Creamy Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

These little hors d’oeuvres taste great and are the perfect size for finger food.  Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years both as food and for medicinal purposes. They are often classified as a vegetable or a herb, but they are actually fungi. While there are over 14,000 mushrooms, only about 3,000 are edible,…

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Witlof Braised in White Wine

Chicory has many names of which I only knew this as Belgium endive.  Common names for varieties include endive, raddicchio, Belgian endive, French endive, red endive, sugarloaf or witlof.  In case you weren’t already confused enough, Belgian endive is also known as French endive witloof in Dutch, witloof in the United States, chicory in the…

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Sticky Date Pudding

I’m sure we all have childhood memories of a favorite pudding our mothers made and this is one I used to enjoy especially when the cake was still warm.  Of course, as a little girl, it helped that this dessert was very sweet and thus a pleasure to consume.  There are some conflicting stories as…

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Maritime Martini

Wow!  This is what I call ceviche party style!  Not only does the lime juice marinate the scallops, the alcohol also adds another delicious flavor.  Digby, Nova Scotia is famous for its scallops and bills itself as the scallop capital of the world.  Scallops are Nova Scotia’s most valuable seafood catch and Digby is the…

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Amalfi Baked Lemons (limoni di amalfi cotti al forno)

What a beautiful, sunny looking antipasto to make when the day looks so dull and dreary!  Traditional fresh mozzarella is usually sold in containers of brine, shaped into delicate balls. Fresh mozzarella can be purchased in Italian specialty shops, cheese markets, and some natural foods and grocery stores. Originally made from the milk of water…

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Pasta with Chickpeas (pasta e ceci)

It’s been a while since I last did a posting on a Jamie Oliver recipe and this one seemed to jump off the page.  This dish is from Jamie’s Italy and is a great book to have.  As in all of Jamie’s cookbooks, this one is full of delicious recipes and with over 120 of…

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Roast Ratatouille and Halloumi Salad

I enjoy roasting vegetables as this method tends to bring out the sweetness in the vegetable and is another easy alternative to steaming.  Halloumi, the squeaky cheese, does not melt when heated. Instead it develops a delicious crust that surrounds a slightly springy, mild interior that squeaks between your teeth! Halloumi is the traditional white…

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Vanilla and Cream Cheese Pound Cakes

For me, pound cake is synonymous with baked goodies our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers made.  The word pound in the title refers to the ingredients because the original recipes contained a pound of butter, sugar, eggs and flour.  Another interesting note on the origin of words is the same idea applies to cupcakes. The…

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Massaman Curry with Chicken

Massaman is one of my favorite curries.  It is a Thai dish with Muslim origins.  It is commonly made with beef but you can also use chicken, lamb, pork or tofu.  The name Massaman is thought to be derived from the word Musulman which is a linguistic variation of the word Muslim.  Thai Massaman curry…

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