From A Chef's Kitchen

Taste Matters – Second Spring

Welcome to “Taste Matters” where I dish up some tasty tidbits, a kitchen tip or two, my current cookbook crush, some menu ideas from some of my food blogger friends to get you through your week, a weekend entertaining menu and recipe roundups for even more meal ideas! Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. --Albert Camus (Writer and Nobel laureate.) This quote pretty much sums up how I feel about fall. There's always excitement about spring and the earth coming back to life but who doesn't get excited about fall, too? Except for the shorter days, it's my favorite season of the year! I've got tons of fall food inspiration in store for you, starting with this week's Taste Matters! ...

Spicy Kale Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup with Bacon - Overhead hero shot of soup in white enameled Dutch oven with whole grain bread on gray napkin on white background

Spicy Kale Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup with Bacon hits all the flavor notes for a tasty and healthful fall dinner! Perfect for when you need some soup goodness! So, my hubby and I had a wonderful trip to Europe, however, we both got sick while there. When you're on a tour with a bunch of people in a coach, if someone gets sick, chances are everyone else is going to get sick too. We recovered enough to where it wasn't terribly difficult to fly. ...

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Italian Sausage and Bell Pepper Polenta Bake

Italian Sausage and Bell Pepper Polenta Bake is a heartier, make-ahead gluten-free twist on pizza with the classic combination of sausage and peppers. It's perfect cool-weather comfort food! I'm back! I know I probably have some splainin' to do about why the long gap in posting something new. It's all good! It's all very good! ...

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Review: Easy Baking From Scratch by Eileen Gray

I received a complimentary copy of Easy Baking From Scratch from the publisher, Rock Ridge Press. I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not a big baker. Now... My mother! My mother was quite the baker! She could pull together a huge batch of dinner rolls that were amazingly tender and soft simply by the feel of the dough. Her pie crusts shattered like glass when you cut into one of her amazing fruit pies. Me? Not so much. ...

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Patatas Bravas Chilenos [Chile Potatoes]

Chile Potatoes (Patatas Bravas Chilenas) - Overhead hero shot in clay serving dish

Patatas Bravas Chilenos is a Latin American interpretation of the classic Spanish tapas dish. With fresh jalapeno peppers and a tangy tomato dressing, it's the perfect side dish for meat, poultry or fish sure to make the "chilehead" in your household happy! I'm always excited to find a new potato side dish! Potatoes have not exactly been the darling of the food blogging or the Pinterest world lately. They're neither low-carb, Paleo or keto and tend to get a bad rap ...

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Taste Matters – Labor of Love

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Roasted Cherry Tomato Tart with Herbed Ricotta

Herbed Ricotta and Burst Cherry Tomato Tart - Close-up shot of tart looking straight on

Roasted Cherry Tomato Tart with Herbed Ricotta is a lovely, elegant way to enjoy the late summer bounty of fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes! If you ever come to my house, something you'll always find is cherry or grape tomatoes on our kitchen island. These seem to be one type of tomato that's edible and tastes like a tomato all year round. It's also one variety of tomato we actually have success growing. This year, we have a crazy abundance of these little things--both cherry and ...

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Mediterranean Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Vegetables with Garlic Parmesan Polenta

Sheet Pan Mediterranean Chicken Sausage and Vegetables with Garlic Parmesan Polenta - Finished product ready to eat sprinkled with cheese on beige napkin

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of COLEMAN NATURAL FOODS® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. Mediterranean Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Vegetables with Garlic Parmesan Polenta is an easy trattoria-inspired weeknight dinner that's also elegant enough for guests! Has school started yet in your area? It has here! If it hasn't, you're probably getting the kids ready with clothes, school supplies and class schedules. My stepchildren are grown now but I can really ...

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Taste Matters – Late Summer Lazy

Welcome to “Taste Matters” at From A Chef’s Kitchen where I dish up some tasty tidbits, a kitchen tip or two, my current cookbook crush, some menu ideas from some of my food blogger friends to get you through your week, a weekend entertaining menu and recipe roundups for even more meal ideas! Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds. --Regina Brett ...

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Southwestern Squash Corn and Poblano Casserole

Southwestern Squash, Corn and Poblano Casserole is a spicy and delicious twist on a classic squash casserole with corn and earthy, slightly smoky poblano peppers! I think I've told you once or twice that I have yet to find a vegetable I don't like. Although I'm a carnivore and love a good steak, I'm also thoroughly in love with vegetables! Give me a cheesy, delicious vegetarian casserole like this Southwestern Squash, Corn and Poblano Casserole and I may even pass on the steak! ...

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Taste Matters – Some Like it Hot

Welcome to “Taste Matters” at From A Chef’s Kitchen where I dish up some tasty tidbits, a kitchen tip or two, my current cookbook crush, some menu ideas from some of my food blogger friends to get you through your week, a weekend entertaining menu, recipe roundups and perhaps even speak my mind! There aren't many things that grow where we live. Clay soil, insects, heat and squirrels are a garden's worst enemy. However, chili peppers always do well for us. Right now we have an ...

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Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad

Middle Eastern Chopped Salad - Close-up hero shot of the salad in a white bowl garnished with mint sprigs and lemon slices

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad is light, crunchy and over-the-top flavorful with all the vegetables that are in season now! It's like summer in a bowl! Friends! Here's a lively and lovely summer salad that is worth every knife stroke! I really wasn't sure what to call this salad because it's similar to numerous other Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Israeli-inspired salads but probably most similar to an Israeli Chopped Salad. ...

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Chicken Zucchini Feta Burgers with Jalapeño Tzatziki

Chicken Zucchini Feta Burgers with Jalapeno Tzatziki are a tasty and healthful way to spice up your summer burger routine! Can you believe how fast summer is going by? I truly don't know where half of it went and we're already harvesting butternut squash from our garden! There are still so many summery recipes I want to make before the leaves fall. This one has been on my summer list to create for a while and I'm happy to say it's a new favorite of ours! ...

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