Potatoes as appetizer? Sure, why not? You’ll find potatoes in salads, soups, as part of the entree and even in desserts. Moreover, restaurants frequently list potato skins and fries in their starters. Perhaps this is simply my justification to enjoy my favorite pairing of cheese and taters. Continue reading
A new year begins in less than one week. Good luck comes in the form of delicious food, particularly if the food in question is black eye peas. This Creamy Black Eye Pea Dip with southwest flair comes at the perfect time for sharing your kitchen with ones you love. Continue reading
Make these Garlic Parmesan Pecans to go with your Cranberry Apple Brandy Cocktail. These savory nuts are easy and they last for weeks at room temperature. I’ll bet you already have all the ingredients in your kitchen. Continue reading
Holiday entertaining season begins this week. Here’s a refreshing beverage to accompany your homemade appetizers. This Cranberry Apple Brandy Cocktail hits all the right notes and goes with everything. Continue reading
Eating light and cooking minimally go together well. This recipe for shrimp and summer vegetable lettuce cups is colorful, light, easy and versatile as appetizer or entree. You can also customize for spicy heat, types of vegetables and different proteins. Use this as your summer template. Continue reading
Cooking is my passion and my life. Even so, if you offered me a no-cook recipe, I am all in. Even in the dead of winter I’ve been known to eat homemade soup straight from the fridge, lazybones that I am when it comes to hunger versus effort. Today’s recipe for Asparagus Burrata Salad, with its base of bright and tart turmeric hummus, is for those days when you want fancy without the heat of the stove. Continue reading
You read the phrase self care quite a bit these days. Get good quality sleep and plenty of it, be sure to exercise mind and body, read thought provoking books and don’t skimp on the aromatherapy. The idea of eating well and thoughtfully so doesn’t always make the list. Let’s change that. Continue reading
Here’s what I love about tostadas and tacos. One or two makes a fine snack or appetizer and several make a filling meal. Given a wide variety of tastes at the table, they can be made vegan, vegetarian or carnivore style with all types of meats and seafood. Spiciness can be customized with homemade or store bought salsas with varying levels of heat. In short, these are ideal for crowds. Continue reading
Cooking doesn’t always need to involve heat. Chopping, tossing and blending are all easy methods of cool food preparation, with no flame in sight. The work of a good blender is the only electricity involved in making this refreshing summer soup featuring just-picked basil and chilled buttermilk. Continue reading
Ever skip a recipe with “grilled” in the title because you either don’t have a grill or don’t want to bother with grill setup? Me, too, except in this case my grill is currently snoozing and I’m too lazy to replace the tank. Cast iron grill pan to the rescue, and failing that, the oven broiler. Both of these are great substitutes for grilling. Smoky flavor will not be imparted but with items like shrimp which take minutes if not seconds to cook, that won’t matter. Continue reading