Antipasto means “before the meal” and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Fortunately and unfortunately, I often can make Antipasto a full meal if I’m going for something lite on the palate.

Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, marinated vegetables, olives, pepperoni (marinated small peppers, not to be confused with the sausage, pepperoni), and various cheeses, such as provolone or fresh mozzarella. I always toss a little extra virgin olive oil over mine and have gotten in the habit of really indulging in it over the cured meats.
I’ll …

It became incredibly apparent to me last night as I was walking the dog … the stiff breeze raising goose bumps along my arms and a sun hanging ominously low at 8 p.m. Summer is coming to an end.
I take a little joy in knowing that fall (my favorite time of year) is just around the corner, but am admittedly a little sad to know that warm days lounging in polo shirts (and the best tasting tomatoes of the year!) are almost behind us here in Michigan.
To celebrate the ending …

This is really more of Vita’s recipe than mine, but I managed to make a nice summer salad to accompany her tasty Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Kabobs, slightly modifying a recipe I found on Chow.

First off, let me preface that my wife is a wonderful cook in her own right, and I was probably quick to call her a “snob” in the previous post on Chicken Marsala. She is developing an increasingly broad palate now that I have her eating chicken and turkey again (she was pretty much vegetarian when we …

I work about 45 miles away from my home. And if you’ve ever been in traffic in the metro Detroit area, you know that 45 miles can equate to about an hour and 45 minutes in rush hour traffic, and even more if you happen upon an accident. It makes cooking very difficult when you’re simply starving.
Since I began this little project, I’ve found a renewed interest in developing new recipes and trying new things, but I also don’t want to eat at 8 p.m. every night. So, I’ve been …