Basil and Parmesan Rice with Pine Nuts

Over the long holiday last weekend I had some friends over for dinner, and this was one of the things I tried out on them. My friends are so nice about eating my experiments, even the ones that turn out to be not quite blogworthy. Luckily that wasn't a problem with this dish. It's a continuation of the theme of parmesan and pine nuts that worked out so well on the stir-fried green beans, but with the wonderful addition of chopped fresh basil stirred in right before serving. This wouldn't be worth eating with dried basil, but when you have fresh basil in your garden, it's delightful.

Grilled Asparagus with Double Lemon and Parmesan

Not that anyone has ever complained, but sometimes I wonder if my faithful readers ever notice that a lot of my recipes are variations on a theme presented in an earlier recipe? Since this site is more than anything a reflection of the way I personally cook and eat, now you know that not only do I have a hard time following a recipe, but when I do find a recipe that's a total keeper, like Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan, I'm already starting to think of ways to "improve" it as soon as the first version is finished.

Recipe for Grilled Ginger-Soy Pork Chops

A Lake Powell client once called these the World's Best Pork Chops!

It's grilling season, and although I rarely cook pork chops on the stove, I love to cook them on the grill and this is one of my favorite pork chop recipes.  Back in the days when I used to cater houseboat trips at Lake Powell, I once I had a client call these "the best pork chops in the world." It's true, the ginger-soy marinade used here makes these pretty delicious. I posted this first back in 2005, and I'm happy it's finally getting updated with a decent photo.  In the Lake Powell days I used to make this with vermouth as the tenderizing ingredient in the marinade, but every time I gave someone the recipe they always told me they didn't have vermouth, so I've used rice vinegar in this recipe for the last few years.

Nothing Says Summer like Fresh Herbs: 2007 Garden Update #2

Last week I showed you the veggies and tomatoes I'm growing, and promised I'd be back to show the herbs. I've been growing herbs for more years than some of you have been alive, and nothing gets me excited about cooking in the summer like fresh herbs. The bounty of herbs from my garden was how Weekend Herb Blogging got started, and this year I'm growing a few new things, so there should be plenty to blog about for months to come.

Of course basil is one of the best thing about summer. This is lettuce-leaf basil, which produces huge leaves. I grow basil mostly from seeds, but I usually plant a few big plants to get the basil season started. Last year my basil was getting devoured by some kind of pest, so I moved it close to the house, but unfortunately the pests are finding it there too. I still don't know what's eating the basil.

Recipe Favorites: Sauteed Asparagus with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts

(In 2011 I updated the recipe for Sauteed Asparagus with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts with step-by-step photos.  I'm leaving this post here in case anyone has it bookmarked, but please use the link above to find the recipe.)

Greek Style Roasted Mushrooms with Red Pepper, Oregano, Mint, and Feta

Being the intuitive never-follow-a-recipe type of cook that I am, I've been slow to develop any appreciation for the science-based books and magazines produced by Cook's Illustrated. If you're not familiar with their methods, these people test lots of recipes for a certain dish, and then present recipes they consider to be best, along with discussion at how they arrived at their conclusions.

Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: My Favorite Feta Cheese

Kalyn's Kitchen Picks is where I tell you about food products I fall in love with, and this particular Feta cheese is a food item I've been seeing exclusively for a long time. I love Feta cheese in general, but this French sheeps milk Feta is my hands-down favorite. Of course, I buy it at my beloved Costco, where this large block sells for $4.99 USD in Utah. (Can you see why I adore Costco.)

Recipe Favorites: Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Recipe favorites are dishes that are my very favorite things to eat out of all the recipes that have appeared on Kalyn's Kitchen. This summer I'm going to be changing a few things on the blog, and one change I think people will like is a list of recipe favorites in the sidebar. There's no doubt that this salad is one of my absolute favorites, inspired by my absolute favorite fast food salad, the Chicken Fiesta Salad from Rubios. I don't eat a lot of fast food, but I do dash into Rubios and get that salad once in a while. If there's not a Rubios by where you are, no worries, just make my salad instead.

Arugula Salad Recipe with Hearts of Palm, Kalamata Olives, and Gorgonzola

As some of you may remember, I do have that huge bottle of Kalamata olives to use up, so this is something I came up with. It didn't use too many olives, but still the olives were a great addition. I'm always creating arugula salads, but I think this will become one of my favorites.

Planting Tomatoes and Vegetables: First Garden Update of 2007

Last year I had fun giving updates on my garden every week or so, and I thought people might like to see what's growing around here this year as well. I'm a bit slow getting the updates started; I actually planted quite a few of my plants the last weekend in April. I have a garden with a tall fence on three sides, so I'm able to plant much earlier than many people. So far, I've never had anything freeze, and this year it's extra hot, so we're off to a great start in the garden.

Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: Kalamata Olives

How many deliriously good things can you make with Kalamata olives? I recently purchased this enormous jar of olives from my beloved Costco, and I'm planning to find out. I've already made Green Bean Salad with Hearts of Palm, Olives, Red Peppers, and Feta. At the risk of sounding decidedly un-modest, it was fabulous. I can't wait to make it again.

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon, Curry, and Cumin

(First, a big welcome to any Utah residents who are stopping by from the story in the Deseret Morning News. In this week's food section, editor Valerie Phillips shares how delighted I was when I first discovered Italian tuna packed in olive oil, and the story includes my recipe for White Bean Salad with Tuna and Parsley. Much thanks to Valerie for featuring the recipe, which I know will be on the menu a lot around here this summer. Check the Deseret News story to see where to get the Italian tuna in Utah.)

Green Bean Salad Recipe with Hearts of Palm, Olives, Red Pepper, and Feta

We're having a little surge of green bean recipes. Just yesterday I shared the recipe for Stir-Fried Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts, which I've decided are the best green beans I've ever tasted. I've only posted one other recipe with green beans, and that bean salad was the inspiration for this one. I'm eating the leftovers as I write this, and this tastes fantastic. I think there might be a lot more green beans in my future, at least as long as Costco keeps carrying those lovely French green beans.

Stir-Fried Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts

When you're writing a home cooking blog, you're not only sharing your recipes with the world, but also documenting what you're eating. One of the things that's been interesting to me is the realization I have far more vegetables and salads in my recipe archives than anything else. Obviously, besides the fact that they're South Beach Diet friendly, I love vegetables and salads.

Remembering My Mother on Mother's Day

Since it's Mother's Day in many parts of the world, today I'm thinking about my mother who died in 1998. She was a remarkable woman, consistently generous and loving in a way that few people are able to manage, and incredibly creative and talented as well. I'm sure I'll never stop missing her. And now that I've lived long enough to understand what a tough job it is to be a parent, I realize I really won the lottery in the parents department.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, and for everyone reading this, if your mother is still alive, call her right now and tell her how much you appreciate all those motherly things she did for you.

(Thanks to my sister Laurel for the photo. After my mother died, Laurel scanned years and years of slides to create a set of CDs with all our family photos.)

Salmon Recipes: South Beach Recipes of the Week

I love reading about good food as much as I love cooking it, and I'm always interested when I find recipes on my favorite blogs that are perfect for my low-glycemic way of eating. I started South Beach Recipes of the Week as a way to share those finds with other South Beach Diet fans or anyone who's limiting sugar, white flour, and starchy foods in their diet. It was my friend Alanna who had the idea to feature these recipes in categories, so this week we're focusing on salmon, one of the world's healthiest foods, and so many ways to prepare it.

Grilled Chicken Recipe with Lemon, Capers, and Oregano

I've been having grilled chicken week here at Kalyn's Kitchen, because after all, May is National Barbecue Month in the U.S. For my readers who aren't native English speakers, the word barbecue is used as a verb and a noun both, so National Barbecue Month means "national time to cook something on the grill." Hope you're grilling something where you are!

Recipe Update: Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar

Here's my second grilled chicken recipe as a follow-up to how to make juicy grilled chicken breasts that are perfect every time. Check out Grilled Fusion Chicken from yesterday if you missed it. Today's recipe has actually been in the chicken section of the recipe archives for nearly two years now, but I first posted it when no one was reading my blog, and I hadn't updated it with a photo until now.

Recipe Favorites: Grilled Fusion Chicken

Yesterday I wrote about how to make juicy grilled chicken breasts that are perfect every time, and promised I'd be back for the next three days with some grilled chicken recipes. Here's a recipe I discovered last summer in Sunset magazine, and really enjoyed when I made it. The original version had the option of a creamy sauce, which I didn't use, and I'm leaving that out this time.

How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts That Are Perfect Every Time

Grilling weather is my favorite time of year! If you think the chicken breasts in these photos look juicy and delicious, you're right, they were.  This popular post on Kalyn's Kitchen has my five easy steps for producing perfect grilled chicken breasts that are perfect every time.  Enjoy!

Still Blogging about Herbs and Plants, and Kalyn's Herbs are Planted!

I keep repeating myself, but truly it's hard to believe that it's week #81 of blogging about herbs plants, veggies, and flowers. Here we are again sharing amazing recipes and informative posts from bloggers all over the world. In Utah it's starting to feel like summer, and over the past week I've planted a lot of vegetables and herbs, so I'm a very happy camper these days. (For those reading this out of the U.S., "happy camper" is a slang expression which means you're feeling good about your situation.)

Asian Spinach Salad Recipe with Shrimp, Red Pepper, and Mushrooms

There are probably people who love to eat something completely different every day of the week, rarely repeating the same food, but I'm guessing there are more people who have favorite foods and could eat those things over and over. I'm certainly in the latter group, and lately I've been on a kick for shrimp and spinach salad, so here's a recipe which marries two of my latest loves. The dressing was inspired by the dressing from Asian Spinach Salad Many Ways, another good way to use up those big tubs of spinach from Costco!

Shrimp and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro, Cumin, and Lime

Shrimp, black beans, cilantro, and lime. It's a combination that goes together so well that you could easily come up with hundreds of recipes featuring this quartet. I bought a big bag of shrimp from my beloved Costco, and lately I've been making all kinds of shrimpy recipes. This was a salad I made for lunch after thinking to myself, hmmm, what else can I make with shrimp? The ingredients were determined by what I had in the fridge and pantry, as well as a pretty serious cilantro addiction that's been publicly documented for 81 weeks now.

Pasta Salad Recipe with Italian Sausage, Zucchini, Red Pepper, and Olives

This salad is a huge favorite of my brother Mark. I made it recently for a family party and his wife was very happy to hear I'd be posting the recipe, but actually this recipe is a slightly different version of the recipe for Italian Sausage Pasta Salad which didn't have a photo. I was very happy with how this version of the salad tasted, but not that happy with the photos; I was in too much of a hurry to get to the party. (Isn't hurrying to get to a party with your family a pretty good reason for having less than sharp photos?) I guess I'll have to make it again, sigh. Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

Easy Recipes for Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms with Spike Seasoning

A delicious and easy recipe for Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

This is something I made a few weeks ago, before I entered the gardening frenzy around here and temporarily abandoned cooking. It's a perfect side dish for those readers who love the Easy South Beach Recipes which have less than five ingredients, and this combination is not only easy to throw together, but it's also so fabulous tasting you could serve it for your fanciest dinner party with no apologies.