Louisiana-Style Shrimp Remoulade
I came across some of my old cookbooks during a little spring-cleaning the other day. One was Emeril’s Delmonico, a gift from an old ex who presented it with expectations of fried soft-shell crabs, seafood gumbo, and beignets in his near future. Unfortunately for him, none of those items, or anything from that book, was made until years after we said our goodbyes. One of the first recipes I whipped up from the book was Emeril’s shrimp remoulade, an interpretation to that classic Creole dish. (more…)
Gougères With A Kick
I made my first batch of gougères a couple of months ago, and have been hooked ever since. Gougères are savory French cheese puffs that can be made with a variety of cheeses and herbs. My latest—and so far, favorite—batch uses Chipotle ale and a combination of sharp white cheddar and Asiago. Delicious cheese puffs with a kick! (more…)
Peanut Butter Cookies for Peanut Butter Lovers
These sweet, decadent babies are peanut butter cookies on steroids. And I mean that in a good way. The rich peanut butter filling with mini chocolate chips, sandwiched between quarter-sized peanut buttery cookies, are great with coffee, tea, a glass of milk, and despite its richness, even alone. They were a hit at work, which my thighs are thankful for. If I didn’t bring them in to share, I probably would have polished them all off in day. (more…)
(Secret) Swedish Sugar Cookies
I was assigned to make cookies for my parent’s Christmas party this year, and in addition to the usual chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin variety I often make, I decided to give these Secret Cookies a try. What makes them a secret? (more…)
Great Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toffee
The chocolate chip cookie. It was the first type of cookie I learned how to make. There are, of course, endless recipes and variations of this all-American favorite. And over the years, this is the one I most often come back to. (more…)
Green Beans with Garam Masala and Almonds
I volunteered to make green beans for this year’s annual Thanksgiving potluck with my friends. Green bean casserole is always a popular one with the gang, and the nice thing is it’s easy to prepare. But I wanted to try something different this year. I came across Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for green beans with garam masala butter and toasted hazelnuts. It sounded different, looked tasty in the photo… it was perfect! I made a couple of moderations and gave it a shot. (more…)
Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Who says fries can’t be healthy? I’ve been on a sweet potato kick lately, and my preferred choice of preparation is cutting them up into wide strips or wedges, coating with a little olive oil, sea salt, and hot paprika, and baking them to goodness. (more…)
Simple Roast Chicken
A simple roast chicken served with white or brown rice is one my favorite dishes. I actually love chicken and rice prepared in almost any style – stir-fried chicken with black bean sauce and white Jasmine rice, Mexican chicken and rice, Cuban-style rice and beans with chicken, rice and chicken casserole… you get the idea. But a simple roast chicken, prepared with salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh garlic, served with steamed rice is my favorite. (more…)
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
My father rarely eats sweets, and on the few occasions he does, it’s usually gourmet goods found in specialty markets or treats our family from Europe will sometimes bring over when they visit… decadent Swiss chocolate, delicate French pastries, flavorful fruit tarts… But a more modest treat he also happens to enjoy are these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies with walnuts. (more…)
Roasted Butternut Squash
I love roasted butternut squash. I usually go for an olive oil, salt and pepper-combination as my mixture of choice before roasting. Kind of plain, I know. So this time, I decided to get a little crazy… OK, so maybe it’s not that crazy. But it’s a little more exotic than olive oil, salt and pepper. (more…)
Tasting Journal 