Here a blueberry and mango combination was used.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and I’m making chili, chicken wings and pub kettle chips but to make myself feel better about those indulgences I searched online for something healthier.

You have to let the rollups sit in the freezer for 2 hours before you can eat them.

I found this recipe for frozen fruit rollups: a perfect dish to make with kids. And lucky me I had kids on hand to help out as my great niece and two great nephews spent the night with us. With a little guidance, they were able to make their own rollups and had fun choosing which frozen fruit to use.

I bought bags of frozen blueberries, strawberries, mangos, and a bag that had a combination of bananas and strawberries. And I used vanilla-flavored greek yogurt.

Find more recipes in the Recipe index.

This one had strawberries and bananas.

In France they just call this onion soup.(Photo by Mark Micheli)

One of my favorite cookbooks is one I picked up in Paris more than 20 years ago. I got it in a small bookshop across from the Luxembourg Gardens: one of my favorite spots for coffee and a walk.

It’s written by French chef Paul Bocuse and it’s called “French Home Cooking.” It has the best French Onion Soup recipe: one that’s easy and pretty quick too.

Don’t worry about making your own beef stock just buy your favorite store brand. Although you don’t need individual soup crocks it’s fun to have them and you can probably pick up some cheap at a dollar store, the Christmas Tree Shop, Target, Sears or online at Amazon and eBay.

Stir the onions from time to time as they cook.

Ingredients:

• Butter (2 ounces)
• Onions (About two medium, peeled and sliced into circles)
• Flour (About one ounce)
• Beef Stock (or bouillon or even water. I’ve never used water but Mr. Bocuse says it works) (About 2 1/2 pints)
• French Bread (Two slices per serving, toasted)
• Gruyere Cheese (About 3 1/2 ounces grated)
• Pepper (To taste)
• Breadcrumbs (About an ounce)
• Port (optional) (About 1/4 cup)

Preparation:

Melt half of the butter in a large saucepan.

Add onions, breaking them into rings. Cook until lightly brown or just starting to turn lightly brown.

Stir in the flour, scraping the bottom of the pan so the flour doesn’t stick.

When flour starts to turn brown add the beef stock and stir constantly. Cook over moderate heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in (optional) port about half-way through.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a soup tureen or in separate french onion soup crocks create two or three layers of the following: bread, cheese, pepper and sliver of butter.

Add soup.

Then top it off with breadcrumbs and more cheese.

Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese and breadcrumbs have browned.

Serve immediately.

Find more recipes in the Recipe index.

This recipe from Gourmet Magazine is 24 years old. Where does the time go? (Photo by Mark Micheli)

I got this recipe on Epicurious.com. It’s from the December 1990 issue of Gourmet Magazine. I didn’t follow it exactly because I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand.

Instead of using a jalapeno pepper, I added about 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. Instead of using lime juice, I used lemon juice. I also cut down on the amount of onion too (to about a 1/4 cup, chopped fine). And I didn’t have any coriander, fresh or dried, so I didn’t use anything. Oh hell, I better just rewrite the recipe here:

Ingredients:

• Avocados, 2 ripe.
• Onion, about 1/4 cup chopped fine or minced.
• Garlic, 1 clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• Lemon juice, about 2 teaspoons or to taste
• Ground Cumin, 1/2 teaspoon.
• Red Pepper Flakes, about 1/4 tsp.

Making the dish:

Halve and pit the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl.

Mash the avocados coarse with a fork and stir in the onion, the garlic paste, the lemon juice, the cumin, and the red pepper flakes.

The guacamole may be made 2 hours in advance, its surface covered with plastic wrap, and chilled.

Find more recipes in the Recipe index.

Santa is coming. Time to light the stove.

The menu is set.

Santa Claus may travel around the world in one night but I like to travel more leisurely: eating and drinking and then recreating some of my favorite dishes. Here’s what we’re having tomorrow night, Christmas Eve. The dishes are ones I collected in my travels: from New England to France.

Something to Pick On:
Pub Kettle Chips, from Union Station Brewery, Portland, Rhode Island.

———————————————————–

First Course:
Shrimp Saute, from Joshua’s Restaurant, Wells, Maine.

————————————————————

Second Course:
Patata Ball in Tomato Sauce, from La Zucca Magica, Nice, France.

———————————————————–

Third Course:
Lasagna, from Figs Restaurant, Boston.

These would go great with watching a football game or just watching the snow fall.

It isn’t often that I strike gold while dining out but I did on a recent visit to Providence, Rhode Island.

By striking gold, I mean tasting something so incredibly delicious and yet so simple to cook it makes you think “Why didn’t I think of that?” This happened on a visit to Union Station Brewery in downtown Providence. The dish? Pub Kettle Chips.

For a mere $7.99 you get a large platter of homemade kettle potato chips with melted cheddar cheese, bacon and sour cream.

I recreated them at home by doing the following:

Spread a layer of Utz Mystic Gourmet Dark Russet Potato Chips on a cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with extra-sharp cheddar cheese and bake in 350 degree oven until cheese melts and chips are hot.

Cook bacon and crumble it or cut it into small pieces and then sprinkle on top of chips.

Sprinkle with chopped green onion. And put a couple of large dollops of sour cream on top.

Mmmm! Goes well with beer (but then again, what doesn’t?)

The Blue Ribbons Arrived!!

It was another award winning year for the RootsLiving wine cellar. Read all about it on MakingVino.com:

• RootsLiving Takes First Prize For Wine
• How We Make Award-Winning Wine