World Cup of Yum

Pistachio-Crusted Lemon Bars

Cookbook Club – Sababa We used Adeena Sussman’s Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen as our April cookbook. Sababa means “everything is awesome” in Hebrew, and is the spirit Sussman uses in her Israel-inspired recipes. We did indeed have a sunny afternoon meal – go to my Cookbook Club site to experience the…

Parmesan Thyme Roasted Fennel

After using half of a fennel bulb to make Pasta Bolognese, I had to figure out something to do with the 1 1/2 fennel bulbs I had left. I needed a side dish to accompany my pasta, and roasted fennel seemed like it would go well. Turned out to be a great combo that I…

Pasta Bolognese

In the best spirit of the Guessipe, I’ve found Pasta Bolognese to have some pretty interchangeable components… red or white onion, celery or fennel, red or white wine, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, milk or heavy cream. It’s the long slow simmer that brings it all together. Traditionalists might balk at this, but try it…

Roasted Pistachio Ice Cream

I recently had a fantastic pistachio ice cream at a local Middle Eastern restaurant. Since then I found myself constantly thinking about pistachio ice cream, so I decided I better figure out how to make some. I searched around for some recipes to use as a starting point, but found that they all call for…

Mom’s Corn Muffins

I was invited to a Sunday Supper-themed potluck, where the main courses were going to be pot roast and roasted chicken. As I was pondering what side dish I could bring, I remembered my Mom’s Corn Muffins, a holiday gathering favorite. As I was making them, it occurred to me that I had never documented…

Orange Blueberry Cake

My friends gave me a ton of oranges from their tree. When we couldn’t bear the thought of eating another orange, I had a thought – if lemon cake is good, why not orange cake? I also had some blueberries from the local community garden. My first Orange Blueberry Cake was entirely consumed in one…

Lemon Za’atar Cauliflower

One night I threw this Lemon Za’atar Cauliflower together using what I happened to have around. My husband lost his mind for it, saying he would choose this cauliflower dish over roasted pork (and he LOVES roasted pork). So I’ll definitely be making it regularly, especially since it’s also healthy and easy. I used green…

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

I wanted to make a St. Patrick’s Day dessert, and my neighbor had just given me a bunch of limes from her tree. So I decided to make Key Lime Pie Cupcakes. To get that familiar key lime pie flavor I used sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar in both the cupcake batter and the…

Pandan Pie

Today is my favorite day of the year… Pi(e) Day! A few weeks ago, I had a pandan latte at a Vietnamese coffee shop. It was heavenly. Pandan is a leaf used commonly in Southeast Asian cuisine, and the best way I can describe its flavor is like an herbaceous vanilla. One of my friends…

Girl Scout Cookies n Cream

It’s Girl Scout Cookie season! I went to a party and ended up coming home with boxes of Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints, and Trefoils. Having already consumed many cookies, I decided to use some of the cookies to make Girl Scout Cookie ice cream. Cookies n Cream is my favorite childhood ice cream, so what could…

Chewy Fudge Brownies

Cookbook Club – Texture Over Taste February’s cookbook was Texture Over Taste by Joshua Weissman. Weissman divided the recipes into 6 texture chapters – Crunchy, Chewy, Aerated, Creamy, Fluid, and Fatty. To explore all the textures we experienced, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! When it comes to brownies, some…

Thai Larb

The key to Thai Larb is the ground toasted rice, providing the flavor and texture that makes this refreshing and fulfilling ground meat salad. I used to order Larb when I went out for Thai food, until I learned that it’s so easy to make at home. It’s great for a main dish served as…