I have been dreaming about caramel for a few months now and caramel apples just have not satisfied the craving. So the other day I made cinnamon caramel squares with smoked sea salt on top. I have made the recipe before many times before and most times they are perfect but sometimes… Continue Reading…

The other day I was shopping at Whole Foods for my client and I passed by a shelf of honey. As I stared at a jar of golden honey with the comb, my mouth started watering. I had to remind myself that I already have at least 5 varieties of honey at home! So here (in no particular order) are more of my biggest temptations at the grocery store.

Cheese I am a sucker for cheese. It is really tough to pass by a fancy cheese counter without picking up a wedge of creamy brie, blue, manchego, fresh mozzarella…I could go on and on. My current favorite is Delice de Bourgogne, available at Whole Foods, Pastoral, and many other good cheese shops.

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Fish patties can be made with any flaky white fish. I like tilapia because you can buy it in fillets with no skin or bones to remove and it is not very expensive. This recipe is very good served with the Roasted Corn Salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Fish Patties:

• 3 cups fish poaching liquid (see Step 1)
• 1 lemon rind, reserve the juice
• 1 ½ pounds flaky white fish such as tilapia or sole, skin and bones removed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 scallions, white and green parts chopped
• 2 ounces capers, drained
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 cup of bread crumbs (approximately)
• Season To Taste with paprika, salt and pepper
• 1-2 cups vegetable oil

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As I was making Christmas cookies the other day, I remembered the hundreds of cookies that my grandparents used to make every year. With my grandpa’s help my grandma would mix up sugar cookie shapes, labchuckens, springerles, molasses crinkles, peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s kiss, snowballs and more. She also made candy. There was peanut brittle, pink and white divinity, coconut bonbons and toffee. Continue Reading…

I was pretty satisfied with the winner of Top Chef, Las Vegas. My top four were all there until the end so I was excited to see who would come out on top. Don’t worry – I won’t spoil the fun for all of you who are behind on your DVR, but here is why I liked the top four. Who were your favorites?

Kevin – I really liked that he celebrated sustainable food and repeatedly recreated his favorite ingredients – fish and pork. But, above all, I think he did a good job of making “simple” food delicious. Continue Reading…

This was one of my favorite meals as a kid. I had a lot of trouble finding a simple dumpling recipe until I realized that my mom found this stew in an antique recipe book. I have tweaked it to include more modern ingredients.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Stew:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb diced boneless, skinless chicken breast
• ½ white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced into small coins
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 4 cups or more of chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• ½ cup fresh parsley, stems removed and roughly chopped
• Season To Taste with salt and pepper

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This is a great green vegetable dish that can be served with anything from steak to meatloaf to salmon. I often make this as a side dish for my meal clients and I also have served it when I am catering a dinner party.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, small diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• Season To Taste with salt and pepper
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves

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My husband, David, and I opted to stay in this Valentine’s Day. We made a very nice dinner of fancy salamis, cheeses and wine. Then we finished the meal with a dessert that we made together.

It seems that staying in and making dinner at home has become more popular lately. I hear that my friends and clients would rather stay in, and I have seen the trend promoted on reality TV, magazines, and blogs. It probably has a lot to do with the economy. If you have the time and skill to cook at home, it can be done less expensively than going out to a nice restaurant. And some people are just tired of dealing with the crowds, especially on a holiday such as Valentine’s Day. Continue Reading…

My grandma makes this soup after a big family dinner when a ham has been served. She makes it with the ham bone and a bag of mixed dried beans. I have adapted the recipe so that it can be made in under an hour, in time for dinner. If your ham is salty, be sure to use unsalted broth and taste the soup before seasoning with more salt. This soup is great when served with Country Cornbread.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ham, diced in ½ inch cubes (ask your deli for ham that is not too salty or too sweet and have them slice it in ½ inch slices so you can dice it easily)
• ½ white or yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrot, sliced into coins
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 cans beans (pinto, cannellini or great northern, and black), thoroughly rinsed
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2-3 cups ham or chicken broth
• Season To Taste with salt, pepper, dried thyme, oregano, cumin, coriander

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This is a great side dish for any preparation of fish or chicken and can also be used as a relish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn, shucked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch green asparagus, bottoms trimmed, diced (If the asparagus has thick stalks, the ends may need to be peeled to prevent them from being too tough.)
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 scallions, diced
• 2 ounces of fresh basil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon of honey may be needed

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