homemade grenadine – so easy to make!
When I was younger, a treat for me and my siblings was when our parents would take us out to dinner. Unlike today, that didn’t happen regularly when I was growing up. But when it did, it was a special event as I knew I would get treated to a Shirley Temple drink.
Read More
diy beeswax wraps
We’re all familiar with the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) and I’d like to think most make a conscious effort to use those three R’s, yours truly included. But, sometimes I fall back into what’s comfortable or easy-to-use. Last week I was at our farmers’ market and I saw a couple of vendors selling beeswax…
Read More
diy kumquat infused vodka
Back in June 2015, my cocktail world as I knew it (virtually nonexistent) made an unexpected, but very pleasant discovery; I liked bourbon! Up until that time, my favorite tipple was vodka and tonic with lime. As a youngster, I recall my mom and dad enjoying a drink from a packet called a whiskey sour…
Read More
best ever oven baked bbq ribs
Best ever, you ask? Well, in my humble opinion, yes. But let’s be perfectly honest, EVERYONE has said at one point in their cooking life, theirs is the best! And, guess what? They are 100% right! As an avid cook (40 years), I have eaten and baked a ton of bbq ribs; some that were…
Read More
roasted cabbage with parmesan
Cabbage gets a bad rap if you ask me. It’s been around for three thousand years and yet it’s not front of mind in the vegetable world. Most will have eaten it raw in a coleslaw and not many will have tried it cooked on the stovetop or in the oven. Perhaps we don’t do…
Read More
stracciatella soup (italian egg drop soup)
No muss, no fuss. This soup is one of the easiest you’ll ever make and with minimal ingredients. What’s more, you can have it ready to serve in less than 15 minutes! Egg drop soup is a favorite in Rome and in central Italy. Stracciatella refers to the shredding of the eggs into little rags…
Read More
steamed mussels with black bean garlic sauce
One of the first sauces we tried when we moved to Hong Kong was the black bean. The description alone made us wonder how much our senses were going to be assaulted. After all, how could fermented black soybeans taste anything but salty and smell stinky? That was the westernness coming out in me or…
Read More
braised chicken wings – happy Chinese new year!
With Chinese New Year one week away, this celebration always gets me in the mood for Chinese cuisine. Our time spent in Asia saw us with a keen curiosity for local food and traditions surrounding holidays and events. While I have tried a variety of Chinese food, some came with much distaste (chicken feet, innards…
Read More
brown butter gnocchettini dumplings
These aren’t your typical dumplings. And it might be a bit confusing if you are used to seeing dumplings the size of golf balls in a stew or soup. I’m pretty sure if my great, great paternal grandmother saw this dish she, too, would say these are not dumplings! Nanny Kent was born in Bohemia…
Read More
spanish tomato toast (pan con tomate)
Last week we were in Madrid and are totally smitten. Mr. S and I have never been before. He’s half Spanish so whenever we are in a Spanish country, he feels a connection even though he grew up in England. We’ve been to Barcelona before but Spain’s capital tugged at our hearts! It’s a beautiful,…
Read More
icebox gingersnaps
Haven’t found any spare hours to do some holiday baking? There’s still time and my great aunt’s gingersnaps recipe is a cinch to make. Audrey was my favorite paternal aunt. She was an elegant, refined, woman who loved to cook, had a twinkle in her eye, and if you were in her company, she always…
Read More
cabbage and pasta soup
Baby, it’s cold outside (and I am not referring to the song that seems to have ruffled silly feathers). We had a cold snap for the past few days and whenever this happens, my body craves soup! Soup is as old as the history of cooking and enjoyed by the poor and the rich. It…
Read More
BLT sandwich (brinjal, lettuce, tomato)
This isn’t your typical BLT sandwich as it uses eggplant bacon. Say what? Eggplant bacon has been circulating the web for quite some time but yours truly only recently heard about it when I saw it pop up on Instagram. Eggplant (aka aubergine or brinjal) is known for its deep purple and glossy skin. Some…
Read More