Appetizers

Thumbnail image for Recipe: Peach Mango Soup Shooters

Recipe: Peach Mango Soup Shooters

September 7, 2011

I don’t think of soup when it comes to pairing wine. And I don’t think of peaches when it comes to soup. And I don’t think of tart when it comes to sweet, sweet peaches. So a cayenne-kissed, very tangy-yet-sweet peach and mango soup designed to go with Gewurztraminer is exactly the kind of shake-me-up [...]

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Thumbnail image for Recipe: Fried Avocado with Lime-Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Recipe: Fried Avocado with Lime-Cilantro Dipping Sauce

May 2, 2011

Wanting to redeem myself from the monumental failure of my salted caramel candy apples — which devolved into sliced apples and a dip — I accepted the task of creating an avocado recipe for MissAvaCado‘s Cinco de Mayo Blogger Challenge. The results have me wondering if I’m cut out for challenges. While the goal was [...]

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Thumbnail image for Spicy Cauliflower with Cilantro Dressing

Spicy Cauliflower with Cilantro Dressing

August 25, 2010

A local Indian restaurant makes an addictive appetizer — bite-sized vegetables dipped in a spicy chickpea batter, deep fried and served with a cilantro dipping sauce. Whenever Andrew and I dine there, I pluck all the cauliflower florets from the plate and eat them myself. Since he doesn’t like cauliflower, it’s a pretty good system. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Savory Cheese Cookies

Savory Cheese Cookies

February 16, 2010

You will see no pancakes here today. No stacks of blueberry buttermilk griddle cakes dripping with maple syrup. No golden latkes dotted with sour cream or slathered in apple sauce. Not so much as a waffle. Crepes? Forget it. Instead, I’m offering you little disks of fat in the form of  savory cheese cookies. The [...]

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Thumbnail image for Slow Cooker Refried Beans Dip

Slow Cooker Refried Beans Dip

January 13, 2010

There are two problems with refried beans. One: They tend to be very fattening. Two: They look like something that came out the back end of a flatulent donkey. This slow-cooker recipe solves the high-fat issue. The lovely dish my sister’s boyfriend gave me for Christmas solves the other. Look at the sensual, distracting curves. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Rosemary, Raisin and Pecan Crisps

Rosemary, Raisin and Pecan Crisps

December 16, 2009

I can’t believe I’m about to make these again. The recipe makes a two loaf pans’ worth and the entire batch is almost gone. Bored with plain crackers and still hyperventilating from the sticker price on the artisanal crisps, I was thrilled to find a knock-off recipe in Julie Van Rosendaal’s book Grazing: A Healthier [...]

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Thumbnail image for Peach and Black Bean Salsa

Peach and Black Bean Salsa

September 14, 2009

The subtitle of this post could be Variations on a Theme. Brahms did it with classical music, William Carlos Williams did it with poetry and I’m doing it with salsa. And peaches. And more homegrown tomatoes. Now, I’m not claiming to be in the same league as the artistic greats just mentioned, but I must [...]

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Thumbnail image for Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

July 15, 2009

Pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself. I wouldn’t be ashamed to serve these at a fancy garden party. You can almost hear the light jazz in the background. But in reality, this is a simple dip that you can dump in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips. I just bought some new [...]

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Thumbnail image for Barbecue Roasted Garlic

Barbecue Roasted Garlic

June 29, 2009

Lesson learned. Don’t blog for a few days and family members will phone to check up on you. I’m fine. Really. I haven’t succumbed to swine flu, only the temptations of summer. Truth be told, I’ve been playing hooky with my barbecue — I mean grill. Our house can’t take the heat of the oven [...]

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Thumbnail image for Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas

January 29, 2009

When you get a flash of genius for something like, say… caramel coated chickpeas — and can’t find a single hit on Google under the term, don’t take this as a challenge. Take this as a hint. There is a reason no one makes them. I’ve seen the evidence. Right in my kitchen. The moisture [...]

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Thumbnail image for Italian Week — Marinated Olives

Italian Week — Marinated Olives

September 16, 2008

Reviewing my Italian week line-up, I realized that unless you’re carb-loading for a marathon, you’ll need a break from the starch I’m about to foist upon you before the week’s over. Stromboli, risotto, spaghetti and gnocchi are all wonderful, but I can feel my waistband stretching at the very thought. Since I’m blogging about beer [...]

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