Cauliflower ceviche ticks every January healthy eating box. It's vegan. It's gluten-free. I even think it's Paleo. And we are talking practically no calories. But the best news is, it's absolutely addictive. Crunchy vegetables, tangy lime juice, spicy peppers, lots of beautiful colors -- cauliflower ceviche is health food you never want to stop ...
Herb Sourdough Crackers
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single cook in possession of a sourdough starter, must be in want of a recipe. (With apologies to Jane Austen.) Part of maintaining a sourdough starter is discarding a portion of it every time you feed it. That waste, even it is just of flour and water, can be painful for fastidious cooks. I know it ...
New Year’s Eve Food
What are your plans for New Year's Eve this year? Are you going to a party? Hosting a soiree at your house? I confess, I have not always enjoyed New Year's Eve in the past. Too much pressure to have fun; to hard to get a babysitter; too many overpriced pre-fixe menus. But this year, I am looking forward to attending a friend's party with my ...
How to Make Turkey Stock
Did your family enjoy a wonderful roast turkey for Christmas dinner? I hope you saved the carcass! Because you can turn that carcass into rich, delicious turkey stock which is perfect for making soup and risotto, or for braising greens this winter. (Don't want to deal with the carcass this week with everything else you have going on? Wrap it ...
Holiday Breakfast: Radicchio and Squash Quiche
The holidays mean houseguests. While we all plan ahead for the traditional holiday dinners and festive New Year's Eve parties, no one remembers to plan for breakfast. But if you have houseguests, you have to feed them lunch, dinner and breakfast. So what do you make for the day after the big party? You know, when everyone wakes up and wants yet ...
Entertaining: Holiday Cheese and Pickle Plate
A cheese board is a staple of holiday parties. And why not? It's an easy and economical way to feed a crowd. Even folks who don't cook can put together a killer cheese plate by hitting a good cheese shop and asking the cheesemonger for help. Plus, who doesn't love cheese? This year, however, may I humbly suggest that you forego an ordinary ...
Edible Gift: Ancho Chile Pecans
Tis the season...to think about edible gifts! In fact, I feel like that's all I've been thinking about lately. In early November, I did a presentation on edible gift ideas at the local suburban library and demonstrated how to make Salted Caramel Sauce and Rum Vanilla Extract, both recipes from my book, Food Swap: Specialty Recipes for Bartering, ...
Potato Leek Soup (Potage Parmentier)
In the Victorian Christmas carol "In the Bleak Midwinter," which was based on a poem by Christina Rossetti, there is a line: "Snow had fallen, snow on snow/Snow on snow[.]" That line seems particularly apt right now as Chicago braces itself for not one but two possible winter storms over the next 48 hours. What to eat when you are facing the ...
Holiday Appetizer: Gravlax
Are you looking for the perfect appetizer to wow your guests this holiday season? I have just the thing: gravlax. Gravlax is salmon that has been lightly cured in salt and sugar. Once cured, you slice the gravlax are paper-thin and top them with a dill mustard sauce. Serve on slices of buttered pumpernickel. It sounds fancy, and it looks fancy, but ...
Thanksgiving Menu: Apple, Fennel and Bleu Cheese Salad
Thanksgiving is only a few days away. It is time to finalize that holiday menu, or, if you are not hosting, to decide on the perfect dish to bring as your contribution to the feast. Let me take this opportunity to remind hosts and guests alike that every Thanksgiving table needs something fresh and crunchy to contrast with all that stuffing and ...
Thanksgiving Sides: Parmesan Fennel Gratin
Turkey is fine and everything, but what really excites me about Thanksgiving is the opportunity to make all kinds of vegetable side dishes. While dishes like green bean casserole (never eaten it) and sweet potatoes with marshmallows on them (not this one either) are Thanksgiving traditions for many (not me), I know plenty of families who look to ...
Mashed Potatoes with Parsnips
I don't know about you, but I am constantly tinkering with the recipe for my Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. I’ve tried garlic mashed potatoes, horseradish mashed potatoes and every other trendy version of this classic dish. (The garlic mashed potatoes went by the wayside when we began inviting a friend with a garlic allergy to our feast.) You know ...
Thanksgiving Dessert: Maple Buttermilk Pie
It's officially November which means that it's time to plan your Thanksgiving menu. If you're like me, menu planning begins with dessert. (Wait, not everyone does that?) When it comes to Thanksgiving, you know you're going to make turkey, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. The menu makes itself! So, we might as well talk about ...
Parmesan Pepper Gougeres
I am super-excited to announce that as of this month, I am a brand ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano, the King of Cheese. Parmigiano Reggiano is one of my favorite ways to add richness and depth, umami if you will, to dishes -- everything from salads to soups to, of course, pasta. I always seek out the true Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, ...
Matzo Ball Soup
Passover begins this Friday, April 22nd, at sundown and Jews all over the world are preparing for their Seders. The Passover Seder is the most widely celebrated ceremony in the Jewish year. Even Jews who do not observe any other religious ritual will host or attend a Seder. There is something magical about the idea that Jews all over the world ...
Gravlax for New Year’s Eve
Are you looking for the perfect appetizer to wow your guests this New Year's? I have just the thing: gravlax. This Scandinavian cured salmon is part of my family's holiday celebration every year and every year we ask ourselves: why don't we make this more often? Goodness knows it is not hard. The catch? You have to plan in advance -- three days in ...
Mashed Potato (Boxty) Bread
Come Friday, you will have leftover mashed potatoes sitting in your fridge. Don't try to deny it. I am sure that those mashed potatoes will be absolutely delicious at your Thanksgiving dinner. I hope that your guests will smother them in gravy and mix them with turkey and stuffing to get all that deliciousness in one insanely good bite. But come ...
The Best (and Easiest) Thanksgiving Turkey Ever
In 2006, I arrived at my parents' house for Thanksgiving brandishing an article from the now-defunct Gourmet magazine. The article claimed that the editors had tried every conceivable way to roast a Thanksgiving turkey: brined, basted, slow-cooked, high heat, low heat, everything. The conclusion? It turned out that the easiest way to roast a ...
Chipotle, Pecan, and Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #VivaLaMorena #CollectiveBias Some dishes on our Thanksgiving menu never change. Some are different every year. My mother and I have cooked our turkey the same way for a decade. We never tinker with the pumpkin pie or the Balsamic-glazed ...
Chocolate Bark with Dried Apricots, Golden Raisins and Pumpkin Seeds
Today's recipe post is sponsored by Sun-Maid in conjunction with my work as part of Kitchen-PLAY's #TeamFreshSummit. As always, all opinions are entirely my own. While at PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to visit the Sun-Maid booth and learn more about this 100-year-old, farmer-owned cooperative. Is there a more iconic ...
How to Make Baba Ganoush
It is hard to be an eggplant lover. We are a rare breed of individual characterized by an especially sophisticated palate. My mother and my daughter both share my love for this purple, bulbous vegetable but my husband won't touch the stuff. And JR. Well, did anyone think JR would eat eggplant? The year I lived in Paris, I bought the same lunch ...
Dips for a Party: Hummus
It's that time of the year again: parties. Book clubs, parent socials, and team dinners are all on the agenda for fall. And, believe it or not, the holidays are right around the corner. In fact, I just published a post on Inspired Home, the International Housewares Association's helpful resource for everything having to do with your home, with the ...
Mother’s Day Brunch Idea: Cinnamon Babka
I hope you guys are ready for a project. Because babka, a rich, yeast-risen bread swirled with a sweet filling, is definitely a project. However, it is a very worthy project, especially for a special occasion such as -- I don't know -- Mother's Day, which is right around the corner. Don't know how to tell Mom how much she means to you? Babka will ...
Brisket for Passover
With Passover only a few days away, it is time once again for me to share my brisket recipe. Brisket is just about the ideal food to serve a crowd, which is exactly what I am expecting for our Seder. What makes brisket so perfect for large meals? First, it is an inexpensive cut of meat. Second, you can do all the work in advance. Not only ...
Cheddar Horseradish Spread
With warmer weather in sight, March Madness on television and spring holidays right around the corner, it is time to invite some friends over. My husband and I have attended several cocktail parties in the past few weeks to meet prospective members of our pool and tennis club and seeing so many friends and neighbors after the long winter reminded ...