn’t cook, so by dint of that alone we thought they were quite unusual. My mother was a gifted home cook, so we never lacked for a great meal at my house, but oh, how interesting to taste someone else’s food!

Continue Reading…

{ 74 comments }