bm-gazpacho-4

You may have noticed that I complain about the heat a lot. That’s because it is HOT here, people! It’s steam coming out of your ears hot. It’s fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. It’s the kind of hot that has Linda Ronstadt’s Heatwave on autoplay in your brain. Even your fingernails sweat here. And, don’t even get me started on the humidity!

I love how movies, like the 1981 classic, Body Heat, portray our sweltering Florida summers as sultry, sexy and steamy affairs where everyone moves about languidly peeling off their clothes. Pulleaze! There’s nothing remotely glamorous or sexy about triple digit temperatures. If people are peeling off clothes around here, it’s most likely to jump in the pool – not into bed. And, trust me, no one looks like a young Kathleen Turner did– except…well…maybe a young Kathleen Turner. Even she, apparently, had some frizz issues.

As uncomfortable as it is in my neck of the woods, those of us who live here have gotten used to it. If nothing else, we have industrial strength air conditioning wherever we go. This past week or so, however, has brought uncharacteristically hot weather all through the Midwest and Northeast. Friends in Michigan and Massachusetts have been reporting blistering temps climbing into the 100’s. That’s just brutal! Here I am, whining about 98 in the shade from my cool, air conditioned perch while half the country is roasting in Mother Nature’s great big, giant oven!

Speaking of ovens, mine hasn’t been getting a whole lot of action lately. It’s just too damn hot. However, we still have to eat. So, I focus on making things that don’t require me to slave over a hot stove, like salads, chilled soups and of course, reservations. read more >>

more of what\'s cooking...

Tuesday, November 2, 201085 Comments

I’ve eaten a lot of flan in my day – maybe hundreds of pounds. I’ve eaten it in Mexico, Puerto Rico and in numerous other Caribbean locales. I’ve also eaten it Cuban-style, thanks to an old college roommate whose family was from Cuba. I’ve ordered it in every Latin …

Easy Chorizo and Potato Huaraches

Sunday, July 11, 201026 Comments

Wow! I was just cleaning out my Drafts folder and found this post. I can’t believe that I forgot to share these with you! The recipe for these sassy little Huaraches is another one that I learned from Chef Luis at my cooking class adventure in Cozumel. They’re …

Sunday, June 27, 201011 Comments

One of the highlights of any cruise is visiting the various ports of call on the itinerary. The sea days are fun and relaxing, but I really love going ashore and soaking up some local color. As many of you know, one of the stops on my most recent …

Sunday, June 20, 201029 Comments

First of all, I’d like to wish all the Dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day! Then, I’d like to remind all the daughters out there who still have their Dads with them how lucky they are. I lost my father three and a half years ago …

Wednesday, May 19, 201024 Comments

Yesterday was my birthday. At my age, birthdays pretty much come and go without too much fanfare. We usually go out for a nice dinner somewhere and call it a day. Since Mr. SGCC was out of town on business, we decided to postpone our celebration until this …

Thursday, April 15, 201044 Comments

What could I possibly say about the iconic Columbia Restaurant that hasn’t been said before? From its humble Ybor City beginnings in 1905 as a small corner sandwich shop to its current status as Florida’s oldest restaurant and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world, the Columbia has …

Moros y Cristianos

Sunday, April 11, 201015 Comments

A few days ago, I shared my secrets to making the perfect (to me) Cuban sandwich, one of which was a succulent and juicy, marinated roast pork or lechon asado. But, man (or woman) cannot live by Cuban sandwiches alone. No, no, no! One also needs a few …

Thursday, April 8, 201037 Comments

I am of the firm belief that one cannot live in South Florida for any length of time without developing an appreciation of Cuban food. Seriously. You just can’t. The distinctive Latin flavor of Cuban culture is woven like a ribbon through our cuisine. It makes perfect sense, …

Sunday, August 2, 200927 Comments

Did you know that there are over 91,800,000 recipes floating around the Internet? Well, Google says so, and that’s good enough for me. Despite that staggering number of choices, I usually find myself gravitating towards the same dozen or so sites when looking for some culinary inspiration. They offer …

kiss the cook!

Hello and welcome to SGCC! I’m Susan, a professional writer, food columnist, recipe developer, wife, mother, daughter and sister, who used to be a lawyer in a previous life. My love of food comes from a long line of wonderful and creative Italian home cooks who didn’t always have a lot, but knew how to make a lot out of what they had. I hope that you enjoy yourself while you’re here, and visit often! read more >>

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