Posts categorized as Recipes

It’s feast or famine with freelance work. Right now… famine. For that reason, I’ve decided to go deep into organizing my home – like every draw, closet, and corner. It feels good to purge. It also feels good to know I have five whisks, three crock pots, four pizza cutters, and six very cute measuring spoon sets, among other multiples, I don’t remember buying. I’m pretty much done with the kitchen. Now I’m tackling the office. I’m going through my books with the intention of donating 20%. Alas, I’m having […]

I saw my sister Maria last week at my Goddaughters birthday party. I was ranting to her about how busy and stressed out I am with work. I mentioned I didn’t have an idea for my column this week and she said, “Oh, this is easy, bake Christmas cookies and share the recipe.”  Flailing my arms in the air, I respond, “But I don’t have time!!” Maria said, “Calm down. I have pictures of the Italian Christmas cookies from last year. You love them, lie and say you made them.” […]

Purslane I know a great deal about foraging at this point in my gardening “career.”  But there’s always more to discover. A few weeks back, I learned of a new edible from my friend Melissa Draugsvold. We were at the Beach 91st Community Garden watering our adjacent plots. She pointed out the purslane that popped up between her lettuce crop. Purslane (also known as little hogweed, pigweed, pusley) is an annual in our garden zone 7.  This succulent can grow in sandy soil and resists drought. You’ll see it everywhere if you look […]

Every summer I end up snacking on my serviceberry trees while I’m doing garden work. This year, I wanted to use the fruit in a proper way. I got out the ladder and harvested as many as I could. I left the berries on the very high branches. Partly for the birds and partly out of laziness.  I gathered 9 cups! And there are still more on my tree in the front garden. Use a scissor to clip the berry clusters  I decided to make juice. I muddled the berries […]

My dishwasher broke. Not the function itself but the whole darn thing got dislodged from the counter. Every time I’d open it, the racks would fly out sliding forward…sometimes the dishes too. After almost three months of getting aggravated and procrastinating, I finally called to get it fixed. I found Gene’s Repair Service (917.913.5990) in the business directory of The Wave. I liked the vintage style ad but what grabbed my attention was that this is a women-owned and operated business. Patty McCabe picked up right away. I explained the issue […]

I was a bit skeptical when I saw the word “anchovies” hit my inbox from NY Times Cooking. But this is one of the few newsletters I actually read and trust… so I clicked. What interested me about this recipe was the cabbage and parmesan – it’s an unlikely combination. Also, cabbage has basically zero calories. I thought this would be a healthy, unique one to try. These days, I flip flop from pescatarian to vegetarian. For this reason, I don’t make bolognese. My secret though –  to get that […]

I’m a big banana person. The mild taste with a hit of honey rum flavor is so, so good. The soft texture is unlike most fruit –  pretty unique when you think about it. They’re easy to eat, which makes them a great, healthy grab-and-go snack. Bananas are a good source of fiber, vitamin B6, manganese, vitamin C, folate, and potassium. And they’re only about 105 calories and quite filling. Last week I had a craving for banana bread. I haven’t made this in a long while but you know… […]

I spotted the most beautiful artichokes in Trader Joe’s. They were large and barely had browning. I had to buy them. I was so excited about this find, I actually called my mother from the crowded store to share my enthusiasm. She’d get it. Her first words were, “HOW MUCH ARE THEY??,” “$2.59 each,” I said. She grumbled, “That’s high, but for this time of the year it’s ok, get them.” I wasn’t asking for permission but I appreciated her blessing. I’ve written before about artichokes on my blog but […]

  Last week my friend Olga generously gave me a bag filled with superfoods –  several types of raw nuts, seeds, chia, hemp, grains, wheat flour and lentils. I was very grateful to be the recipient of this bounty and promised to make beautiful meals with my gifts.  My father taught me how to make lentil soup as a kid and the recipe is a family staple. Sometimes I modify that recipe, spicing it with curry, turmeric and ginger for an Indian flare. I thought I’d use the legumes first, […]

Chances are you’ve seen focaccia flower bread recipes popping up everywhere in your social feeds. My natural inclination as a “traditional cook” is to snub food trends. But I have to admit, this recipe looks pretty, pretty. Also… I love flowers… and I love bread. So I put my food snobbery aside and jumped on the bread wagon. Also, I’ve been meaning to venture into breadmaking and baking to challenge myself this winter. Here was the opportunity. The incentive for me was adorning the bread with beautiful flower depictions made […]