Gilly's Blog
Thoughts & Recipes
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Simple & Spectacular Spaghetti All’aglio E Olio
One of my favorite books is The Best Advice I Ever Got by Katie Couric. A chapter I especially love is one written by the famous chef Mario Batali. He describes this beautiful and straightforward pasta recipe and its relationship to life. Pasta, olive oil, garlic, red pepper, and fresh parsley; I have interpreted his comments to create my own recipe here. Please enjoy! Excerpt From: Katie Couric’s Book, The Best Advice I Ever Got. Mario Batali, Celebrity Chef…
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Healthy Little Red Potato Salad to Die For
Light, creamy, healthy, and delicious. Fresh celery and celery seeds add crunch and flavor. The red skins on the potatoes add color and texture. Serve on a bed of mixed baby lettuces for any spring or summer dish or as a side to cold chicken or roast beef. Potato salad originated in Germany in the 16th century, where its recipe is vinegar-based and served warm. The American potato salad is usually mayonnaise-based and served cold.
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New Basics Apple Pie With a Heavenly Cheddar Crust
This recipe makes a delicious apple pie. It’s fun to make and easily turned into a Dutch apple pie – I’ll describe how. And it’s great a la mode. I found it years ago in The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins. Their cookbook is lovely because it describes plenty of details for preparation and pairings and it is user-friendly, although it does not have any photos. Photos inspire me to cook a particular dish and offer…
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Flavorful and Easy Artichoke Recipe
Easy to make, delicious to eat. Artichokes can be roasted, steamed, boiled, fried, or grilled. This healthy, tasty veggie is packed with protein, antioxidants, fiber, and only 73 calories per serving, including the dipping sauce. I usually boil my artichokes with spices, and a dipping sauce (not always grilled) because it is easier to prepare. Serve with a simple pasta or garlic toast for a lovely lunch or dinner without much effort. Peak artichoke season is…
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Refreshing and Spectacular Caprese Salad
A classic is a classic for a reason, and the Caprese salad is over 100 years old. The first origin story for the Caprese salad dates back to post-World War I Italy. Like many Italian dishes, the Caprese salad is also famous because it is effortless to prepare. I recommend you don’t make this dish unless you use all high-quality ingredients. Because the dish is so simple, the ingredients’ flavor is where it’s at, baby!
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Quick, Crispy Quesadilla With Guacamole
Literally meaning “little cheesy thing,” quesadillas originated in northern and central Mexico in the 16th century. I make mine with fresh-made flour tortillas, Monterey jack cheese, and pickled jalapeños. Light and delicious quick and simple – quesadilla with guacamole. Perfect for a healthy lunch or easy snack. Pairs great with an ice-cold Coca-Cola or a frosty beer.
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Best Easy Marinaded Chicken Breasts Camping-Style
This recipe makes super juicy, flavorful chicken breasts. I like to make the marinade the night before a camping trip. The chicken can marinate for hours or a couple of days. I also enjoy foil-wrapped corn on the cob and a little red potato salad (recipes on this website). The potato salad will last up to five days if kept cold in Tupperware.
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Great Foil-Wrapped Corn on the Cob Camping-Style
Succulent and tender corn on the cob with a butter cilantro dressing cooked in foil on the grill. Easy as can be and so delicious! For a touch of heat, add a dash of paprika. The perfect simple side for any camping dinner.
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Simple Foil-Wrapped Fish With Fresh Vegetables Camping-Style
Delicious fresh fish filets wrapped in foil, roasted with fresh-cut vegetables.This Recipe is very healthy and simple to prepare. Foil Roasting is terrific for camping. The tomatoes and olive oil will keep this dish very moist. Wrap it completely in foil and cook on the grill for 30-40 minutes.You can use salmon, halibut, swordfish, and almost any favorite vegetable, like summer squash, mushrooms, or asparagus. See my corn-on-the-cob camping recipe for a terrific side to this…
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Easy Awesome Breakfast Burrito Camping-Style
A delicious burrito made with eggs, melted cheese, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and fresh salsa, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. Easy to make, this hearty breakfast will give you plenty of protein for all your fun activities out on the trails!
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Special Rosemary Onion Skillet Breakfast Potatoes
Crave-able and delicious, these flavorful breakfast potatoes are soft on the inside, yet crispy on the outside. Cooked to perfection in a cast iron skillet with onions and rosemary. Substitute paprika and bell peppers if you prefer. The story goes that Breakfast Potatoes were created in the early 1900s by a New York City restaurant owner named Beefstew O’Brien, who wanted to give more personality to a skillet of fried potatoes by adding a handful of…
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Easy and Delicious Sautéed Mushrooms
Mushrooms sautéed with garlic and garnished with fresh parsley. Perfect as a side or an addition to many recipes. Great with a baked potato.
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Flavorful and Simple Grass-Fed Ribeye Steak With Sautéed Mushrooms
Pan-seared grass-fed ribeye steak with olive oil and butter, finished in the oven, topped with mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter, and garnished with fresh parsley. Great with a baked potato on the side.
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Simple, Really Juicy Baked Garlic Lemon Chicken
This delicious, simple dish will be a favorite of your guests and your family. How can you not love a go-to recipe like this? It is incredibly juicy and flavorful but does not take much brainpower or shopping to prepare. I recommend serving it with rice pilaf or pasta and either a simple arugula salad with shaved parmesan or zucchini sautéed in butter and thyme. Click ‘Read More’ to watch Gilly make the marinade.
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Foil Baked Salmon and Asparagus in a Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
Salmon and asparagus baked together in foil. The sauce has some spice with hot sauce and cilantro (or parsley). This simple and satisfying dish is low-carb, paleo, gluten-free, and keto-friendly. Serve it with rice pilaf, garlic toast, or mashed potatoes. This recipe is also versatile. You can easily swap the fish or vegetables to suit your taste.
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Gilly’s Great Burrito: Bean, Cheese, Bacon, Guacamole, Sour Cream
Super yummy and simple to make, this hearty snack will give restaurant burritos a run for their money! Of course, you can omit or exchange the bacon with another protein such as shrimp, chicken, steak, or scrambled eggs.
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Gilly’s Epic Salad With Gorgonzola, Avocado, Tomato and Walnuts
This salad hits all my favorite palate points and is satisfying and packed with vitamins and protein. I took all the textures and flavors I love most in a salad and created my Gilly’s Epic Salad. I crave it all the time. A fantastic addition – if you have leftover steak, chicken or are in the mood to cook some bacon, add them to this Epic Salad, and the dish transforms from vegan/vegetarian to paleo.
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Energy Boosting Tuna Salad With Kidney Beans and Dijon Vinaigrette
I first ate this wonderful salad at a little French cafe on Larchmont, a quaint tree-lined street near Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The salad is refreshingly light yet hearty. Perfect if you are on a diet or after a workout. It is an excellent meal to fuel muscle growth because it’s packed with lean protein. I swear, when I eat this salad, it boosts my mood, and I feel like Popeye after he eats spinach!…
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Best Ever Little Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Chives
Garlic Mashed potatoes made with little red potatoes, half & half, butter and fresh chives are always the right choice: with steak, chicken or fish. Some Potato History. During the Seven Years War of the mid-1700s, the Prussians captured a French army pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier. As a prisoner, he was forced to live only on rations of potatoes. At that time in France, no one ate potatoes. They were considered to be just fed for livestock…
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Best Arugula and Shaved Parmesan Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
A refreshing and light, easy to prepare classic Italian salad and one of my favorites: if you love Arugula and I do, you love lemon, and I do, you love parmesan, and I do – then, in less than five minutes, you can create this delicious, sophisticated salad which pairs beautifully with many dishes.
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Simple, Wrapped Fish Filets in Wine With Fresh Vegetables
This recipe is very healthy and simple to prepare. It also reheats well if you have leftovers. Foil Roasting is also terrific if you are camping. You can cook this without the wine because the tomatoes and olive oil will keep it very moist – Wrap it completely in foil and cook on the grill for approx. 40 minutes. In the oven, it may take closer to 50 minutes. You can substitute almost any favorite vegetables…
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Easy, Creamy Tuscan Salmon With Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Easy Creamy Tuscan Salmon: Prepared with fresh pan-seared salmon in a Tuscan cream sauce made with butter, cherry or sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, basil, a splash of white wine to deglaze, spinach, half and half, freshly grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. Believe it or not, this recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish! Believe it or not, this recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!
