Sometimes it’s helpful when someone else can curate a series of recipes into a cohesive menu that feels and tastes both complete and complementary. I hope I can be that curator for you. And because I tend to cook around special events myself, it’s often where the individual posts came from in the first place.
Sometimes the Thanksgiving dish that really blows you away is what you were least expecting, like this Lima Bean Gratin did on my Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu. I often make a gratin for Thanksgiving, but it rarely steals the show. Gratins are great make ahead dishes, and this Lima Bean Gratin is no different in that […]
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I’m going to be honest, no matter how good Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes sound, the star of the dessert section of Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu was definitely the Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie with Cashew Crust. I knew it would be, so when it was time to pick the second dessert, I wanted a dessert that would be […]
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Five Squash Soup and Lime Caramel Corn is probably the most playful dish I have ever made, and that’s a compliment, to be clear. I have to say, that I am quite proud of this one from a design perspective; after years of enjoying meals made magic by chefs like Wylie Dufresne who really play […]
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Baked Goat Cheese and Homemade Pepper Jelly is one of those dishes that was absolutely inspired by the hosting skills of others. Some friends of mine have a lovely Christmukkah party annually that often includes the crowd-pleasing cream cheese with pepper jelly appetizer. In fact, they always have lots of fun old school apps and […]
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This lovely Canlis Parsnip Soup Hazelnut Gremolata came from, you guessed it, Canlis Restaurant in Seattle. It also came with a lovely story. I was first exposed to Canlis a few years ago now, when my dear friend Andrea was married in Seattle. It was a gorgeous October weekend with fall leaves, sunshine, and lots […]
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My Fresh Strawberry Pie with Rhubarb Curd all started with two quarts of gorgeous little local fresh strawberries. You know the ones. They’re really small. And sometimes oddly shaped. And deep dark red. They were at the market, and it was time for a fresh strawberry pie. But I didn’t have the heart to make […]
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Many years ago, when we still lived in California, I made a Tyler Florence recipe for fried chicken, that called for adding herbs and garlic to the oil before frying the chicken, and it was so good, I still remember it, all these years later. So when I returned from my latest California trip inspired […]
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These Spicy Polenta Tarts with Okra and Sweet Corn were inspired by a recipe I saw online. It’s funny how some of these pinterest recipes work (p.s. Are you following me on pinterest? You should be), you keep tracing them back and tracing them back to their original incarnation, only to find that they were […]
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My Snappy Green Salad: beyond leafy greens was perfect for our Summer Kick-Off, Chesapeake Bay Adventure. The old-fashioned fun of board and yard games made me nostalgic for all things Summer, and the Snappy Green Salad fit the theme perfectly by requiring a little bean snapping. Both bean snapping and corn husking are romantically nostalgic […]
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As a seasoned Kentucky Derby and Derby Party goer, over the years I’ve had need for a lot of hats. I bought my first real hat from Linda Campisano in Evanston, IL and I still love it. However, real hats are really expensive. And they’re big, with big hat boxes that require lots of storage. […]
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What’s so great about this Sweet and Spicy Jalapeño Glazed Baked Ham? My brother likes to make ham, and over the years, he’s introduced me to coca cola glazes, pineapple glazes, coffee glazes, and a few more I can’t recall at the moment. For some reason he was often in charge of Easter. One thing […]
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It’s finally time for Tamale Assembly. You did all the prep. You bought all the ingredients. It’s time to make the margaritas, await your guests, and learn how to build those tamales. At the bottom of the tutorial, there’s a plan of attack that gives you a timeline of how to pull off the party, […]
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