By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ My Mother is a marvelous cook and loves to cook. I loved spending time with her in the kitchen when I was growing up, watching her, and when I got old enough, helping her. She is my inspiration. She still loves trying out new recipes and every time we talk, we talk about what we have been cooking. We both love getting in the kitchen together to make feasts for family and friends. We love planning the meals, making our shopping list, and going to the grocery store. … [Read more...]

For several days, I kept thinking about spaghetti with meat sauce. Every time I thought about it, I immediately thought about pink slime, which has been all over the news. Yuck. I don't eat much meat and what I do eat I am very particular about. Sadly, I have probably eaten pink slime. However, now that I am aware of the insipid practice, I won't knowingly eat pink slime again. Because I kept wanting to cook and eat spaghetti with meat sauce, I went to Earth Fare, which is very close to … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ Here's an easy and healthful recipe for you. The Mediterranean flavors of the warm tomato tapenade brightens all kinds of white fish as well as chicken or baked tofu. It is also delicious served over brown rice. The dish comes together very quickly for a pretty and elegant presentation. I served it with orzo and freshly grated Parmesan plus braised baby bok choy. [Read More & Get Recipe] … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ Remember the folder of old recipes I brought back last summer from a trip to my Parent's home, and my hometown, in Alabama? When I was looking at this one, Mama told me it was a very good recipe. She clipped tore the recipe from The Atlanta Journal on Wednesday, October 9, 1968. The recipe calls for a very unusual ingredient--powdered creamer. I suppose it was a hot, new item at that time. I bought the smallest size of "original" Coffee Mate, started reading … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ I have jumped on the "salad in a jar" bandwagon. I was recently piqued with this concept by a photo I saw on Photograzing which was submitted by Skinny Girl Trapped in a Fat Body. I take my lunch to work everyday because it is easier, quicker, healthier, cheaper, and much, much tastier. Normally, I take leftovers from whatever I cooked for dinner and I pack it as I clean the kitchen. Every now and then, I don't have any leftovers and will make a peanut butter … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ I made this soup over the course of a dismal and rainy Saturday afternoon. It was soothing for me, repeatedly going to the kitchen, checking and stirring, and adding additional ingredients every few minutes, while doing other things around the house. Plus, the aroma of simmering soup brought cheer into our home. Because I built this soup in layers, over some length of time, I found no need to add commercially prepared, canned broth to add "cooked all day" … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ The Curry-Palooza event my friend, Grapefruit, of the blog Needful Things, and I started with much enthusiasm last April, has flagged. I am determined, however to keep this event going. After much deliberation, we will re-launch the event in the spring with a different format and start with an exciting GIVE-AWAY! So stay tuned. Meanwhile, here is another curry dish I made. Saag Paneer is one of the things I order when visiting Indian Restaurants. When I … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ I am always so tickled when my husband goes grocery shopping--especially when he shops at an incredible store like Harris Teeter. He always buys the most beautiful food. These buying trips of his inspire me, especially when I am in a slump, food-wise. Last night, he came home with some prosciutto, parrano cheese, two balls of pizza dough from the deli, portabella mushrooms, among other things. [Read More & Get Recipe] … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ When I saw this recipe, I knew it was the way I was going to make my traditional New Year Black-Eyed Peas this year. The recipe comes from a small cookbook I got for Christmas, which is part of the "Quick & Easy Indian" series, called Simply Vegetarian. I love the way this turned out and I'm so glad I made it. The beans are cooked in the pressure cooker along with spices. They turned out perfectly and tasted delicious even before finishing the … [Read more...]

By Rocquie, Sage Trifle ~ Hoppin' John is the South's version of a traditional West African dish. It is simply black-eyed peas with rice and chopped onion. It is traditionally made with bacon, but I made mine vegetarian with delicious results. This humble dish has gained popularity in recent years, and as many variations are seen as there are creative cooks to prepare it. I have toyed with it myself, with additions such as bell pepper, celery, carrots, tomatoes, chilis, cumin, and … [Read more...]