Orange Pico De Gallo
This Orange Pico De Gallo is is a great way to use up those summer tomatoes. It goes great with all of your grilled meats, especially seafood. I originally created this recipe to go with Chili Lime Shrimp Street Tacos With Orange Pico De Gallo And Avocado Crema but it is wonderful as a refreshing salsa with chips as well. Try it with grilled shrimp or scallops, fish tacos, grilled salmon, grilled pork loin or chicken. Top your favorite chicken taco salad, grilled steak nachos or a juicy spice rubbed grilled Tri Tip. Yum! Serve this yummy and refreshing salsa at your next taco night or mexican themed party. Don’t forget the Margaritas! Happy Grilling!…
Summertime Heirloom BLT Sandwich
Summer’s bounty is in full swing. One of my favorite things about summer, besides sunshine and longer days, are those fresh juicy summertime tomatoes! So flavorful and juicy. They are amazing on their own, sliced and sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper. And they make the best BLT sandwiches! My inspiration for this sandwich, not only came from the gorgeous heirloom tomatoes that I keep seeing, but also from a sandwich that I had a few years back at a little coffee shop in town. It was called the TaBLe sandwich. Which consisted of tomato, avocado, bacon, lettuce and egg aioli on toasted whole grain seeded bread. So Yummy! My…
Really Good Caesar Dressing
Mmmmmm… Caesar Salad. Who doesn’t love a good Caesar salad? Crisp Romaine, crunchy croutons and fresh parm all tossed with that lemony, garlicky goodness. This classic salad is one of my favorites. It contains the simplest of ingredients but the flavors in that dressing add a beautiful complexity that sets it apart from any other salad out there. This recipe is adapted from a recipe that we used at The Riverplace Hotel many years ago. It is super simple and delicious! The key is to use good quality ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh garlic and Sherry Vinegar. Start by placing anchovies, garlic, egg yolk and whole egg in the bowl…
Wine Wednesday: “Pinot Noir Granitas aka Semi Frozen Wine Magic” and more…
I think I probably subscribe to about a million food and wine sites. I love it, ok? Don’t judge. I get so many emails everyday that I have become a master at bookmarking things to come back to later. But this one I just knew I had to share right away. It may have been the title of the email that compelled my to open it right away. “pinot noir granitas aka semi frozen wine magic”. Hahahahahaha…. They had me at Semi Frozen Wine Magic! This post came to me from a site called Wine Awesomeness. How could I not subscribe to a site with a name like that??? Anyway, here is the…
Lemon Basil Pasta Salad With English Peas
Lemon Basil Pasta Salad with English Peas is a perfect dish for those hot summer days. I make up a big batch and then serve with grilled meat or fish. Don’t feel like cooking after a long day at work? Toss in some shredded rotisserie chicken from your favorite grocery store deli for quick and easy meal. Or serve alongside some simple cold cuts, cheeses and crusty bread. Yum! This salad is not only delicious but is also super simple to make. Not much prep involved here. And the only cooking required is the pasta. But let me tell ya, it is so yummy (I could not stop munching…
Happy Fourth Of July!
Happy Fourth Of July Everyone! Stay safe out there as you celebrate America’s Independence Day. Take care of your fur babies too. My girl Lu is shaking and panting as people are already lighting stuff off. Have a safe and blessed fourth! Cheers! Angela
Grilled Polenta and Vegetable Stacks
I just love simple little side dishes and fun hors d’oeuvres. These Grilled Polenta and Vegetable Stacks are the best of both worlds. They can be used for either a side dish or a hors d’oeuvre. Grilled Polenta and Veggie Stacks are not only pleasing to the eye , they are super yummy (and healthy) as well. And, did I mention, simple to make? All you will need are few simple ingredients, a grill and about 30 minutes to make these little tasty bites. First, take a couple of zucchini’s, wash them well and then cut into 1/8-1/4 inch thick biased cut slices. Next, you will need to wash and cut 1 red…
Honey Lavender Sidecar
This Honey Lavender Sidecar is a delicious and refreshing twist on the simple and classic Sidecar Cocktail. I still remember the first time a tried a Sidecar cocktail. I had met a friend in downtown Portland at this swanky restaurant/bar, El Gaucho, for drinks. She and her other friends were all drinking sidecars and were raving about how good they were. Well, I just had to give it a try. Right? The bartender brought me mine and…. Wow! It was love at first sip. Why had I never tried this glorious liquid before? Had I been living under a rock? That was many years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday.…
Lavender Fields Forever
Yesterday morning I decided to do something a little different from the norm. I took an hour out of my day to go spend some time with nature. Not that nature isn’t all around us. I just wanted something a bit different from my usual daily travels. One of the many wonderful things about living in the Portland area is that there so many cool things to see just a few minutes from the city. I decided to take a trip out to a Lavender farm and pick some fresh Lavender. It was only about a ten minute drive from where I live. As I drove out there, I passed several interesting spots…
Rainbow Chickpea Salad
I made this yummy veggie filled Rainbow Chickpea Salad in an attempt to get more healthful veggies into my diet. I find it is so much easier to make healthful choices when I have something yummy already made up. Especially after a long day at work. I like to be able to come home and just grab something out of the fridge and relax. How about you? I usually make up enough salad to last a few days. Then I cook up a simple chicken breast or some fish and voila! Or you can toss this salad with some baby kale and spinach for delicious and healthful meatless monday meal. Add a side…
Olive Crostini with Fresh Mozzarella
I recently had these Olive Crostini with Fresh Mozzarella at a friend’s little birthday gathering and they were so yummy that I could not stop popping them in my mouth! I was not the only one indulging in these yummy little bites either. They were the hit of the party! Actually everything they served was delicious, but these were my favorite. And so simple and easy to make. First, slice up some Baguette and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil. Toast until lightly browned. Spread each of the toasted breads with Olive tapenade and then top with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Place the Crostini bake in the oven until cheese…
Grape Gravy! Is now: Eat-Live-Happy
Hello Friends, I have decided to change the name of my blog Grape Gravy! to: Eat-Live-Happy. Why? you ask. I was feeling that Grape Gravy limited what I was able to write about and share with you all. While I will continue writing about food and wine, I wanted to be able to include other things like travel, art, music and anything else that brings happiness into life. Thank you so much for following my blog . I truly appreciate all of you! And hope that you will continue to join me on this food, life and happiness journey. Cheers! Angela
