The Cupid’s Cup

September 22, 2026

Autumn is officially here, and the weather lately has been stellar. I am saluting the change of seasons with this flirty riff on a classic Pisco Sour. Pisco is a grape brandy that can only be produced in Peru or Chile.

Corn, Avocado and String Bean Salad with Feta

August 9, 2012

What inspires you to cook?  Is it a photo from a food magazine, cookbook or simply food that’s in your refrigerator?  For me, it’s a combination and the other night it was the contents in my fridge that dictated what I would make for dinner.  I had a couple of heirloom tomatoes left from Lieb’s…

Scallop and Pesto Purses – A Tribute to Julia Child

August 7, 2012

I was in Barnes and Noble bookstore last week and in the cooking section (yes, I know – shock!) when I was about to leave I spied an end unit displaying Julia Child’s cookbook:  Baking With Julia: Savor The Joys of Baking with America’s Best Bakers.  I paused to take note and began casually flipping…

Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

August 3, 2012

Last Sunday after church John and I strolled around the Upper West Side of Broadway to explore the area.  We were searching for a place to eat lunch when I spotted the Columbia Greenmarket.  The Greenmarkets of NYC are the creation of GrowNYC which began in 1970 (born on the first earth day).  Their markets…

The Best Homemade Lemon Ice Cream!

August 2, 2012

This recipe (adapted from Gourmet) forms part of another – Frozen Lemon Gingersnap Pie – which I will share with you in another post.  There’s something so quintessentially summer whenever lemons are mentioned in a recipe, making any day of the year sunny.  Flavored shaved ice (precursor to ice cream) has been used for thousands…

Fig, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Salad

July 30, 2012

Originally posted in 2007 this recipe has come to light again because Kitchen Daily (Huffington Post) liked my photo for their fig roundup.  I received an email from Joe, the associate editor of Kitchen Daily wanting to know if it was ok to include my photo in their feature about figs.  As you can imagine…

Panzanella Salad – too hot for cooking!

July 26, 2012

It’s been so hot out lately and with my husband away dinner needed to be simple and quick.  Originally I thought I would make a pasta primavera using the fresh veggies I bought from Lieb’s organic patch but I eyed the leftover focaccia bread on the counter and changed my mind.  I would make a…

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (Fiori di Zucca Ripieni)

July 23, 2012

Ciao, pronto, prego, il conto, mi scusi, buon giorno, arrivederci, grazie – some useful words we used when we visited Italy earlier this month – it seems a distant memory now!  Don’t ask me to string a sentence together but I can get by with simple words and hand gesticulations.  John, on the other hand,…

Vacation Time!

July 2, 2012

We are so looking forward to being on vacation.  This year has had its challenges for us especially on the job front but that was recently sorted – phew!  My husband light heartedly jokes about being employed in the US in that he’s been sitting at the same desk for a year and the company…

Raspberry Picante Paloma Pitchers

July 1, 2012

It’s been a scorcher these past few days and hopefully we’re at the end of a heat wave…I feel like I’m back in Asia!  John and I love a simple drink and tequila, however, was never one of them until now.  I first made this raspberry paloma pitcher last Sunday…it did not last long!  The…

Fattoush Salad

June 28, 2012

I first made this salad 6 years ago and have enjoyed it many times since then…I never tire of its fresh, clean taste.  Fattoush comes from the Levantine cuisine and makes wonderful use of stale or leftover pita bread.   Full of nutrients and vitamins – a perfect salad to bring to a family function, picnic…

Easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

June 25, 2012

An ice cream maker had been on my list when we were living in Asia but I never did purchase one because the voltage there is 220 and that meant when we moved back to Canada it would not work unless I had a converter .  I went that route when we moved from Canada…

Sautéed Soft-Shell Crab and Asian Coleslaw with a Side of Rémoulade

June 23, 2012

Soft-shell crabs are blue crabs in their molted stage.  The shell remains soft for only a few hours after the crab has molted.  Most soft-shell crabs you see at the market are ready to cook, however, if you buy from a fish monger you will need to ask him to clean the crabs or do…