Author Archives: jentarantino

About jentarantino

i went to culinary school back in the mid 90's where i soon discovered that most of my favorite things to eat begin with celery, carrots and onions; or at the very least, one of the three. i cooked professionally for a very short time, but never stopped being a "home cook". i used the skills i acquired in school to teach myself to bake and kept up on food trends by becoming addicted to cooking shows and food magazines. i will eventually open my own soup shop, but until that happens, this blog will be my culinary outlet. i hope it inspires you to... stand lovingly over a simmering pot, wait anxiously for rising bread dough, frost cupcakes with care, marinate, brine, and most importantly... make it yourself!

breakfast fried rice

Posted on May 4, 2020 by jentarantino

one of the most valuable things we can do as home chefs is to think beyond the meal that we are cooking at the moment. doing a little prep for future meals goes a long way to stave off the … Continue reading →

Posted in meat dishes, pork, recipes, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

meatballs and red sauce

Posted on April 23, 2020 by jentarantino

as a little girl, i spent most of my time in the kitchen watching my italian nana cook. she made a delicious red sauce that i’m still chasing to this day. culinary school taught me all the nuances of sauce … Continue reading →

Posted in all recipes, italian, meat dishes, pasta, recipes, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

cherry slab pie

Posted on April 10, 2020 by jentarantino

i think it’s come to that time in our quarantined lives to start eating pie for dinner, don’t you? but giving in to the dessert as a meal ideology doesn’t have to come with antiquated techniques and  arduous steps. i … Continue reading →

Posted in all recipes, desserts, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

cheeseburger and fries, when you need your fix!

Posted on April 7, 2020 by jentarantino

so, here we are in week one million of our stay at home quarantine. my dreams have all begun to feature food as the protagonist and me and my family as the captive victims in desperate need of table service … Continue reading →

Posted in beef, meat dishes, side dishes, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

pork ragu, big batch cooking for the new normal

Posted on April 1, 2020 by jentarantino

3 weeks ago, the world turned upside down. with all of us navigating our individual quarantine situations, i thought i’d start posting here again and focus on big batch cooking and cooking projects that take some time. lord knows we … Continue reading →

Posted in italian, meat dishes, pork, sauces, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

parmesan broth

Posted on March 28, 2016 by jentarantino

if you’re anything like me, you probably have a bag of parmesan rinds in your freezer that you’ve been saving for something special. as a culture of foodie freaks, we’ve been taught never to throw the rinds away! and yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in appetizers, cheese, recipes, soups | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

ricotta gnocchi

Posted on November 5, 2011 by jentarantino

after taking much of the summer off, i’m back to cooking and blogging! i meant to make a grand entrance in early fall and wow you with all my fabulous autumnal recipes, but soon realized that i had a stack … Continue reading →

Posted in cheese, pasta, recipes | 3 Comments

fantastic favas

Posted on June 16, 2011 by jentarantino

getting a farm box every week has proved to be both wonderful and a tad arduous. wonderful for all the inspiration it has given me and arduous, since all your produce comes at once and needs to be washed and … Continue reading →

Posted in recipes, side dishes, Uncategorized, vegetables | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

bi bim bop… done my way

Posted on June 7, 2011 by jentarantino

i am a huge fan of rice bowls in all varieties. italian risotto, chinese fried rice, mexican rice and beans… but my all time favorite is the korean version bi bim bop! i love how it looks when it’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in beef, meat dishes, recipes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

asian short ribs

Posted on May 15, 2011 by jentarantino

in an effort to become a better person, and more responsible meat eater, i’ve made some changes in my weekly grocery shopping routine. instead of doing a “one-stop” trip to trader joe’s for all our weekly essentials and then a … Continue reading →

Posted in beef, meat dishes, recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment