Vegetarian

‘Tis The Season: Thumbprint Cookies with Pecans and Cherry Jam

‘Tis The Season: Thumbprint Cookies with Pecans and Cherry Jam

Cookies. What a beautiful word. No need to feel guilty about eating them either. ‘Tis the season. Being a cookie addict aficionado, imagine my delight when the New York Times ran a special cookie feature  this week by cookbook author and food stylist Susan Spungen. I…

One More Thing: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

One More Thing: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Here is one more delicious dish you might want to add to your table during his holiday season: Alice Waters’ Cranberry Upside-Down Cake.” The cake, with whipped egg whites folded in, is light. The cranberries, baked with a sweet caramel glaze, are sweet and tart…

Spicy Kuri Squash With Harissa and Lemon

Spicy Kuri Squash With Harissa and Lemon

Cooks have long understood the impact of color on eating habits. The ancient Egyptians and Romans used herbs to color their foods and wines in an effort to enhance their appeal. Instinctively, I think, most of us understand that color suggests flavor, ripeness, and sweetness.…

Not Your Momma’s (Or Dorcas’) Holiday Green Beans: Green Beans With  Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette

Not Your Momma’s (Or Dorcas’) Holiday Green Beans: Green Beans With Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette

According to Smithsonian Magazine somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000,000 people will be eating green bean casserole this Thanksgiving, many of them following some version of the recipe Dorcas Reilly (pictured below) created in 1955. Dorcas was a food expert working for Campbell’s Soup Company…

It’s A Beauty: Ricotta Cake With Raspberries

It’s A Beauty: Ricotta Cake With Raspberries

It’s all about the texture. A generous dollop of ricotta cheese gives this delightful (and simple-to-make) vanilla cake an elegant fine crumb. Throw in some beautiful raspberries and this delicate cake becomes fragrant and even more delicious. Serve it with whipped cream or a scoop…

Cheesy Potato Heaven! Gratin of Asparagus and Potatoes

Cheesy Potato Heaven! Gratin of Asparagus and Potatoes

When an Irish girl tells you that a potato dish soars, you should listen. This potato dish soars! Potatoes should definitely be on your Thanksgiving table anyway. The potato carbohydrates will give you the energy you need to keep things on a mellow Norman Rockwell-esque…

No Worries Here: Greek Fasolada (White Bean Soup)

No Worries Here: Greek Fasolada (White Bean Soup)

I’m imagining myself enjoying a bowl of this wonderful Fasolada soup on a lazy afternoon in a boisterous Greek taverna. Outside, the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea lap gently against faded fishing boats beached on the sand . Bottles of Fix beer and a carafe…

Want Salt With That? Salted Chocolate Cookies

Want Salt With That? Salted Chocolate Cookies

  I’m nibbling one of these wonderful Salted Chocolate Cookies as I type this post, smearing chocolate on my keyboard with wild abandon. You are in for a treat. These Salted Chocolate Cookies are sophisticated, ever-so-chocolaty and wonderful on a cool fall evening with a…

‘Tis The Season : Maple Baked Beans

‘Tis The Season : Maple Baked Beans

  In this season of everything pumpkin and maple, what better treat than Maple Baked Beans? Maple syrup is, after all, good in just about everything and the contrast of sweet and savory flavors in baked beans never gets old. If you’ve been wondering about…

Woo-hoo! Blue Cayenne is Four.

Woo-hoo! Blue Cayenne is Four.

Cue the music. Wild celebration here. Juliet is salsa dancing down the hall and I’m wearing a silly party hat. This month marks Blue Cayenne’s fourth birthday. Here we are writing our 315th blog post. Who knew?     Thank you for reading this blog…