fruit galette (rustic easy-to-make pie)

fruit galette

Want to make a pie but not sure if you can?  Let’s start with a galette; it’s a perfect introduction to making one.  Because it is a freeform shape it does not require a pan.  And, to make things even easier, purchase the pie crust.  Galette (Norman word meaning flat cake) is a term used…

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spicy chicken rice bowl (sans the rice)

spicy chicken salad

For the love of carbs!  Rice is my comfort food…yep, not potatoes.  The thing is, though, I am more conscious of carbohydrates than I was years ago.  My recipe does away with rice and piles on more veggies.  The spices help steer you away from any carbohydrate cravings.  When we lived in Asia (the early…

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grilled peppers with tapenade dressing

grilled peppers with tapenade dressing

We eat first with our eyes.  Our senses are closely interconnected.  Colour is a valuable player in the impressions we form of our food. If something looks pretty, our eyes tell us to go ahead and try that first bite.   And, if the food presented looks pretty or inviting, our eyes have already given us the…

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pickled asparagus – quick & easy!

pickled asparagus

Asparagus is available year-round but when in season, you’ll find it at local markets and grocery stores.  April and May are the peak months for this emerald green beauty.  Last week I was at our farmers’ market and was delighted to see local asparagus.

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buttermilk biscuit recipe

buttermilk biscuit

Years ago, I watched Chip and Joanna Gaines’s show, Fixer Upper.  I always liked Joanna’s style.   A few weeks ago I saw an ad on tv for Magnolia Table.  Since then I’ve watched about 5 episodes and decided to make her buttermilk biscuits.  I was intrigued when she said after months of tinkering with…

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stuffed plantain balls (rellenitos de plátano maduro)

plantain

Last week we were in Playa del Carmen for a long-overdue vacation.  And, like any vacation, I do the research on places to see and eat.  For our last day, we chose to have lunch at Mamita’s Beach Club.  The restaurant was on the beach and the views were spectacular.  The setting was idyllic.  After…

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pasta with roasted tomatoes & garlic

roasted tomatoes

This is one of my favourite, easy-to-make pasta dishes.  Roasted tomatoes are the bee’s knees!  The heat releases the tomatoes natural sugars resulting in an intense flavor.  Throw in a head of garlic and you have the most delicious roasted tomatoes you will ever devour!

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new york sour cocktail

new york sour cocktail

When the pandemic first hit, no one could ever have predicted it would have gone on this long.  During the first few months, many were being laid off.  Our daughter, Laura, was one of them.  I had just posted my first ever video on how to make a breakfast smoothie and she challenged me to…

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pappardelle with potato & brown butter sauce

pappardelle with brown butter sauce

I recently purchased Pasta Grannies; it’s been a long time since I bought a cookbook.  I know, gasp!  But to be honest, I have a lovely curated collection of cookbooks.  Each has a special meaning for me.  So when I saw this book, it spoke to me and to the Italian grandmothers (nonne) who divulged…

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chocolate bark sour gummies

sour gummies

As a kid and even to this day, I have never really had a sweet tooth.  Many a Halloween I would pick through the goodies and then begin bartering with my siblings.  If there were too many marshmallow treats, milk chocolate candies, etc. those were the first to go.  Anything sour, however, was the last…

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