Category: Food & Wine

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when only the best marinara will do

guys just gotta have fun!
cooks just gotta have fun!

American Marinara has so many wonderful uses, it is the ‘mirepoix’ of Italian Cooking! What is great about making your own Marinara sauce is that it becomes a great ‘shortcut’ for Lasagna, Spaghetti and makes a great dip for bread sticks! Our Marinara sauce is not a short cut and the list of ingredients is long, it takes a long time to make… but it is well worth the effort.

Here is our simple recipe version.

Today, I wanted a slightly meatier Marinara (without meat) and that requires a small amount of ground nuts. In the photo above I am ‘testing’ the sauce with a bread stick… yummy!

“Buona sera, ti invitiamo a godere della nostra famiglia ricetta”

Roger Freberg

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it’s almost apple time!

00AlmostAppleTimeWell, maybe it was the cold winter… or maybe the superior job of apple tree pruning back in January… but whatever the reason, we are having a wonderful crop this year!

Karen has already said that she has this wonderful recipe for a Dutch Apple Turnover that she became quite fond of in Amsterdam… they call it an Apple Flap. Karen felt that the filling had more of an apple pie taste with many spices and a nice sauce. This ‘snack size’ is high on our baking list this year.

Of course, we will have plenty of Kristin’s favorite apple pies and Mom has dedicated one entire freezer to keep HER apple sauce. Now, all we need are the apples… and they are taking their time getting ripe.

Laura’s lovely apple sauce recipe

So many recipes… and the apples are not ready! argh!

Roger Freberg

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fortified wine an ancient egyptian secret

the secret fortifier added to ancient Egyptian Wine
the secret fortifier added to ancient Egyptian Wine

A recent article discussed the additions to  wine made by the ancient Egyptians and called it ‘fortified.” Normally, we think of ‘fortified’ wines as those strengthened by the addition of Alcohol… there are a few social wine drinks made like that… one of my favorite is a ‘Kir’… white wine with added Creme de Cassis… not a big boost in alcohol… but a boost. The article makes the simple point:

“… people figured out that if you mixed some herbal medicines into an alcoholic medium, they’d be preserved longer and dissolve more fully than in water, making them more potent.”

The above container is described this way:

“The yellowish residue streaked across this shard pottery found in Abydos, Egypt, contains evidence of a 5100-year-old medicinal wine. Credit: German Archaeological Institute of Cairo”

Always thought it was interesting to see how long folks have been adding things to our diet that are supposed to be good for us… kinda like vegetables on the dinner table.

Roger Freberg

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happy father’s day 2009

my favorite lunch of artichoke, breadsticks with marinara
my favorite lunch of artichoke, breadsticks with marinara

I’d like to wish a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ to all the men out there who proudly accept their roles as fathers. Being a dad can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience and it can tax every fiber of your existence. However, psychologists have shown how valuable having a ‘daddy’ is to raising children, they turn out better… sorry ladies, that’s just the facts. Kristin, Karen and Karla have made being a daddy a pleasure… thank you , ladies.

So, on my Father’s Day, I made my favorite lunch of artichoke, homemade spicy bread sticks with  my Marinara Sauce… very yummy. Laura has decided to take over the kitchen to make my lower calorie favorite dinner.. stuffed bell peppers!

Ah, I hope Father’s Day is as wonderful for all of you dads out there!

Roger Freberg

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not your momma’s split pea soup

not your momma's split pea soup!
not your momma's split pea soup!

Today lunch, we’re having some sandwiches made with homemade Pastrami and I thought a little soup would be grand. One of my favorites is Split Pea, but not the way you probably have enjoyed it. Our pea Soup is very hearty and a bit more interesting, but well worth the effort.

Here’s Our Our Recipe!

The history of soups is the proper care and use of leftovers in new recipes. Time is resplendent with stories of famed taverns dishing up one pot soups and stews offering the traveler a consistent and delicious meal made from what ever was at hand. Although we might wince today at the practice,  in olden days, these continuously fed pots would be cleaned out only once a year or so.

I love soups and stews made that way.

However, by design, I throw in two cups of our  Marinara Sauce as it already contains the pureed ingredients that many folks throw into their extended Pea Soup Recipes ( onions, celery, peppers and , yes, tomato).

Yum… make it for those you love.

Roger