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…

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…

Key Lime Cake

I had a big container of sour cream, I had key limes, and I had a dinner party I needed to bring a dessert to. It was an intimate dinner party for 4, so I thought there would be leftovers of this Key Lime Cake, but I ended up having to make another one the…

Jalapeno Cilantro Yogurt Dip

I needed to throw together a quick appetizer for a party, so I rummaged through the fridge and found Asiago cheese, yogurt, cilantro, and a jalapeno that I needed to use up. Looked like the makings of a pretty good vegetable dip. Brought it to the party and it was a hit… both as a…

Aji Verde

No Peruvian meal is complete without Aji Verde (Peruvian green sauce), so of course I had to make some for my Peruvian dinner party. It’s a refreshing sauce that is automatically delivered to your table at most Peruvian restaurants, and I like to put it on basically everything I order. Which is why I love…

Peach Basil Meatballs

I had some leftover meatballs from when I made Meatball Cheese Crisps, and I had some end-of-season peaches that were ok but not the peak of sweetness we experienced a few weeks ago. Plus my basil plant has been doing really well lately. So I decided a savory dish might be a good use for…

Kerabu Timun Nanas (Cucumber Pineapple Salad)

There is an amazing Malaysian restaurant in Seattle called Kedai Makan. It’s a bit out of the way, but if you are ever in Seattle it’s worth seeking it out. One of the top 10 meals of my life! My favorite dish was their Kerabu Timun Nanas – a cucumber and pineapple salad with kerisik….

Thai-Inspired Salad

We’re in the midst of summer right now, and it’s just too hot to be cooking and eating a hot meal. I was craving a salad that was hearty enough to be my dinner, but cool and refreshing to eat in this heat. While not an exact match for any traditional Thai salad, I used…

Saltado de Vegetales

I introduced my boyfriend to Peruvian food and he became obsessed with Saltado de Vegetales, begging me to figure out how to make it at home. The waiter at my favorite Peruvian restaurant informed me that the key is aji amarillo paste. So I acquired some aji amarillo paste and got to work. My boyfriend…

Lentils with Curried Butternut Squash and Walnuts

Cookbook Club – Gourmet Today For our July Cookbook Club we used Gourmet Today, a collection of over 1,000 recipes which Ruth Reichl compiled during her time as editor in chief of Gourmet magazine. To see all the dishes we sampled from this massive selection, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my…

Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut soup)

This coconut soup is one of my favorite Thai foods. Tom Kha Gai is a great accompaniment to other Thai dishes, but its rich and warming broth makes it hearty enough to eat as a main dish as well, especially with a side of rice. Making Tom Kha Gai is a simple 3-step process –…

Honeyed Persimmon Cake Topping

Whenever cake comes with the typical sugary frosting on top, I do my best to scrape off as much of the frosting as I can. It’s just too sweet for me and doesn’t have any other flavor. But did you know that you can use a simple mixture of Greek yogurt and honey to make…