MaiTai Tracy’s Kitchen:  Our Favorite Recipes

 

 

 

From Our Kitchen To Yours

“A passion for food is a passion for life” – Old Italian saying

Welcome to MaiTai Tracy’s Kitchen!

Tom and I love to travel … and to eat!  When Tom started Travels With Mai Tai Tom, MaiTai Tracy’s Kitchen was added as a way to help Tom build content.  Somewhere along the way, I realized I enjoyed sharing recipes and really liked writing and taking pictures.  I started by posting some of our favorites recipes from our years of entertaining.  I have kept track of the menus for every single dinner and party we have had at our house since 1999.  We like to host, what can I say?

Our very first party in 1991 was a Blazing Saddles costume party where we served Yankee Bean Soup and Tuna Surprise (food from the movie – not to worry, those recipes are not here).  Our second effort was Thanksgiving, where the turkey erupted in flames.  Apparently, it was a very juicy turkey and the drippings spilled out and caught fire in the oven.  As I recall, everything turned out great despite our beagle snatching a loaf of cranberry bread from the table.

We are much improved since those two efforts.  The recipes I share with you are our favorites; ones that can’t go wrong and that we feel are worth the effort.  Our motto: “Good Food, Great Friends and Fun.” 

On the travel side of things, I am the “Scribe.”  I take copious notes that Tom magically transforms into his trip reports and posts.  These days I also take most of the photos on my iPhone.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we like sharing them!

“People who love to eat are always the best people” – Julia Child

Tracy & Tom

Browse by Course

Breakfast 

Starter

Soup and Salad

Cocktail

Side

Main

Dessert

Dog Treats

 


October 18, 2018

Bucatini Aglio e Olio

Pasta Perfetta Bucatini Aglio e Olio Main Having just returned from a three week trip to Italy, we are still craving pasta, and our favorite pasta recipe is Bucatini Aglio e Olio. (Here are a couple of photos from my Italy 2018 trip report … The roof of Duomo di […]
September 11, 2018

Mai Tai Upside-Down Skillet Cake with Hatch Chiles and Pineapple

Edible Mai Tai Mai Tai Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Hatch Chiles  Dessert As Hatch chile season drew to a close, my mind was humming on how to use the Melissa’s Extra Hot Chiles we had grilled for the Hatch Chile Butterscotch Blondies.  We made some Hatch Chile hamburgers for […]
August 16, 2018

Hatch Chile, Butterscotch & Pecan Blondies with Fleur de Sel

Salty, Sweet and … Hot! Hatch Chile, Butterscotch & Pecan Blondies with Fleur de Sel Dessert Welcome to Hatch Chile Season, or as Tom calls it, “The most wonderful time of the year!”  We go crazy this time of the year grilling Hatch Chiles and finding new ways to use them.  Tom […]
August 13, 2018

Lemon Sorbet, Vodka and Prosecco Italian Cocktail (Sgroppino)

Singing Gondolier Lemon Sorbet, Vodka and Prosecco Italian Cocktail (Sgroppino) Cocktail Tracy and I were told about this lemon sorbet prosecco cocktail by a drunk Brit (you can always trust a drunk Brit) one evening when we stayed at the Pensione La Calcina in Venice back in 2005.  Since we […]
July 31, 2018

Grilled Steak and Elote Tacos

Excellent Elote! Grilled Steak Tacos with Elote Main Perusing Cooking Light recently, I found a recipe for Grilled Steak and Elote Tacos from skinnytaste.com.   Fast and easy!  Perfect for a weeknight grill fest.  One of my favorite appetizers is the Elote Appetizer from the Elote Café in Sedona, Arizona.   Elote is […]
July 24, 2018

Cadillac Margarita Cheesecake Bars with Graham Cracker Pretzel Crust

Tequila Treat Treasure Cadillac Margarita Cheesecake Bars with Graham Cracker Pretzel Crust Dessert Tom’s birthday this year falls on National Tequila Day.  Since it is also a work day (for some of us at least), instead of downing some margs, I decided to make him the Top-Shelf Margarita Cheesecake found […]
July 16, 2018

Summer Tomato, Strawberry & Mozzarella Salad

Stupendous Summertime Salad Summer Tomato, Strawberry & Mozzarella Salad Soup & Salad In 2014, in anticipation of our 20th Anniversary trip to Paris, Tom and I took a beginning French language class at Le Petite Ecole Française. Our instructor, Caroline, who was French, was excellent and very patient with us […]
June 29, 2018

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Shake Shack’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken Variation Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken Main When I read that Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) said the recipe for The Shake Shack’s fried chicken was the best fried chicken ever, I did a double take.  My Nana’s fried chicken is the best ever!   Of course, did […]
June 15, 2018

Watermelon and Yogurt Pupsicles (Frozen Dog Treats)

They’ll Want To Get Their Paws On These Frozen Dog Treats with Yogurt Watermelon and Yogurt Pupsicles  Dog Treats I wanted to make something special for Frank and Remi’s 10th birthday this year.  They especially like frozen dog yogurt (pumpkin and bacon flavor is a favorite) but it is expensive.  […]
May 30, 2018

Chilaquiles with Roasted Hatch Chile and Tomatillo Sauce with BBQ Nopales Salsa

Getting Your Chilaquiles On Chilaquiles with Roasted Hatch Chile and Tomatillo Sauce with BBQ Nopales Salsa Breakfast My absolute favorite breakfast food is chilaquiles.  If it’s on the menu, that is what I am ordering!  Crunchy tortillas, spicy red or green sauce, topped with an egg and cheese.  Yum!  While watching […]
May 16, 2018

“Naked” Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Frosting (and Strawberry Grand Marnier Filling)

The Icing On The Cake!Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe “Naked” Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Mascarpone Frosting (and Strawberry Grand Marnier Filling) Dessert I saw this lemon olive oil cake recipe in Better Homes and Gardens in 2015, but only recently got around to making it.  I love this […]
April 26, 2018

Chocolate Bacon Bark with Fleur de Sel

Bark Is As Good As Its Bite! Chocolate Bacon Bark with Fleur de Sel Dessert While perusing the Good Housekeeping at the dentist’s office, I saw this recipe from Delish and just had to make it.  I made it twice because the first time it seemed to me that it […]
April 12, 2018

Strawberry and Arugula Salad with Fried Goat Cheese and Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Strawberry Fields Forever Strawberry and Arugula Salad with Fried Goat Cheese and Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Soup & Salad Nothing says spring has sprung more than when those first big, delicious strawberries start appearing in the market.  And, when I saw the strawberry vinaigrette recipe in Southern Living, I knew exactly […]
March 26, 2018

Uncle Bill’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with Grand Marnier Orange Zest

Heavenly Pancakes Uncle Bill’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with Grand Marnier Orange Zest Breakfast On those special Sunday mornings when I was a kid (or an adult), my dad (Bill) would mess up the kitchen and make these incredible pancakes that are light as a feather. Why then “Uncle Bill’s?”  My […]
March 14, 2018

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi with Lemon, Thyme & Shallot Sauce

Gnocchi … Two Ways Meyer Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi with Lemon, Thyme & Shallot Sauce Main As anyone who has read Tom’s trip reports or Tom’s Dining Out knows, Tom loves his gnocchi.  He has it everywhere we go.  I would say gnocchi is one of his Top 5 favorite foods […]
March 2, 2018

“Melt in Your Mouth” Beef and Barley Soup

There’s The Beef! “Melt in Your Mouth” Beef and Barley Soup Soup & Salad In December I went to visit my dad in Northern California for the weekend, I decided to make a batch of my favorite soup to take to him from my favorite soup cookbook, Sunday Soup, by […]