Year: 2014

Jamie Oliver’s Chocolate Pots

Jamie Oliver’s Chocolate Pots

I enjoy cooking for friends and often have grandiose ideas of menus for fancy dinner parties. But in the end I like cooking dishes that are delicious but simple. These chocolate pots, served with lemon polenta biscuits, are a perfect, elegant, and easy way to end a...

Spicy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Spicy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I often exchange recipes with friends and one of my go-to recipes comes from one of those exchanges. A few years ago a friend gave me a recipe for Pork Barbacoa. I wasn't sure where he got it originally but after some research (thanks Internet) it looks like he got it...

Favorite Movies About Food

Favorite Movies About Food

I'm looking forward to Jon Favreau's latest project, Chef. So many favorite things all in one package - food, food trucks, food, Jon Favreau, food - well you get the idea. I started thinking about other films where food was a central theme and came across several...

Bacon Jam and Goat Cheese Crostini

Bacon Jam and Goat Cheese Crostini

This year I've started sharing dishes that are the go-to recipes in my repertoire. These are dishes that I've made more than once that not only pass my own tests but those of friends and family. Several years ago I found a recipe for Bacon...

Healthy Morning Muffins

Healthy Morning Muffins

I went to bed early last night to the sound of rain hitting my windows. I love that sound. It's comforting when I'm snuggled in my bed. But for me, going to bed early means waking up early. My body doesn't understand the concept of sleeping in on weekends. Sigh. Since...

Mom’s Lemon Bars

Mom’s Lemon Bars

It's been many years since we lost our Mom. I think of her often and am glad that I have so many wonderful memories of her. Not surprisingly a fair number of memories are connected to food and the kitchen. As Mother's Day approached I kept looking for the one recipe...

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

I'm a little late to the party but I've developed an obsession with Pinterest. It feeds my love for delicious recipes and often inspires me with beautiful food photography. Everything is stored digitally, is organized, and is searchable. I love it. I found this recipe...

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken and Rice

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken and Rice

Tonight I had a small window of time once I got home to make dinner before I had to take a conference call with Asia. I've wanted to try a recipe I found in Food & Wine for Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken. The magazine claimed it would take 7...

Black Pepper Ice Cream

Black Pepper Ice Cream

Updated July 31, 2022 To accompany the Sticky Toffee Pudding at our latest Feast, I made a Black Pepper Ice Cream. The puddings is traditionally served with vanilla ice cream. I wanted to make something a bit more "chefy" and turned to David Lebovitz's book The...

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Updated July 31, 2022 This morning I'm still relishing the memories of yesterday's Moveable Feast. The theme was one close to my heart (and stomach), British Gastropubs. As soon as I saw the theme I knew I wanted to claim dessert. Sticky Toffee Pudding ranks as one of...

Nigella Lawson’s Peanut Butter Squares

Nigella Lawson’s Peanut Butter Squares

Lately I've been revisiting recipes I made awhile ago. One of those recipes comes from my first Nigella Lawson cookbook, How to Be a Domestic Goddess. I remember when her first television program, Nigella Bites, started airing on the Style Channel. Being an...

Jacques Pépin’s Seafood Bread

Jacques Pépin’s Seafood Bread

I grew up watching cooking programs on PBS - Julia Child, the Frugal Gourmet, and the Galloping Gourmet to name a few. I love that Jacques Pépin has remained loyal to PBS and his KQED roots. I've enjoyed his solo programs as well as those he shared with his daughter...

Nigel Slater’s Hot Mushroom Sandwich

Nigel Slater’s Hot Mushroom Sandwich

I've always been an Anglophile. It started well before my semester study abroad in London which solidified my love for things British. It was during those months away that I learned how to cook for myself for the first time. Many years after my study abroad, on a...

Cinnamon Sugar Morning Buns

Cinnamon Sugar Morning Buns

A few months ago I took a fantastic class from Sur La Table on how to make croissants - a more intensive process than I imagined but that's probably true for most French pastries. One of the things we learned we could make with the basic croissant dough is a...

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I love bananas but no matter how many or how few I buy, I always seem to have one or two that end up overripe and mushy. Sometimes I peel them, break them into pieces and freeze them to use in smoothies. Other times, when I don't have time to bake, I'll freeze them...

Olive Oil Granola with Dried Cranberries and Almonds

Olive Oil Granola with Dried Cranberries and Almonds

Updated November 2021 This homemade granola is one of the most requested recipes from family and friends. Adapted from Melissa Clark's recipe, it's a staple in my home, it's part of one of my favorite breakfasts, and it makes a great snack. I've given granola as...