There are some foods you just love or hate. No half- way point, no maybe, you are either all in or not in at all. Cilantro and cumin top this list and I love them both. It was always a love affair with cumin but cilantro started slowly and over the years I fell in love. Try to pick bunches that have been harvested young. Once the leaves get dark green and heavier the taste changes and the herb becomes stronger.
I was just in California and had some fabulous food. My favorite was an avocado, cilantro and lime salad that my daughter, Cristina made and served with scrambled eggs. We are talking serious deliciousness here.
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The first time I tasted Banana Rum Boats was five years ago at a really fun outdoor wedding. It didn’t cross my mind again until a friend brought over a stem of bananas. This is the perfect dessert on a day or night when you are grilling. Platter all your ingredients and let everyone pitch in to make them. You’ll know they are done when they start bubbling and the smell of caramelizing sugar fills the air.
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Anything cooked for hours is pretty much wonderful. Adding wine, fresh herbs and stock layers on the flavor and deliciousness.
One of our best friends came to town last week and his favorite meal in the world is osso bucco. We went from four to eight people three hours before dinner and other than running to the store it was about the same amount of prep. And the taste, oh my goodness, they are all moving in with us. [click to continue…]
My girls and my daughter’s guy, I figured you’d confuse him with my husband if I call him my guy, gave me the most fun gift for Christmas. Actually they gave us all sorts of fun gifts, but sometimes the really little ones are super fun. Kitchen Supreme Spiral Slicer must have been the hot gift of the year, four of my friends got it also. I was at a party recently and had cucumber noodles and couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and create.
Start to finish, lunch took me five minutes to make, it tasted delicious and was beautiful. I can’t wait to make it for my girlfriends.
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Fall is here and I love it. By the time we get to September and October I am so excited to see all the beautiful fall fruit. Apples, cranberries and pumpkins, that about sums it up in my household. Apples are a commitment, you need to have the time to peel, core and prepare them. These soft and chewy pumpkin cookies are quick, easy and delicious. Using canned pumpkin allows you to make the cookie dough in 15 minutes, then another 20 minutes to bake them. These cookies are so addictive you’ll be making them from now through Thanksgiving – Rick actually said they might be his new favorite.
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I am all about the pesto – I love it on pasta, on sandwiches, and as a dipping sauce. My favorite pesto dish, however, is in this white bean pesto quinoa dish. The pesto pairs deliciously with the nutty flavor of the quinoa, and the buttery taste of the white beans.
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I am sure I have said it before and I will say it again, I love entertaining. One of the biggest problems I face is making interesting appetizers that will not require me to be away from my guests for a long period of time.
These smoked salmon appetizers accomplish both of those goals. The prep work can be almost completely done ahead of time with only a few minutes of work immediately prior to your guests arriving. They will also delight your guests with the crunch of the potato, the salt from the capers and smoked salmon, and the bite of dill.
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The really ripe Georgia peaches are all over the farmers market. Their heavenly smell keeps bringing you back and begging you to buy some and create a wonderful dessert. This Peach Cobbler recipe is adapted from Canal House’s cookbook and their recipe came from Pam Anderson’s cookbook. Have I confused you yet? The cobbler topping is a butter cookie crust, and can be put over the fruit of your choice. It is amazingly delicious, possibly my new favorite dessert, perfect for company or dinner with your special someone. Make sure you cook the cobbler until the topping is golden. [click to continue…]
I don’t know how or when, but somewhere along the line, I forgot just how good homemade yogurt tastes. I grew up on it, my Mom believed if you ate a cup every day you’d never be sick. Looking back now, I think there was some truth to it, because we never were.
Recently, my sister Gail served homemade yogurt at dinner and my taste buds exploded with all the possibilities. It is so delicious – goodbye commercial yogurt and even, as much as possible, sour cream.
It’s easy to make, I used organic whole milk and chose a small container of one of my favorite brands of plain Greek yogurt with active cultures to use as starter. It’s important to chose a brand with a taste that you love because hints of it will come through in your yogurt. Regular yogurt would have worked as well if I could have found a small container. Even better would have been borrowing a cup of starter from my sister, too bad we live 1500 miles apart.
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