Melon Carpaccio with Burrata and Crispy Sage
Growing up, I was never much of a melon fan. Watermelon, absolutely, but the others I could happily leave behind. Somewhere along the way, that changed. These days, when summer is in full swing, I can’t get enough of a perfectly ripe melon.
Roasted Parsnips & Sweet Potatoes with Caper Vinaigrette
There isn’t a roasted vegetable I didn’t like and when there’s a combination like this, I am in foodie heaven! I love everything about this dish and let’s not forget about its nutritional content. I like to give the body a break from processing meat by abstaining from it for a day or two and…
Cranberry Pecan Muffins
While baking these beauties, I pondered where do you draw the line between a muffin and a cupcake? While a muffin might be considered healthier than a cupcake, once you start adding ingredients such as chocolate and streusel-like toppings or glazes it starts to resemble a cupcake. And, when you use cupcake liners for muffins…
Fresh Mozzarella and Roasted Tomatoes
I finally got the chance to make my first batch of fresh mozzarella! Beecher’s in the Flatiron District sell kits from Urban Cheesecraft and it was in the summer that I picked one up but never got around to trying it until now. Their deluxe DIY Cheese Kit allows you to make mozzarella, chèvre, paneer,…
Christmas Fruitcake
Fruitcake dates back to the Roman times and in the 1400’s the British began their love affair with fruitcake when dried fruits from the Mediterranean first arrived. This cake was generally served at weddings – the dark cake was given out as the groom’s cake and the white fruitcake was the bride’s. It was the…
Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce
There’s something exotic-sounding about a poached pear. It doesn’t really mater if it’s poached in water, fruit juice or wine, the presentation will make your family and friends salivate. So simple to make and you can fiddle with the poaching ingredients to suit your taste (i.e. orange peel, star anise, ginger, lemon peel). Poaching in…
Feta Salsa – A Super Easy Dip!
I love it when I am able to recreate a dish that I enjoyed elsewhere. One of the grocery stores I frequently shop is Whole Foods. I love this place and it serves as a food inspiration for me. They always have something new to sample and their dips of all descriptions are marketed via…
Kale Salad with Wild Rice and Cranberries – A Vegan Delight!
How can anyone resist a salad that is popping with color? Not only is it colorful but healthy. Kale’s anti-oxidant health benefits means it has been studied more extensively in cancer research than any other health condition. Kale’s nutrient richness is found in three areas: 1) antioxidant nutrients, 2) anti-inflammatory nutrients, and 3) anti-cancer nutrients…
Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Oatmeal cookies have been around since 1896 (first published in the Boston Cooking School cookbook). The humble cookie has been around since the end of the 14th century where little filled wafers were sold on the streets of Paris. Renaissance cookbooks were rich in cookie recipes. Biscuits (aka cookie) became the ideal traveling food because…
Spicy Greek Cheese Spread (Tyrokafteri)
As I write this post, hurricane Sandy (not meant to touch land until this evening) is already being felt in NYC. We were in the city last night for a wedding and stayed overnight but by 9am it was almost next to impossible to get a cab…thankfully, though, we managed to hail one. So with…
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I never enjoyed Brussels sprouts when I was a kid but thankfully my taste buds grew up and became educated! Perhaps they were a bit too soft for my liking or maybe I just didn’t like the taste. After experimenting with different ways to enjoy this cruciferous veggie, Brussels sprouts are amazingly good for your…
Lamb Chops Calabria Style with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Olives
The cuisine of Calabria is typical southern Italian Mediterranean – meat based dishes, vegetables, pasta, and fish. Because their climate is humid (high risk of mold and spoilage), Calabrians preserve their food by packing veggies and meat in olive oil, making sausage and curing fish (swordfish, sardines, and cod). The food is simple and delicious. …
The Best Macaroni and Cheese!
This is my kind of old fashioned comfort food! My mom made this for us when we were young and my family enjoys this dish although my daughter does tend to like the Kraft dinner version! A recipe for a casserole of macaroni, white sauce, and grated yellow cheese was first recorded in the “Boston…