Welcome to Tim and Victor’s Totally Joyous Recipes

We have recipes from family reunions, heart-healthy from the ’90s, artery-clogging from the ’60’s, rustic breads, gooey desserts, hundreds of recipes from friends and family, quick and easy ideas, and whatever we decided to pull together for dinner.

Eclectic, to say the least.

And eclectic really does sum up what it’s all about – fun food for fun people with something for any occasion.

Peruse the site and have some fun! There are several thousand recipes just waiting for you!

Both of Us in the Kitchen

Homemade Tomato Paste

The tomato bounty contines. Victor was online and came across recipes for tomato paste. We had both thought about making it, but neither of us were thrilled about stirring it on the stovetop for literal hours, worrying about scorching or burning... Enter

Victor in the Kitchen

Homemade Fettuccine and Home-Grown Tomatoes

Homemade pasta with a fresh sauce made from tomatoes out of our garden. It does not suck to be us. Some meals are over-the-top because of their exotic ingredients. Others are over-the-top because of their simplicity. Tonight's dinner was definitely of

Both of Us in the Kitchen

Stuffed Tomatoes

The tomatoes just keep coming! The eggplant fizzled, the peppers fizzled, but the tomatoes are coming on strong. If I was going to hope for at least one of the three to come on strong, it would be the tomatoes -

Tim in the Kitchen

BBQ Pork Tenderloin

In my quest for fun, new - to me - spicy peppers, I ordered some Korean Gochugaru Pepper Flakes online. While I know that I like eating Korean food, I haven't cooked a lot of Korean food. We used to

Tim in the Kitchen

Risotto with Aleppo Pepper

For a spice that is so popular, I must say that trying to find Aleppo Pepper out here in the culinary wasteland of the Philadelphia suburbs is nigh-on impossible. Thank goodness for online shopping or our culinary staples would be

Tim in the Kitchen

Canning Soup

As we were eating the Roasted Tomato Soup, yesterday, I started thinking about fall and winter - and having lots of soups. I grew up on homemade soups and, to this day, they're one of my most favorite foods. I figured

Victor in the Kitchen

Roasted Tomato Soup

When the garden gives you tomatoes, it's time to make tomato soup! The vines just keep on giving, so Victor took about six pounds of them and made a big batch of roasted tomato soup - and it is outrageously good! This

Both of Us in the Kitchen

Red Lentil Soup and Tomato Galette

It's summertime and it's rather hot outside, but with the air conditioner running, it could be any time of the year, at all, indoors. Time for some soup! Victor found a recipe for a Turkish red lentil Soup that sounded like

Tim in the Kitchen

Tomatoes and Potatoes

The Tomato Bounty continues... We have lots of sauce downstairs and lots more to make - and that's just from the plums and san marzanos. The other heirlooms are coming along strong, as well. I had less than a pint of sauce

Tim in the Kitchen

Leftover Rice

I've always found it easier to cook a minimum of one cup of rice - I just don't have a lot of luck with cooking smaller amounts. It's even easier to cook two cups and have a couple of meals

Tim in the Kitchen

Tomatoes and Beans

The tomatoes are starting to come in fast and furious. We're now harvesting daily. With different varieties, there are different uses. In the grand scheme of things, they're all interchangeable, but they all have characteristics that make them better at some

Tim in the Kitchen

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

My impulse buy at the produce store on Monday was a huge pattypan squash. I had never seen one that size, so I thought it would be fun to see what I could do with it. While we did end up

Tim in the Kitchen

Tuna Burgers

We had a couple of odd-sized tuna steaks in the freezer - one rather large and one rather small - so I thought it might be a good idea to figure out how to make them more equal-sized. Chopping them

Victor in the Kitchen

Sunday Pasta

Sunday pasta. What a treat - especially when it's homemade! Victor has been making pasta for years - and every batch just seems to be better than the last. There's something about homemade pasta that just can't be compared to the fresh

Bread

More Pitas

Pita has become my new favorite bread - this week. I tend to go through stages with types of breads - artisans, sourdoughs, sandwich loaves, Italian rustic - just to name a few. It's fun to make several loaves of something

Tim in the Kitchen

Cooking with Cucumbers

Tonight's dinner is a complete surprise - neither of us has ever had a cooked cucumber before. After tonight, I think we will be seeing more of them! I did an early morning harvest and brought in a dozen cucumbers -

Tim in the Kitchen

Shrimp and Cod

Relaxing after dinner, last night, Victor said: You know what would be good? Those grilled vegetables on rice with shrimp and cod. With one of the pita breads. A meal was born! The grilled vegetables in the 'fridge are getting a workout,

Bread, Tim in the Kitchen

Taboun and Spiced Chicken

It seems that the more I learn, the less I know. I learn a bit of something and next thing I know, I need to learn a dozen more things to learn the how's and why's for the first thing

Victor in the Kitchen

Gazpacho

Summertime, an' the livin' is easy... And cold soup on a hot day is perfection - especially since most of the ingredients came out of our garden! There are as many recipes for gazpacho as there are people making it - some

Victor in the Kitchen

Chicken Soup for the Soul

I still have a cold. It still sucks - and I am not a good patient. But I will be a good boy and eat all of my soup when it's freshly-made by Victor. I may not be the best patient in

Tim in the Kitchen

Thugs and Ainsley

I'm sitting here with the Summer Cold From Hell. Since I actually don't remember the last time I had a cold - it's been a few years, at least - I suppose I shouldn't complain, too much. On the other hand, it

Both of Us in the Kitchen

Shrimp Ravioli, Part Deux

When Victor made his Shrimp Ravioli, last month, he made a double-batch. Half went into the freezer. When he made the Goat Cheese a few days ago, the whey went into the freezer. Tonight, they both came out. So to speak. Creating

Tim in the Kitchen

Baked Cod

Time for more fun food from the garden! First off, is a quick Cucumber Salad. The cukes are coming in fast and furious - and huge. Color me naive, but I had no idea one little cucumber plant could produce so

Victor in the Kitchen

Stuffed Cabbage

When I was a youngster, my Birthday Dinner was Veal Marsala and Pineapple Cream Pie. My mom made a great dish with pounded beef, mushrooms, and marsala - we never saw $$$ veal in our house - and she served it

Victor in the Kitchen

Goat Cheese with Apricots and Pistachios

We were at the Bryn Mawr Farmer's Market, today, and found raw goats milk. Victor has been making his own cheese for a while, now, and raw goats milk is not easy to come by - we picked up a quart

Tim in the Kitchen

Steaks and Marinated Goat Cheese

We took a trek down to the Bryn Mawr Farmer's Market, this morning. We really didn't need anything, but we thought it might be fun just to see what sort of gastronomical delights were available. We picked up some fresh onions,

Tim in the Kitchen

Ground Pork and Vegetable Galette

The latest batch of grilled vegetables is almost gone. I really do love having them in the 'fridge - they are so versatile. Tonight, they got worked into a galette filling - a perfect summer-y dinner. I started off by making a pie

Both of Us in the Kitchen

Dinner From The Garden

It is so much fun going out back and picking dinner! Tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, tomatillos, and hot peppers are all starting to arrive. Well... the cucumbers are arriving with a vengeance, but that's okay. We're figuring out lots of fun

Tim in the Kitchen

Fresh Tomatoes

The garden is finally starting to produce something besides cucumbers - and if we can get a bit more sun and a bit less rain, we're going to be in for one hellava harvest, this year. The Purple Cherokee tomatoes and

Tim in the Kitchen

Pickles, Buns, and Burgers

Sometimes, I amaze myself. Actually, I often amaze myself. Usually it's in the form of how did I get to be 67 years of age and not know some basic bit of otherwise common knowledge. Every once in a blue moon, however,

The Cookbook Collection

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

FAMILY

AND

FRIENDS

This is a collection of recipes from family and friends, TV personalities, and stuff just found along the way.

There are handwritten recipes from long-gone relatives and things we’ve recently found. There’s no real rhyme or reason to anything other than they’re things we like.

Because that’s really what it’s all about.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

TIM’S

MOM’S

COOKBOOKS

Here it is! Tim’s Mom’s collection of recipes from the 1960s and 1970s. Days when cooking was definitely more fun and adventurous!

The two original loose leaf binders contain recipes culled from magazines and newspapers, as well as handwritten recipes by her, her mother, and other friends and relatives.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

RECIPES

FROM

VILLA MODICA

Villa Modica is located in Modica, province of Ragusa, in Sicily – in the southeastern corner of the island. Close to Syracusa, Catania, and easy driving to Mount Etna, it’s the perfect location.

Our hosts, George and his lovely wife, Antonella, were the epitome of Sicilian hospitality.

George has a collection of recipes on his Villa Modica website that I have copied here for convenience.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Sicily, there is only one place to stay.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

FLOUR

POWER

A collection of sweet and savory baked goods made with various types of flour.

There are pies, cakes, cookies, yeast breads, quick breads, and handmade pastas – something for everyone.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

RECIPES FROM FORT ROBINSON

FAMILY

REUNION

1

Family recipes from our first Family Reunion at Fort Robinson, Nebraska in 1986.

They run the gamut from savory to sweet – with something for everyone.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

RECIPES FROM FORT ROBINSON

FAMILY

REUNION

2

Family recipes from our second Family Reunion at Fort Robinson, Nebraska in 1996. Even more fun foods!

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

RECIPES

FROM THE

HEART

These recipes were created for the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center by menu and recipe coordinator Christine Leishman, who has extensive experience in some of San Francisco’s finest restaurants. They are for anyone who is serious about cooking and eating delicious and healthful foods.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

QUICK MEALS

IN

MINUTES

The majority of these recipes were created when Tim was doing Demo work and created by Tim, Ruth, and Elizabeth.

Use your imagination and have fun with them. That’s why we made them up in the first place!

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

LITTLE GRAM’S

COOKBOOKS

“Little Gram” was Mary Ferante, nee Taomina. She was our sister-in-law Marie’s Grandmother, and, while not exactly a blood relation to us, was nevertheless “Little Grandma” to us as well. She was spry, active, and ready to talk politics or cooking right up to her passing in July 2008 at 105. Yes, one hundred and five.

The recipes as written are taken from Grandma’s own notes.

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

HOLIDAY

COOKING

These are all recipes submitted from all our wonderful family and friends. Recipes that have been handed down over the years as well as fun foods newly created. A one-stop-shop for all your Holiday Cooking!

THE RECIPES

THE COOKBOOK COLLECTION

OTHER

STUFF

This is a collection of recipes I have had on my computer for years. And years. I am not sure where most of them ever came from. I think a lot of them were collected as ideas for work back in the days when we created recipes. Some of them worked their way into the house under a different guise and a lot of them have never been made in their posted form.

THE RECIPES