Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

June 9, 2026

From Ancient Remedy to Beloved Dessert – A Spice Route Treasure – Rhubarb’s roots stretch back thousands of years to the mountainous regions of northern and central Asia (China, Mongolia, and Siberia), where it was cultivated primarily for medicinal purposes. The Chinese prized it as a digestive tonic and laxative,

Fennel and Cucumber Salad with Goat’s Cheese and Dill

January 3, 2012

As I sit here composing this, I look back on all that went on in our lives last year and for some odd, unexplainable reason, I feel that 2012 (a leap year) is going to be a good one.  Not that 2011 was a poor one for us, but it certainly had its challenges.  Perhaps,…

Cranberry Sauce

December 23, 2011

Making your own cranberry sauce is so easy and with few ingredients, I am amazed why one would ever want to buy the commercial stuff.  Cranberries are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber.  They have been used to treat UTI’s (urinary tract infection) which blocks adhesion of bacteria to the urinary tract…

Stilton and Rosemary Shortbread

December 22, 2011

Instead of cookies and milk for Santa, how about these cute little treats? Christmas certainly has its share of traditions from all over the world but have you ever stopped to think who invented Christmas?   The answer can be found in a book: How Charles Dickens‘s a Christmas Carol rescued his career and revived our…

Mince Pie Cookies

December 20, 2011

Mincemeat originally had meat in it  (in Medieval times) along with fruit and beef suet.  The meat was finely minced and was a way of using up leftover meat.  The word may sound like an odd concoction as a dessert and evoke an unpleasant visual, but fondly enough the mince does have a sweet flavor…

Chipotle and Rosemary Spiced Nuts

December 18, 2011

This has to be the best holiday snack I’ve tasted! I was just thinking that other than the holidays, I really don’t go out of my way to buy nuts unless it’s called for in a recipe. Funny that! Nuts contain proteins, folic acid, vitamin E, vitamin B, flavonoids, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, selenium, zinc,…

Sheila’s Ginger Snaps

December 15, 2011

Holiday baking in my family goes back a few generations. I come from a line of women who enjoyed cooking and the holidays were no exception…hours of food preparation went into each Christmas season. This recipe is one that my mother gave to her mother back in the 1960’s and now I have it. It…

Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Coriander Pesto

December 13, 2011

We had friends, Lawrence and MJ over for dinner on Saturday.  MJ is a vegetarian and although I could  have cooked a meal and remove the non-vegetarian pieces for her, I decided to search my food blog archives for vegetarian recipes – I have a few – and went from there. We started the evening…

Cathedral Mountain Lodge – French Onion Soup

December 9, 2011

As I was flipping through the magazine and spotted this recipe, I was thinking to myself is there another recipe out there that can really improve on French onion soup? Onions, water, broth, bread, cheese,  yada yada yada! Onion soup has been around for centuries (ancient Greek and Roman times) and was seen as food…

Cognac and Pistachio Chicken Liver Pâté

December 7, 2011

Pâté (pronounced pah-TAY) is French for pie. It’s simply a mixture of ground meat such as beef, pork, wild game, poultry, liver, or seafood and often combined with some form of fat, vegetables, herbs, or seasonings. The grind can be smooth and creamy or on the chunky side. It may be served hot or cold.…

Chicken Lollipops

December 6, 2011

The holiday party season is in full swing and these savory lollipops are easy to make and look stunning on any hors d’oeuvre table.  They are the perfect size for your guests to nibble on and if you want to serve a sweet lollipop version as well, click here.  While I was in Halifax, NS…

Elements on Hollis – A Restaurant Make-Over

December 3, 2011

John and I were in Halifax last weekend. It was a jam-packed 3 days and on Monday night we had dinner at Elements. It was the perfect ending to our weekend as we were heading back to NYC on Tuesday. Elements on Hollis is located within the Westin Hotel in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. A…

Chicken with Udon Noodles, Shiitake Mushrooms and Snow Peas

November 30, 2011

My husband and I returned from Canada yesterday late in the afternoon and I knew that I would have to stop at the local grocery store before I could make dinner. I was feeling an Asian void in our diet of late and decided to make a meal that would remind us of the Far…