Greek Moussaka

Moussaka is like lasagna except better for you since it uses eggplant rather than pasta in the layers.  This is my "go-to" recipe.  I generally always make it for company or take it as an entree if I am going to someone's house.  I got this recipe back in the days when PBS was the only t.v. station with cooking shows on weekends and I taped them on my VHS machine. This was from chef Pierre Franey and I hand wrote it out after "taping" his show.  That was probably 25 years ago now.  I have edited this dish over the years (practice makes perfect), but his recipe is what it was based on.  I still use it as my guideline but only in the respect of using all the ingredients as listed.

Black Tiger Shrimp Cobb Salad

I saw these huge black tiger shrimp at Costco (8 - 12 count) and decided I needed to try them to see what they were like.  I decided to make Cobb salad with them, along with my favourite blue cheese dressing that I make for my Wedge salad.   I decided to serve it on the side.  I made the dressing first and put it in the fridge.  After an hour or two, I had my son taste it.  He said, like I always say, it was good enough to eat out the jar with a spoon and nothing else needed.  I couldn't find chives today so used 2 green onions and it worked fine as a replacement.  I used, besides the shrimp, which I sauteed in garlic, butter & lemon:

Tomato Tarte Tatin

I've made this a couple of times before.  This is a really tasty dish and looks like a lot of work, though it really isn't.  Below is a picture of the first time I made it with blue cheese.

Peaches & Cream Trifle

When it becomes peach season, I try and make something with them for my son.  He really likes peaches.  I made cobbler last year and it was terrible because I didn't peel the skin off.  I didn't know you had to!  I came across this recipe and it looked easy - right up my alley, so I decided to try and make a trifle.  I couldn't find a trifle bowl, but then as I was at Homesense, I noticed one that would do that was in the vase section, so I bought it for $7.  It was 6 inches in diameter so a little smaller than the one she used in her recipe which was 7 inches.

Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I've been trying to eat "healthier" lately which to me means with less "carbs".  I saw this recipe and thought it looked good.  I based mine on it, but didn't follow it exactly.  I've made a few of her recipes and they've been very good, so I would have no hesitation in recommending it, even without trying it "her way".

Rhubarb Pie

I don't bake, so the pie crusts came out of the freezer.

Gazpacho Soup

I make this once a year, usually around this time when tomatoes are super ripe and cheap, and the weather is nice & warm.  Cold soup is always so good when its hot outside.  A co-worker says this dish is his favourite of all the things I make, so I make it for him - this will be the third or fourth year now.  I started, the first time I made it by following Ina Garten's recipe exactly.  Each year, I change the recipe a little and experiment. Last year was awful - for some reason it came out really BITTER.  This year I used:

Shrimp Stuffed Sole

They had fresh sole on sale at IGA and it looked fabulous.  I decided to recreate a dish I made years ago.  No recipe, couldn't even find anything online that was close.  Basically, it's stuffed sole with a shrimp mixture made in a muffin tin.  For my filling, I used:

Smoked Turkey Split Pea Soup

This has always been my favourite soup and I've made it since I started cooking.  My dad would always laugh at me because I hated peas (still do), but loved pea soup when he made it.  Of course, it doesn't taste anything like canned green peas does...I can eat fresh peas out of a pod, but I can't even eat frozen ones out of a bag...BLECH.

Toad in the Hole

I was thinking of what to make for Cinco de Mayo and I ended up with British "Toad in the Hole".   :) I've made this before and it didn't turn out so well, so I decided it was time to re-visit it.  I used packaged Yorkshire Pudding mix last time.  This time I decided to make it from scratch.  I've been craving sausages lately, so figured this would take care of that itch.  I bought Freden Fine Foods all natural casings and ingredients ( no additives) mild Italian sausage and decided to wrap each one in a thick slice of bacon.  (I read somewhere that bacon fat helps Yorkshires rise to the occasion).  On another day I might have searched for real British banger sausages, but I simply didn't have the time today...