Who doesn't like Monkey Bread?  Eric got really excited at just name. He wanted to know if actual monkeys helped make it. Nope, just our regular kitchen helper, the dog. Don't worry, once it comes out of the oven, you won't care who made it you'll just care about how quickly you can get your hands on it. Monkey Bread is a delicious bread made to be pulled apart by hand at the table, so its a really social dish. Every time we've made this for people, there is a least 15 minutes of conversation just about the bread, it really is that fun. Charisse has been making this bread for years and it's always been a hit. She's found a recipe for a sweet dessert monkey bread with a cream cheese frosting which we must try one of these days, but this time we stuck to the old standby,

Since we are a young couple on a budget, Charisse decided to try a discount grocery store that we drive by everyday but have never been in. We usually do all our shopping at farmers markets and Trader Joe's but she  was feeling adventurous and hunting for a bargain and wandered into the Food Savers to see what all the fuss was about. It had been a long day at work and Food Savers was not what we expected. This huge store was a maze of aisles and packaged foods with strange finds here and there. The produce was a disappointment and the meat didn't seem all that fresh, so Charisse wandered and wandered, lost and in a daze, wary of the cow tongues and pigs feet she kept passing. When Charisse got back home Eric asked what she a bought, and the answer was " I DON'T KNOW!"  We

Over the weekend we decided that after one year of living in our home, it was time to put grass in the front yard rather than the dirt mounds and overgrown weeds that occupied this space. Saturday morning the sod was delivered, it was a huge project looming over us. Then they came, our wonderful friends and neighbors that came on out to help us out in anyway possible. Dan, Dave (and Kids), Billy and assorted significant others (Jenn, Cherelyn). We are so blessed to have such great people in our lives. So we said thank you and paid them in the only way we knew how...with food. While the boys hauled 40 pound rolls of grass all over the yard, Charisse made sticky, gooey, delicious cinnamon buns. They were to die for! And just what the "hired help" needed. These sweet little buns disappeared in the blink of the

A Caesar salad is by far Eric's favorite salad. In fact on our very first date that's exactly what he ordered (Charisse had the rack of lamb and has never forgiven him for it). Eric is not a huge vegetable fan so when he finds something green he actually likes, we try to incorporate that into the rotation of meals as much as possible. Unfortunately,  we also do not buy bottled salad dressings, even though a bottle of Brianna's Blush Strawberry Vinaigrette might sneak into the cart now and again (but its very rare!). Its just not cost effective buying bottled dressings, they're are expensive, and full of weird preservatives and artificial flavorings. We always try and make our own, which is cheaper by volume, has no preservatives and comes in a any flavor you want.We've made many great dressings in the past, everything from a chili honey dressing to

Who knew such a tough cut or meat could taste so good? Short ribs are one of the most inexpensive cuts they carry at Safeway, which is usually a sign of trouble. The weaker the cut, the more difficult it is to create a great dish. The trick with tough cuts like this is time. The more time, the better the end product in most cases. With the short ribs, about 3 1/2 hrs of searing, sauteing, de-glazing, and cooking left the house smelling fantastic, the kind of cooking that leaves an aroma that fills the block leaving all the neighbors jealous and hungry. The aroma was good, but the taste of the sweet meat falling off the bone was even better. We think this dish got more moans and groans then the last fillets we made. This was even more surprising considering that short ribs are usually very tough

Since calories don’t count on Fridays, we decided to go with a dessert and do a Baked Chocolate Custard. When planing for this meal, we decided to have our good friends over, and discovered that one of these wonderful guests is quite picky when it comes to her desserts! Names will not be used...you know who you are Jenn. She will not eat anything white, saucy, or any type of cooked fruit, but she will eat chocolate. Which worked out perfectly since we were making Chocolate Custard. A very simple recipe, most of the ingredients you will find already in your pantry and you'll be amazed at the results. A few large, white ramekins and some powdered sugar really makes this a presentable dessert without any extra work.Pictures and Recipe after the breakBaked Chocolate CustardWhat You Will Need2 cups milk3 eggs1/4 sugar1 tsp vanilla1/8 tsp salt1/2 chocolate chipsPreheat

Our favorite food is pasta.  Honestly, if we were stuck on a desert island with only one food for the rest of our lives, we would choose pasta!!  Egg pasta, semolina pasta, spinach pasta, tomato pasta, pasta with marinara sauce, pasta with pesto sauce, pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce, pasta with seafood, pasta with chicken, pasta with veggies, we love pasta. This is an intense life long love affair with pasta.  We recently bought the Kitchenaid Pasta Roller attachment and decided put it to work. Pasta stuffed with yummy stuff...otherwise known as ravioli. Making the dough was a cinch. Here's a tip from the Petruno household on amazingly fresh pasta...Play with your dough people! No really, I know usually in bread making the less you handle your dough the better but with pasta dough...play, smash, roll and kneed. You'll notice a difference trust us. This time we let the Kitchenaid

It was a dark and stormy Thursday night and our usual chef had had a long day at work, so Eric went for the combo: Head Chef and Photographer. Never doing that again. How anyone in their right mind thinks it’s a good idea to try to sauté mushrooms and onions, prepare a rub, defrost scallops dredge said scallops and operate a camera while making sure the pasta does not get overdone all at the same time is beyond me. It came together right at the end, somehow or another, but not an experience anyone wants again anytime soon. It’s a good thing the dish was worth it. Very much worth it. The scallops were blackened in a pepper mixture and the pasta was drizzled in extra virgin olive oil and butter. Even with all the butter, this was one of the healthiest meals anyone’s ever felt the need to

What is the best part of waking up early on the weekends?  Waffles. Hot, buttery waffles with all those nooks and crannies for the syrup and butter to pool in.What an amazing way to start a Sunday, it’s become a weekend tradition in our house. When we received a waffle press as a wedding gift we never thought we wanted one. Oh the things we never knew we wanted. Now we look forward to a hot breakfast every Sunday morning.  Usually we are simple people with our waffles, a  small pat of butter and a bit of maple syrup, Last Sunday was different. Last Sunday we ran out of syrup. So Charisse decided to be creative, and turns out that was a really good thing. To top off our perfectly golden waffles she made a Dutch Honey Syrup and all was right with the world. We may never buy bottled

This recipe is a tribute to my Grandma Martha, who left this world 3 years ago. I was very close to my grandma and it only seems fitting to dedicate this cake to her,  considering we are living in her home and cooking in her kitchen. When I was little, Sundays were the days I spent with her, playing in the yard, watching movies and learning how to make things like meatloaf, pot roast, and mashed potatoes. One of her favorite desserts was the pineapple upside down cake, I remember how sweet and sticky the topping was and how the maraschino cherries dyed the pineapple a pinkish color. She used the classic recipe from Betty Crocker which included cardamon and was topped off with a sprinkling of dark rum. I switched it up a bit to make it more contemporary and to suit my taste buds since I hate those