A festive and crowd-pleasing appetizer for Rosh Hashanah or your Yom Kippur breakfast: an apples and honey themed cheese board! And in keeping with the Jewish tradition of not mixing meat and dairy, this cheese board is completely vegetarian. Thanks to Cabot Creamery Co-operative for sponsoring this High Holiday recipe. Rosh Hashanah begins ...
How to Make Cannoli Dip
A super-easy no-bake dessert with all the flavor of your favorite Italian pastry, cannoli, and none of the hassle! There are some restauarant dishes that, as much as I love them, I never even consider making at home. Those dishes often involve deep-frying because I just can't deal with the thought of a bubbling pot of hot oil. The mess! The ...
Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Plums
Thank you Decoy for sponsoring this post. Celebrate International Merlot Month this October by using the hashtag #MerlotMe on social! When you see a recipe, like this one, for duck, do you scoff and think: "Make duck? At home? No, that's too complicated. I might order duck in a restaurant, but that's not something I can cook." Well, think ...
Easy Hors d’Oeuvres for an Outdoor Wine Tasting
Thank you Middle Sister for sponsoring this post. Bring your favorite Middle Sister wine along to all of your celebrations this year! Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and I am officially opening up my backyard for business. I adore al fresco entertaining during the summer months and because our house sits across the ...
Butternut Squash Soup Shooters
A fun way to entertain or serve a crowd this winter: butternut squash soup shooters! The school where JR takes his music lessons -- a place that is like a second home to him -- recently hosted its annual fundraiser to raise money for its scholarship fund and for the regional housing center. The event featured live music, beer pours from ...
Three Cheese IPA Soup Shooters from Food on Tap
Don't just serve beer at your Super Bowl party; put beer in the food! Like these cheddar-and-beer soup shooters from the new book Food on Tap: Cooking with Craft Beer by Lori Rice. Cheese and beer are two necessary components of a good Super Bowl party. That much goes without saying. You could just make a really nice cheese plate and serve ...
Guacamole and a Cooking Demo with Chef Josh Capon
This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. Calling all Chicago readers! Join me on January 19 at 12pm for a delicious afternoon at the Macy’s on State Street with Macy’s Culinary Council and Chef Josh Capon. Learn from this master chef as he ...
Bloody Mary with Dill Pickle Vodka
Skip the lines and brunch at home this New Year's with a restaurant-style Bloody Mary made with homemade pickle-infused vodka. My husband is not much of a drinker. In fact, when we go out to dinner with friends, he is inevitably the designated driver. Wine, beer, cocktails -- they just doesn't do much for him. (I myself enjoy wine and never ...
Mexican Chocolate Pudding
A dairy-free chocolate pudding with warm, earthy spices, like cinnamon and cayenne, for an indulgent holiday dessert that everyone can enjoy! The holidays can be a difficult time for families with food allergies or dietary restrictions. Grandparents may not understand how to feed their newly vegan granddaughter. Aunts and uncles aren't sure ...
The Ultimate Winter Cheese Plate & Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine
Thank you Gloria Ferrer for sponsoring this post. Elevate your everyday entertaining this season with Gloria Ferrer wines! Entertaining this season? What could be more festive than a stunning cheese plate paired with crisp, lively sparkling wines. Today, I am going to walk you through how to create the ultimate winter cheese plate and pair ...
Apple Honey Challah Stuffing
The perfect holiday stuffing made with rich challah, crunchy apples and sweet honey. A Jewish take on stuffing! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but I have time to give you one more recipe before you have to start cooking. So far, this month, we have talked turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, vegetables and, naturally, dessert, ...
Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy
Calling all white meat lovers! The perfect roast turkey breast with gravy made from pan drippings. Just in time for Thanksgiving. There are many reasons to roast a turkey breast. Perhaps you are hosting a small group for Thanksgiving. Perhaps you are hosting a large group but with a disproportionate number of guests who prefer white meat. ...
Purple Passion Hummus
Do not adjust your monitor. You are seeing correctly. That's purple hummus! I make it with a secret ingredient: Stokes Purple sweet potatoes. Before you recoil in horror at the idea of hummus in a never-before-seen shade of purple, let me assure you that this hummus is not so very different from the hummus you know and love. This is not some ...
Salmon Poke Dip
By posting this recipe for Salmon Poke Dip, I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership and I am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time. Did you know that October is National Seafood Month? That makes October the perfect time to remember how healthy and ...
Parmigiano Reggiano Snack Mix
Today's post for an irresistible parmesan snack mix, perfect for fall parties and tailgates, is sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano. I am proud to be a 2017 Parmigiano Reggiano Brand Ambassador. Real Parmigiano Reggiano, imported from Italy, is the only parmesan for me! Fall sports season has arrived! Whether you are hosting super-fans to ...
Break the Fast with a Semolina Cake
Break your Yom Kippur fast with basbousa, a simple, elegant semolina cake soaked in a sweet syrup, a tradtional favorite of Egyptian Jews. Yom Kippur begins this Friday at sundown. The most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur is marked by fasting, prayer and contemplation. At the end of the long day, during which observant Jews ...
Honey-Glazed Chicken Thighs for Rosh Hashanah
Quick-cooking chicken thighs in a sweet-tart honey and lime juice glaze. Easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for Rosh Hashanah. When planning the menu for your Jewish holiday meal, it's easy just to say "brisket" for the main course and be done with it. My family certainly expects me to serve brisket for Hanukkah...and ...
Roasted Beets and Carrots with Burrata
A striking fall salad of roasted carrots and beets with creamy burrata and hazelnuts. Perfect for entertaining, a light lunch or as part of your Rosh Hashanah celebration. The combination of roasted beets and burrata has got a hold on me and it won't let go. A few days ago, I posted a recipe for roasted beets, blackberries and burrata over ...
Fig Honey Galette
Fresh figs are such a gift! Here I place black and green figs atop a honey-sweetened mascarpone filling and fold them into a flaky galette. Perfect for early fall parties or Rosh Hashanah dinner! Every year, I feel a little giddy when I spy fresh figs in the grocery store because they are such a short-lived, seasonal treat. Did you know that ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Meyer Lemon Pots de Creme with Candied Lemon
Who has time to make dessert on a weeknight? No one. But sometimes a special occasion, be it a birthday, anniversary, or national holiday, falls on a weeknight. What to do in that case? Turn to a dessert that is best made in advance. A dessert like pot de crème. Pot de crème is an adorable name for an adorable baked custard that is typically ...
Dip Recipes for Super Bowl Sunday
The Super Bowl is this Sunday and everyone is planning their game day menus. Whether you're the hosting the watch party, or the guest who promised to bring something, you'll need a recipe. Maybe two. Recipes for dip. Dip is what the people want to eat while watching the big game! But don't settle for a store-bought dip that is full of ...