Make the most of stone fruit season with a tender peach cake covered in peach buttercream. My daughter returned home from four weeks of overnight camp this weekend. Our little family of four has barely been all together all summer, so I wanted to celebrate. I prepared a meal of my daughter's favorite summer foods: gazpacho to start, grilled ...
Stone Fruit Ketchup
Ketchup isn't just for tomatoes anymore. Try this sweet-and-sour peach and nectarine ketchup on chicken, turkey burgers and, my favorite, sweet potato fries! Last week, I returned home to find a box of softball-sized peaches and nectarines on my doorstep courtesy of the Washington State Stone Fruit Growers. This year I am serving as a ...
Mujadara: Sweet Spiced Lentils and Rice
An ancient dish from the Middle East, mujadara combines gently spiced rice and lentils with crunchy fried onions for a dish that is both healthy and comforting. Thanks to Lentils.org for sponsoring this recipe post. All opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. After returning from my trip to Saskatchewan, the world lentil capital, and ...
Visiting a Lentil Farm
This post and my trip to Saskatchewan were sponsored by Lentils.org. As always, all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. As those of you who follow me on social media know, I recently had an amazing opportunity to visit a lentil farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lentils.org invited me and a handful of other influencers (Samantha from ...
Fattoush Salad with Yogurt-Tahini Dressing
Enjoy this crunchy chopped salad inspired by the Middle Eastern dish fattoush with a creamy yogurt-tahini dressing. This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Organic. As always, all opinions are my own. Everyone knows by now that Middle Eastern food is one of my favorite cuisines. Ever since 2012, when Yotam Ottolenghi's award-winning cookbook ...
Strawberry Cupcakes
It's strawberry season! These luscious cupcakes have fresh strawberry purée in the cake and in the icing for tons of strawberry flavor. I have a long history of buying too many strawberries at the farmers market. I used to do a series of posts every year with recipes for how to use a flat of strawberries in five days. Last year, I skipped ...
Homemade S’mores Kits
Summer means s'mores! Elevate your s'more by making the marshmallows and graham crackers yourself. Packed together with some milk chocolate, you have a charming edible gift! One of the things we love about our not-so-new house is the outdoor fireplace. After eating dinner out on the patio, my husband and I love to argue about the best way to ...
Lavender Mojitos
A delicate, floral take on the classic Cuban cocktail: lavender mojitos made with Lavender DRY Sparkling Soda. What's better than a mojito? How about a mojito made with the delicate, floral taste of lavender? This is the refreshing cocktail I am going to be sipping all summer. And best of all, it's incredibly easy to make at home using DRY ...
Vietnamese-Style Summer Rolls & Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine Keep it Fresh
Spring entertaining is all about light bites and refreshing sips, am I right? Today I have ideas for both. A recipe for an easy and delightful spring appetizer -- Vietnamese-style summer rolls -- and the perfect sparkling wines to enjoy them with: Gloria Ferrer NV Blanc de Blanc and the brand-new NV Brut Rosé. After reading this, you are going to ...
Gingery Pickled Radishes
One of my favorite quick pickles, pickled radishes are a cinch to make and add a peppery crunch to sandwiches, salads and more! Are you a radish fan? I am. I adore the peppery bite and satisfying crunch of a good radish. I have fond memories of evenings with French family when the pre-dinner apéritif was nothing more than a bowl of radishes ...
Blintzes for Mother’s Day
What does Mom want for Mother's Day brunch? I'm pretty sure it's cheese blintzes: paper-thin crêpes filled with lightly sweetened ricotta cheese and topped with a strawberry-rhubarb compote. Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 14, and everyone wants to surprise Mom with a special breakfast. In my mind, no breakfast is more special than cheese ...
A Trip to Mitsuwa Japanese Market and How to Make Dashi
Have you always dreamed of visiting Japan? Do you love sushi, ramen, udon noodles and sake? Do you aspire to make authentic Japanese food at home? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might want to take a field trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace, the best Japanese grocer in America. There are ten Mitsuwa stores around the country: ...
Event Recap Cochon555
Last Sunday, Cochon555, a culinary competition featuring 5 chefs cooking 5 whole, heritage breed pigs landed in Chicago. This epic pork feast visits 20 major cities in North America annually and stages over 60 events. The winners from the different cities compete at the national finale, Grand Cochon, in October to be crowned the Prince, or ...
Easy Sweet and Savory Topping Ideas for Ritz Crackers
Is the best thing about RITZ Crackers their taste? Or is it their flaky texture? No, the best thing about RITZ Crackers is how they work equally well with both sweet and savory toppings. Whether you are in the mood for something spicy, cheesy, fresh, crunchy, fruity, or chocolatey, RITZ Crackers are the perfect base for any combination you can ...
Grilled Cheese with Pickled Strawberries
In honor of National Grilled Cheese month, I have teamed up with Cheeses of France to bring you a springtime grilled cheese made with Comté, arugula and quick-pickled strawberries. Did you know April is National Grilled Cheese Month? What better way to celebrate the end of Passover than with melted cheese and toasted bread? At its most ...
Matzo Chocolate Bark
Matzo chocolate bark is a special Passover treat. Imagine matzo drenched in toffee and chocolate and topped with dried fruits, nuts and pumpkin seeds. My family looks forward to this all year! This is not exactly breaking news but if you cover something, anything, in enough toffee and chocolate, it will taste good. Hence, matzo chocolate ...
How to Render Chicken Fat (Schmaltz)
Schmaltz or rendered chicken fat is a must for traditional Ashkenazi Jewish foods like matzo balls or chopped liver. Learn how to make your own! I have many quirky kitchen habits, but I am about to confess to you one the quirkiest: I collect chicken fat. Whenever I make a whole roast chicken, before I cook the bird, I cut off all the visible ...
Sephardic Date Charoset for Passover
A Sephardic version of Passover charoset made with Medjool dates, almonds and walnuts and flavored with cinnamon and a hint of orange. A worthy addition to your Passover seder! Dates are the base for many charoset recipes from the Sephardic world, which tend to be more like fruit pastes than the chunky apple and nut mixture familiar to ...
Braised Brisket for Passover
Tender, melt-in-your-mouth brisket is the perfect main course for your Passover seder. Best of all? You can prepare it in advance! Have you planned the menu for your Passover seder? My family will only let me vary the menu so much. They want all their traditional favorites: Matzo ball soup; my mother-in-law's sweet charoset and, of ...
Orange Cardamom Braid with Orange Honey Compound Butter
Breakfast is a special occasion with this Orange Cardamom braided challah served with a sweet Orange Honey Compound Butter. Get your citrus fix before the season ends! As citrus season winds down, I am trying to get my fix of Meyer lemons, blood oranges and all my favorite sunny, wintertime Vitamin C powerhouses before they go away. Recently ...
Pie Round-Up for Pi Day
March 14 is unofficially know as Pi Day for some reason having to do with math. Now, I don't like math and I do not understand math. But I do like pie and I understand pie. So I am going with it. Do you feel about pie the way I feel about math? If so, then let me give you my very best tips about making pie. Practice makes perfect. Do ...
Queen Esther’s Poppyseed Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze
A delicate, tender poppy seed cake drizzled with a tart lemon glaze. Perfect for serving with coffee or afternoon tea. A fitting dessert for the Jewish festival of Purim. This poppy seed cake comes to me from my mother. I cannot tell you how many times she served this cake when I was growing up. So many that when I asked her for the recipe, ...
Hamantaschen that Don’t Suck
Delicious, lemony, jam-filled hamantaschen for Purim! This week brings the Jewish festival of Purim, a carnival holiday where people are encouraged to dress in costume and make merry. Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from an evil government minister, named Haman, who plotted to destroy the Jewish community in ancient ...
Chicken Gumbo for Mardi Gras
When you're Jewish, Mardi Gras isn't exactly your holiday. But I am not one to pass up a celebration with fun and good food even if I am not beginning Lent the next day. (Sorry!) So I am marking the arrival of Fat Tuesday next week with a delicious gumbo. And, as is fitting for a Jewish food blogger, this gumbo is free of both pork and shrimp -- ...
Chocolate Orange Bread Pudding
My husband's birthday is this week and among his all-time favorite desserts is bread pudding, so that is what I will make. Although you wouldn't know it from the mild temperatures we had all weekend, it's still winter, and to me, winter means citrus. So this bread pudding is flavored with chocolate and orange. And just to make sure my birthday boy ...