Mussels are awesome. They’re briny and seafoody and delicious, they’re super easy to cook, they’re pretty cheap compared to other kinds of seafood, and they are REALLY versatile. I was born in and spent a lot of my childhood in Alaska, and occasionally we’d just pull them off the rocks and load them in a… Continue reading Steamed Mussels with White Wine (Moules Mariniere)
Category: How-to
Key Lime Pie – 6 Ingredients
We had a birthday or two come and go recently at Casa Sass, so we were due for a nice dessert. I asked John’s son, who is visiting, what he’d like, and key lime pie was the clear winner. It’s a favorite of mine as well — it makes me think of my mom,… Continue reading Key Lime Pie – 6 Ingredients
Easy Cajun Stew
You know when you have a mishmash of things in your kitchen and you experiment a little and throw things together and hope it comes out? That was me, last night. It was our first real chilly, grey, and rainy day of the autumn and I figured I’d make some soup. With flavored broth, some… Continue reading Easy Cajun Stew
Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)
In case I haven’t previously made it clear, I am a fan of salads. I love them in the spring and summer, but also in the fall and winter. Pasta salads, slaws, cucumber-tomato salad, salads with grains and veggies, I love them all, no matter the season. So, as summer slips away and we move… Continue reading Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)
Sunday Red Gravy: Spaghetti and Meatballs
I’m not Italian, but I can’t deny the appeal of a house that smells like slow-cooked tomato sauce — the herbs, the garlic, a hint of pork, maybe some soft Italian bread. Here in Oklahoma where I live, autumn is creeping in and the evenings are becoming perfectly chilly. Excellent weather for some spaghetti and… Continue reading Sunday Red Gravy: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Organizing My Spices!
It’s the last days of Summer, and that makes it time for me to do some spring cleaning. Fall cleaning. Fall cleaning! You see, with autumn come cooler weather and holidays. With both of those come lots and lots of cooking. Yes, even more than we already do! Heating up the house with the oven… Continue reading Organizing My Spices!
Easy Meal: Pasta Carbonara!
Okay so, I know I haven’t been around much and I have to sincerely apologize — between house guests, yard work, a clown, caretaker and character of a bulldog, and lots and lots of the kind of work that actually pays me, I’ve been kind of swamped! I felt it only right that one of… Continue reading Easy Meal: Pasta Carbonara!
Pasta Bolognese (Italian Meat Ragout)
Ever since we had John’s Baked Ziti a few weeks ago, I’ve been jonesing for pasta. I didn’t need anything particularly cheesy, but I really wanted the richness and comfort of some meaty noodles. Meaty. Noodles. I had always wanted to try to make a ragu/ragout style meat sauce, and started checking around for ideas… Continue reading Pasta Bolognese (Italian Meat Ragout)
Purple Potato Pancakes (Latkes)
I come from a pretty long line of German and Polish cooks. I really love to embrace the food, recipes and traditions of that heritage. I get so busy trying new things, it seems, that I wander away from the food of “my people,” but this week I had a hankering for some potato pancakes.… Continue reading Purple Potato Pancakes (Latkes)
Braised Beef: Pot Roast, Short Rib, Oxtail
A dear friend came to visit last week, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d made him a meal, if ever. Since he’s a bachelor and a guest, I asked him to let me make a nice home-cooked dinner. He’s fond of pot roast, and as such, tonight at Casa Sass it is a… Continue reading Braised Beef: Pot Roast, Short Rib, Oxtail