Salmon & Caviar Pasta

Is there anything more mouthwatering to a diva than caviar and champagne? Divas take every opportunity to serve their guests caviar. Divas just need to be wary of sampling too much of the beluga while preparing the meal. The champagne needs watching, too. Divas like to cook with wine, but only occasionally does some make it into the food.

Salmon & Caviar Pasta

1/2 lb. angel hair pasta

1-1/2 cups cream

2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped, sauteed in olive oil

a few fresh chives, chopped

6 oz. smoked salmon pieces, cut into strips

2 oz. caviar


Cook pasta according to directions. Divas like al dente.
Drain and keep in colander.
Combine cream and sauteed onion in a saucepan over medium high heat.
Simmer 2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in remaining ingredients and serve over pasta.

Make into a meal: Serve with warmed spinach.

Wine: Oodles of Champagne

Mediterranean Couscous

Mediterranean Couscous is a lovely side dish. People think it is so difficult and divas encourage that thinking. This recipe originally called for lemon zest, but I use lemon juice after hearing reports of appalling things living on the skins of fruit. Besides, I think lemon zest tastes like Pledge.

1 10-oz. package couscous, cooked (Israeli is nice)


1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

a few squirts of lemon juice

a few handfuls of feta cheese

a bunch of roasted red bell peppers, chopped (Martha and Rachel roast their own. Mine come from a sanitized jar)

Whisk together Italian dressing, mustard, and lemon.
In another bowl, combine feta and peppers; add couscous.
Pour mustard mixture over couscous.
Refrigerate 1-24 hours.

Options: Add olives or sun-dried tomatoes

Make it a meal: Serve with Asparagus Lemon Chicken (see recipe)

Wine:  Sauvignon Blanc

Pasta with Peanut Sauce

Rich and creamy.  You can make this in a pinch.  No diva ever minded a little pinch...giving them, that is.

 Pasta with Peanut Sauce

8 oz. pasta

Some chopped vegetables such as red pepper, zucchini, broccoli, onion

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 healthy sprinkling of ground ginger

1/2 cup chicken broth, heated


Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente.
Sauté vegetables until tender-crispy and set aside.
Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, and ginger in pretty bowl. 
Add chicken broth. 
Add pasta and vegetables. 
Toss to coat all ingredients.   
Serve immediately.

Make it a meal:  Serve with bread.

Wine:  Cabernet or Reisling 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

So I promised my man I'd make him disgusting Super Bowl food if he watched it with me instead of his smelly friends.  He went for the deal and loved this offering.  And BONUS!  Only five ingredients and done in twenty!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

A brick of low-fat cream cheese, softened

Leftover chicken, chopped

1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce

1/2 cup Blue Cheese salad dressing

1 handful Colby Jack cheese

Spread cream cheese into an ungreased shallow baking dish. 
Layer with chicken, wing sauce and salad dressing. 
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 450 degrees, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
Serve with bread cubes, celery, carrot sticks, or sturdy crackers.

Options:  Sprinkle some crumbled blue cheese or bacon bits into the dressing.

Make it a Meal:  Serve with other disgusting Super Bowl food like greasy sliders and fried everything.

Wine:   Red Table Wine out of a box

Perfect Quiche

My quiche always came out rubbery until I came across this recipe.  The diva that gave me this ran her own restaurant.  I was adding too many eggs and not enough cream.  This quiche is wonderful. 

4 eggs

2 cups half and half

1 cup shredded cheese ( cheddar, Swiss, or your favorite blend)

1- 1 1/2  cups of crumbled crispy bacon, cooked sausage, ham, broccoli (par cooked or frozen defrosted and drained) or whatever you like for filling ( mix them together)

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

9” unbaked pie crust (Use a frozen deep dish and let it defrost while assembling ingredients).

Sprinkle meat or vegetable filling in bottom of pie crust. 

Sprinkle cheese on top of filling.

In a pretty bowl slightly beat eggs, add in the half and half, salt and pepper 

Add other seasonings if you like.

Pour mixture into  pie crust.

Place in oven at 425 for 15 minutes. 

Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until knife inserted ½ way to center comes out clean.  

Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.