The holidays are right around the corner, so I’m getting ready with some Christmas treat-making. Christmas Crack at its most basic is saltine crackers topped with toffee and chocolate. I fancy mine up a bit with chopped nuts and coarse salt. The nuts elevate this dessert to something that seems much more sophisticated and difficult…
Tag: Salt
Ravioli in Pumpkin Cream Sauce
I had some more of the incredible ricotta from my cheese guy, plus a pumpkin that I had pureed after it had served its purpose as a holiday decoration. So I decided to make ravioli with a pumpkin cream sauce. The meal came out so good that my boyfriend said it was like eating in…
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…
Huancaina Sauce
Another one of my Peruvian favorites is Huancaina Sauce. I learned how to make this from a friend who is actually Chilean, but it tastes just like the Huancaina at my favorite Peruvian restaurant, so I’m going with it. It’s typically served with potatoes, but as you know by now potatoes aren’t my thing. Also…
Peruvian-Inspired Pie
I decided to do a Peruvian theme for a recent dinner party, since I had some aji panca paste I’ve been itching to use. Arroz Tapado (ground beef layered with rice, peas, and carrots) is one of the traditional dishes that uses aji panca, but one of my dinner guests doesn’t eat rice, so I…
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…
Meatball Cheese Crisps
My cheese guy came through again, this time with a giant bag of shredded mozzarella. I also have an excessive supply of frozen meatballs at the moment, because for some reason my boyfriend keeps buying them every time he goes to the store. I decided to try making an appetizer of meatballs on mozzarella cheese…
Pralines
Cookbook Club – Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking The book for August’s Cookbook Club was Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin. For a glimpse into what we sampled from those two centuries, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! At the…
Peanut Soup
Cookbook Club – Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking Our August Cookbook Club selection was Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking. To see our jubilee experience, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! I’d never heard of peanut soup before, but the recipe…
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….
Caramelized Zucchini and Onion Pasta
It’s summer squash season, and the abundance of zucchini everywhere got me thinking that it might be good caramelized along with onions. The combo of caramelized zucchini and onion came out even better than I expected, making a buttery sweet pasta sauce that I’ll definitely be making again. Guessipe 6 TBSP butter 1 onion, thinly…
Fried Heirloom Tomato Salad
More fun with heirloom tomatoes! Hearty enough to fry into a tasty topper for a bed of arugula. Drizzled with a creamy balsamic dressing, this made for a salad so good that my boyfriend (who’s preference is pretty much an all-carb diet) chose it over gnocchi. Guessipe 1/4 cup parmesan 1/8 cup cornmeal 1/8 cup…