Weekend Cooking- A Visit Back Home

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

My husband got a job in New York City seven years ago and so we packed up and moved from the only place I had ever lived. My family still lives in Auburn, and we go back home to visit family and friends at least twice a year.

One of my husband's favorite activities back home is planning where we will eat. He always looks forward to making a list of restaurants and getting his favorite meals.

Our home was close to Nino's Pizzeria and on the way back from baseball games, we always stopped in to get a half cheese, half pepperoni pizza and mild charbroiled wings. (Their cold turkey subs were my favorite.) We got a pizza on our first night there and even though we live in NYC, the home of amazing pizza, we still love our Nino's.

Lasca's Restaurant is probably Auburn's best-known restaurant, and people frequently come from Syracuse (30 miles east) to eat there. We love to get take-out from there; I get the Lasca's Chicken, which is two chicken breasts stuffed with ham, broccoli and Swiss cheese and covered with a cream sauce and a little spinach on the side. I get it with rice, but this time they told me they don't make rice anymore. What??? I found that strange. But still, it was mighty good, and there always leftovers for another meal.

My husband gets the Veal and Jumbo Shrimp, served in a champagne cream sauce with a baked potato, one of his all-time favorite meals. Everyone else loves the Chicken Parmigiana, and their salad with house Italian dressing is a winner. It's funny, the restaurants in Auburn all have delicious homemade house dressings.

Chicken Parm from Lasca's

Parkers Grille & Tap House is located downtown, and we would stop in for lunch on our errands when we lived in Auburn. My husband is crazy for their Combo Platter of mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and potato skins, and I get the Beef-on-a-Weck, roast beef on a Kimmelwick bun. It's a fun place to go, and whenever we stop in, we always see someone we know.

We stayed at the new Hilton Garden Inn and met friends at the BeauVine Chop House & Wine Bar for drinks and snacks. I love that they specialize in Finger Lakes wines, there are so many wonderful wineries in the region. I highly recommend a winery tour if you ever find your way to the Finger Lakes.

I found a new Pino Grigio, Il Giardino, that I really enjoyed and will be looking for at my local wine shop. My friend suggested we share the Truffle Parmesan Fries served with Garlic Aioli and Homemade Ketchup and we shared a burger. Both were very tasty and they gave you so many fries, it was plenty to share. My son enjoyed the filet mignon he had, pronouncing it one of the best steaks he has had. We had breakfast there as well, eggs, homefries, bacon and toast and it was tasty and quickly prepared. The Hilton Garden Inn is a wonderful new addition to Auburn, and the atmosphere at the Wine Bar is relaxed and enjoyable. It the perfect place to meet up with friends and have a conversation.

And of course, I made several trips to my beloved Wegman's. How I wish we had one here in the city! We missed some of our other favorites on this trip- Michael's Restaurant, Rosalie's in Skaneatles- but we'll be back in August.

What are some of your favorite hometown restaurants and foods? Share them in the comments section below. 

Weekend Cooking- Our Annual Summer Party

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.


For the past few years, we rent a home on Owasco Lake where we lived before moving to NYC. We spend the week with my family and on one night we have a big party inviting our friends. It's always a good time, with lots of laughter, fun and good food and drink.

Our menu consisted of some things I made; our appetizers included
Pepperoni Dip- which I also made for our Super Bowl party and
Mary Alice's Hoagie Dip- a recipe my sister-in-law found on FoodNetwork.com, and which tastes like a Wegmans' Joey Sub.

My friend Barbara made her famous Summer Pizza, which I love so much, with cream cheese and veggies, and her husband brought the most delicious tomatoes and jalapeno peppers from his garden; my sons could not stop raving about them.

For the main course, we ordered Cornell Chicken from Lascas Restaurant and I made a few trays of Rachael Ray's Italian Macaroni and Cheese, which is a perfect dish for a big group. By the end of the week I had made three trays of it and there was not a noodle left. (Sorry Rick!)

We also ordered Cheese Souffle from The Springside Inn, which is an Auburn institution, and everyone loves the dish. I also made a tray of roasted vegetables of mushrooms, green and red peppers, red onions, and zucchini. And no gathering is complete without Jello; I made Pretzel Jello.

There were lots of fabulous desserts, including Paula Deen's Frozen Banana Split, which is another one that is good for a crowd and easy to make. I made it last year for the first time, and it got so many compliments, it made a return appearance this year.

Paula Deen's Frozen Banana Split

Lots of people brought yummy desserts too; a light and lovely Lemon Cake from The Patisserie in Skaneateles from Tony and Kristi (they also brought bread and a tomato dipping sauce that was out-of-this-world from there), homemade Pumpkin Spice Cake with chocolate chips (thanks Di!), and the most gorgeous Red Velvet Cupcakes from The Chocolate Mill in Glens Falls, courtesy of Rick and Kelly. I always ask Maria to bring her amazing Pumpkin Cookies, and I still say she should sell them, they are that good.

My dear friend Trish knows me so well and always brings the perfect hostess gift. This time she gave me Philippa Gregory's new book, The Kingmaker's Daughter, and she got my husband Chad Harbach's incredible novel, The Art of Fielding, and even better, she bought them from Downtown Books & Coffee, a local independent bookstore. Yay Trish!

It was such a great party and so good to see all our friends; I only wish it could have lasted longer!