easy to make
radish leaf pesto
Pesto derives its name from pestâ which means to pound/crush. A typical pesto consists of crushed garlic, basil, pine nuts mixed with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Pesto was originally used mostly to flavor vegetable soups. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that it was used as a sauce for pasta. Earlier versions of pesto…
Read MorePasta e Patate (pasta and potato)
Pasta e Patate is a recipe from a dear friend of mine. I met Francesca in Singapore back in 2001. I had heard glowing accounts of her Italian cooking classes and was eager to meet this culinary wizard. Francesca did not disappoint. Her kitchen was light and airy and her cheery disposition made all who…
Read MoreRoasted Cipollini Onion Crostini
What do you get when grilled baguette slices (crostini) and roasted cipollini onions come together? Answer: a heavenly snack that’s so easy-to-make and ridiculously delicious! Cipolini (chip-oh-LEE-nee) onions are small and flat. The word in Italian means little onion and are sweeter than the average yellow or white onion. I have seen them in food…
Read MoreHalibut Fish Cheeks
Fish cheeks? The first time I heard this we were living in Hong Kong. The Chinese love fish and the prized part is the cheek. Why? The cheeks are the tastiest and sweetest part of the fish…I kid you not! Tender chunks of flesh that smell like the ocean and are opaque. A smaller fish…
Read MoreRoasted Pork Belly
When we first moved to Hong Kong, one of our all-time favorite fast foods was char siu fun (Chinese bbq pork over rice with a side of ginger sauce – yum!). This was our first introduction to pork belly and before that I hadn’t heard of it. Well, that’s not strictly accurate. Although I grew…
Read MoreScotch Eggs
I had too many hard boiled eggs leftover from the posting I did on how to dye eggs naturally. Of course the easy remedy was to make an egg salad sandwich but what would I do with the rest of them? Scotch eggs had been on my mind while I was coloring the eggs. I…
Read MoreChicken Shawarma -easy to make
This chicken shawarma dish isn’t as time consuming as the real MacCoy. A traditional shawarma, originating in southern Turkey, is cooked with stacked, spice-marinated lamb on an upright spit. The shawarma turns and cooks on the spit for hours, basting in its own juices. When ready to eat, the meat is shaved off the stack…
Read MoreOats and Cranberry Bars
A few posts ago Mr. S wanted me to make him his favorite ginger molasses cookies – I said I would but didn’t. If I’m not in the mood to bake, I don’t even make an attempt. I’ve had failures in the kitchen before when my mood was less than buoyant resulting in the meal…
Read MoreCitrus Fruit Salad with Roasted Pecans
We had a glorious sun-filled weekend. Today the morning started off with a grey sky and snow falling gently to the ground…the chunky snowflakes were pretty but more snow? A total of 10cm (4-inches) fell with more forecasted on the way. I’m usually more tolerant of our winters and I really don’t want to sound…
Read MoreCorned Beef and Cabbage
Not sure what to make for dinner? If you have a farmers’ market nearby, drop in and get inspired. That’s what happened to me on Saturday. Mr. S asked what’s for dinner and I said I wasn’t sure and hoped the market would be my source of inspiration. Root vegetables seemed to be everywhere from…
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