Warm Wishes to All!

please look forward to new recipes this month.....tasty treats for the holidays! stay tuned...

Christmastime!

did you have enough to eat? was thursday all you expected and more? plenty of food and family? i do enjoy thanksgiving. but i'm ready for december 1 to arrive....with bells on! let's eat drink and be merry!

d

Margi! and Kelly!

margi....you will be able to find the olive oil at luigi's in bakersfield. it's a little on the pricey side, but well worth it. make sure you use it as a garnish....not to cook with. make a salad, then drizzle! a slice of bread, then drizzle! you'll be hooked! be sure and tell gino you're following this blog! i'm thinking i need a sponsor!

and kelly....i'm thinking you should combine what you have a make a salad......i'm assuming the carna asada is pre-cooked. place your greens on a plate and season with salt and pepper and maybe a drizzle of olive oil. combine the black beans and corn (thawed and drained) in a small bowl, season with cumin, salt and pepper. top your greens with the meat, then bean mixture. if you have cilantro, a squeeze of lime, sour cream, or salsa, that would be great too. sounds like a tasty and healthy lunch to me! let me know if you put it all together.

eat up,
d

p.s. just returned from santa barbara and had an amazing dinner at petite valentien.....yes, the same chef that used to be here in bakersfield. if you're over that way, definitely worth a trip. his prices are very reasonable. lunch around $12 to $15 and dinner with wine.....i'd say you could get by....hmmmmm....i suppose i shouldn't quote an amount! not sure what wine you'll be drinking! nevertheless, stop in and see robert....you'll be glad you did!

Talk to Me!!!

i want to revisit why i'm here for you! i'm here to help those of us who are busy and don't have a lot of time in the kitchen.... i'm here for those who are not quite sure what flavors go together....and i so want to inspire those that simply don't know how to 'cook'. i'm here for you! i want you all to enjoy delicious food every night. talk to me....let me know what's in your refrigerator, cupboards and pantry. let's put some things together. give me some ideas of what you like....what you want to know.

in the meantime, here's your next recipe. be creative. make this dish your own!

Pork Tostadas

8 tostada shells

1/2 lb. pork (carnitas style, pre-cooked, trader joes), room temperature and pulled apart

1/2 cup or more, salsa or enchilada sauce (of your choice)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cojita (or any mexican-style cheese), crumbled

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

mix 'pulled' pork with salsa or enchilada sauce, just to add a little more flavor.

place tostada shells on sheet pan. top each shell with pork mixture, dollop of sour cream, sprinkle of black beans, cheese and cilantro.

you could also add a little corn to the beans, roasted pequillo peppers or some chopped tomatoes. be creative. make it your own!

A Fall Salad

Here it is....one of my favorite salads....crunchy pecans, creamy goat cheese, tart dressing...and so delicious!

Maple Dressing

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 T sour cream

2 T white wine vinegar

1 t horseradish (prepared in a jar)

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine maple syrup, sour cream, vinegar and horseradish. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified (or whisked together well!) Season with plenty of salt...and pepper.

greens (of your choice)

goat cheese, crumbled

bacon, sliced thin (pre-cooked bacon is available in many markets)

chives or scallions, sliced thin

pecans (sweet and spicy at trader joe's)

on your plate, place the greens in a mound, crumble goat cheese with a fork to your desire, top with bacon, chives and pecans. Drizzle with maple dressing and serve immediately.

make it and let me know what you think!

eat up,

d

Fall has Arrived on the Patio

Aloha!

Welcome to my latest 'follower'....all the way from the islands! my dear brother, daryl, has joined us 'non-cooks'! however, i must tell you that my brother is a very talented cook. and i say cook, 'lightly'. this guy knows what he's doing in the kitchen! always using fresh ingredients... which are readily available to him....on the Big Island of Hawaii. love you, daryl!

tomorrow is ny times day....again! how quickly a week goes by. pick it up, get inspired and look for my latest recipe....which will involve a tasty maple dressing for the fall season. you will love it! guaranteed! great for a halloween get-together!

my favorite olive oil- Laudemio

making comments

there seems to be some sort of issue with the 'comment' section. and i'm not sure how to fix it! perhaps when making a comment, do not use 'apostrophes'. let's try that! 'exclamation points' are ok....don't know why! weird, huh?

tell me what you're eating these days! hmmmm??? what are you feeding the fam?

and thanks for joining us, rhonda! yipee!!! where's kymmie?

guest list

p.s. today's birthday celebration included...kym showers, (who is darling, even after a facial and massage!) she was well rested and relaxed....lorrie brown, always a help to me and a fine educator...rhonda slegers, my dairy connection and only friend that knows how to knit... cari balfanz, a sweetheart and girl after my own heart (ready to drink wine at any given time, when appropriate!) and the birthday girl....sweet sweet debbie! ready to party at a minutes notice! thank you all for being here!

happy birthday, debbie!

i woke up this morning realizing my friend, debbie, had experienced her 40-something-th birthday yesterday! yes, i text her a birthday wish, but she needed food and festivities! i decided to throw her an impromptu and small celebration. text a few of her closest friends and was on my way. called my favorite bakery (sweet surrender) for a cake and candles....ran to t.joes to pick up a few items and arrived home at 12:30pm. i'm a very last minute person.....i had a short amount of time... this party was starting at 1:30. i'm not so sure it's fair to tell you about one of the dishes i 'made' for our small gathering....it really wasn't going to be 'lunch' but we needed something savory to go with our chocolate cake! not fair to tell you because there was some slight cooking! minimal! this is still a 'no cooking blog'!!!!!

here's what we had... and you need to make it!

burrata (it's creamy mozzarella... you could use mozzarella)

proscuitto (very thinly sliced ham....at any market)

green beans (here's where the cooking comes in....you need to cook them for 4 minutes in a small amount of salted water, then drain)

hazelnuts, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

wrap the burrata with one piece of proscuitto. place in the middle of a dinner plate. place the cooked green beans on top....almost like a tee-pee....or pick up sticks..nothing too 'perfect'. sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top, then drizzle with (good-quality) olive oil and garnish with salt and pepper. tasty tasty! it's a salad. a starter. an accompaniment to your meal. lunch!

simple and fresh.

eat up,

d

enjoy a fine glass of wine this evening...

In-n-Out for a Burger???

i went to a wine tasting last night with an acquaintance and her husband. she is very petite and i'm not sure she eats much. i don't know her well, at all. both...are very nice people. on the table were a few wine glasses and a small bowl of mixed nuts...in front of him. i'm thinking she wasn't interested. i made the decision not to touch the nuts...since she wasn't. it was obvious as the night went on, that we would not be participating in the 'appetizers' either...that were offered....for free! we shared time and wine and it was a nice evening. at 8:30 i left for home and found myself hungry. i live nearby an In-n-Out and contemplated stopping for a quick burger and fries. it would be cheap and fast. i made a better choice and drove home to see what i could find in the cupboard. thats where you come in! here's what i did.

let me preface this by saying i know that all of you do not live nearby a trader joes. if you don't then you'll need to check your local market for the items listed. no big deal. (nbd) this is for one person, so figure out how much more you'll need for your guests.

brown rice (i found a precooked container at t joes) about 8 oz.

feta (an ounce or so....whatever you like)

greens (of some sort...something 'small' in size..mache, micro greens, even basil, chopped) maybe a 1/2 cup. less on the basil...it's potent!

olive oil (you'll need something good. not cheap. good. check around. maybe even taste some)

salt and pepper, to taste

this truly took me less than five minutes. pop the brown rice in the microwave for one minute. then place the rice in a serving bowl and add crumbled feta, greens, olive oil (1 or 2 tbls) and salt and pepper. be careful because the feta is salty. toss it together and you're done. thats it. i loved it so much, i just had it again. last night i had micro greens (in the frig from a dinner party), but tonight i chopped some basil. it's my new favorite fast dish! i suppose you could add some chicken, as well. you can find precooked chicken at any market.

i'm telling you...it was delicious! and i'm thinking healthy too!

eat up!

d

Update

cookingnotrequired is in the process of being updated for your pleasure! there will be new and exciting pictures and videos for you to view, along with recipes that are easy to follow. stay tuned. in the meantime, its wednesday... and you need to purchase a ny times and check out the dining section. eat up! d

Enlighten Your Palette and Mind!

it's wednesday. that means 'new york times' day! go out and pick up a paper. ny times has a wonderful dining section.... every wednesday i encourage you to grab a paper along with your cup of coffee. make it your routine. you will be so inspired by the food world and what's going on outside of your community. theres a great big world out there! waiting to delight your culinary senses! i'm out the door!

eat up!

d

second (and past due) blog!

i'm new at this. i've been trying (with not much luck) to post some pictures of food. i am not computer savvy, but will continue to work on it! in the meantime, i will tell you about the first 'dish' i created for you.....for you to make on your own! simple, yet tasty. this is just the beginning! its a sandwich. i like to think of it as a knife and fork sandwich! i will give you directions for one and you can multiply it as you wish.

2 slices of bread (i like tjoes baguettes or pain rustic)

4 slices of salami

2 slices of mortadella (most of it has pistachios in it!!! yummm)

2 slices of proscuitto (salty)

2 slices of tomato (salt and pepper before adding to sandwich)

2 pieces of cheese, room temp. (i used st andre from tjoes...its soft and creamy, like butter)

M & M sauce (1/2 cup mayo and 1/4 cup mustard, a little pepper)

pesto, if desired (you can purchase a jar at tjoes....but i will be teaching you how to make your

own very soon!)

greens (i use mache, but spring mix would work well),season with salt and pepper, squeeze of

lemon juice and olive oil...just a little

toast your bread (this is not really cooking!) lay pieces of toasted bread side by side on a plate.

spread some M & M sauce on, then a spoonful of pesto. layer your three meats, tomatoes, cheese and top with seasoned greens. you can top it all with chopped chives and lemon zest, to make it really special! serve with chips and dip, olives, fruit...whatever you like!

eat up!

d

let's get 'cooking'!

this blog is being created for those of us out there that are non-cooks. the women (and men) that have never been taught how to cook. this is for college students, newly marrieds, 9-5 ers that have time restraints in the evenings. but most importantly, this blog is for those who are interested in fabulous food...at home. i'm going to teach you how to put fresh ingredients together and show off your non-cooking skills to your family and friends...we are going to WOW them!

open the door....tell me you're here.