Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • We tried this Smitten Kitchen recipe, and it was delicious. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/. The recipe calls for beef broth, but it easily can be made vegetarian if you use vegetable broth. We used baby portobellos (cremini mushrooms) instead of large portobellos. We served this over egg noodles tossed with some minced parsley. (May 2016)
    Note: The recipe recommends using the mushroom caps (and discarding the stems). We did on our second try, and we agree. Because the stems are fibrous and earthy, they distract from the bourguignon flavor. We also like using a 3:1 ratio of cremini to white button mushrooms instead of portobello. (Aug. 2018)
    Note 2: For anyone watching sodium, you may want to use unsalted broth (beef or vegetarian) or otherwise reduce the added salt. The sauce reduces during the cooking process, which makes it more concentrated (and thus higher sodium) than you may have intended. For example, we used low-sodium beef broth but still found the final sauce saltier than expected. (Aug. 2018)

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  • We tried this recipe from Chef Michael Symon: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/roasted-dates-with-pancetta-almonds-and-chile-recipe.html. We used center cut bacon (cut into matchsticks) instead of pancetta. (May 2016)

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  • Preheat oven to 450. Cut 3 baby eggplants (about 1 ½ lbs) into 2″x1″ wedges. Toss with enough olive oil to lightly coat the eggplant pieces (about 2 Tbsp), making sure not to soak the eggplant. Fold in fresh herbs (here, a few sprigs each marjoram, oregano, and thyme), then place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, then roast in oven until browned (about 30 mins, tossing pieces midway). (May 2016)
    Note: You also can reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and oven-roast for 40 mins, turning over midway.

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  • We tried this recipe from The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia. Peeling 1 ½ lbs carrots into ribbons was time-consuming, but the marinade was quick and easy. We found it a little too spicy, so the next time we may reduce the crushed red pepper from 1 tsp to ½ tsp. The recipe is available online here: http://www.popsugar.com/food/Spicy-Sesame-Carrot-Salad-30421461 (Apr. 2016)

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  • We had half a baguette leftover, so I tried using it in lieu of Italian bread. Turns out a baguette is too narrow to nest an egg. To make the sauce, heat a small pot and add 1 tsp olive oil. Sauté 1 minced shallot; when fragrant, add a few cloves minced garlic and 1 tsp crushed red pepper, and sauté for 1 min. Then add 13.5 oz can diced tomato (with liquid), a few basil and parsley sprigs (julienned), a few marjoram sprigs (leaves only), and a little salt and sugar. Let simmer for 20 mins. Taste the sauce, and adjust seasonings as appropriate (we added a splash each of balsamic vinegar and red wine). Separately, cut four slices of Italian bread (here, baguette) and cut out holes large enough to fit an egg. Heat a cast iron pan with 3 Tbsp olive oil, then place the bread slices in the pan. Let toast on one side, flip over, then gently add an egg within the hole of each slice (this is when we realized a baguette is too narrow). Continue cooking until egg has set to desired liking. Serve the egg in bread with the sauce on a diagonal. We loosely followed a recipe from David Ruggerio’s Little Italy Cookbook, available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1885183542/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_TWljxb07E9HMK. (Apr. 2016)

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  • We followed this recipe: http://www.slowburningpassion.com/maghmour-the-moussaka-from-lebanon-that-will-make-you-happy/. We also used canned, drained chickpeas. Our minor modifications: instead of 1 tsp smoked paprika, we used ½ tsp each paprika and smoked chipotle pepper; we used 6 julienned fresh mint leaves in lieu of dried mint; and instead of adding water towards the end, we added ½ cup of chicken stock (we probably could reduce to ¼ cup). (Apr. 2016)

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  • We tried this recipe from Aida Mollenkamp: http://saltandwind.com/recipes/38-late-summer-roasted-eggplant-pasta-recipe. Our modifications: to avoid having unused ingredients, we increased the spaghetti to 1 lb (16 oz), tomato purée to 20 oz, balsamic vinegar to 1 ½ Tbsp, and sugar (we used white sugar) to 1 ½ tsp. We also used a mix of fresh thyme and fresh marjoram (in lieu of oregano) to season the eggplant. (Apr. 2016)

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  • We had leftover flour tortillas, so we tried out this recipe, which is a healthier version of buenelos: http://www.spiciefoodie.com/2012/05/04/healthy-cinnamon-sugar-chips/. However, instead of tossing the oiled, baked chips in cinnamon sugar, we tossed pieces a little vegetable oil, then added the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat the pieces before baking. We also sprinkled extra cinnamon sugar on each piece before putting them in the oven at 400 for about 8 mins. We used a sugar:cinnamon ratio of 3:1. (Apr. 2016)

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  • Our favorite version of this dish is from Larios on the Beach, a South Beach restaurant owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan; we loved its drier texture and hint of bacon fat. So we tried their moros recipe from The Estefan Kitchen cookbook, available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/045122518X/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_y3yfxbXGVV5BK (Apr. 2016)

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  • We followed this recipe but did not purée the marinade ingredients. http://icuban.com/food/mobile/churrasco_cubano.html After marinating the steak overnight, we cut it into four serving size pieces. We pan-seared each piece and then finished them (in a 9×13 baking dish) in the oven at 350 for about 10 mins. (Apr. 2016)

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