Summertime and this Salad is Easy… A Bit of History: During summertime, I am always reminded of one of my dad’s favorite songs; Otis Redding’s Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. My brother and I probably heard that song at least one hundred times every summer. Much to our dismay, my dad would always…
Good Mood Food…Part 2: The Sides About the Recipe: Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce Growing up, my dad loved to grill food outside on our deck, especially burgers. In my mind, you cannot serve a burger without the appropriate sides, which for me typically include some kind of sauce, potato, and vegetables. I love the combination…
A Twist on a Summertime Classic A Bit of History: I have to admit that I did not actually know what kind of pepper I was buying while purchasing a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for my Peach Chipotle Espresso BBQ Sauce. Therefore, the time was ripe to do a little research for…
Recipes for Fava Bean Hummus & Cilantro Mint Sauce Mezze simply refers to appetizers or small plates of food that are meant to be shared. It is very common to see mezze listed on Greek and Middle Eastern menus. Sometimes, we even make a meal of mezze at my house. I love setting out a…
Recipes for Roasted Vegetables with Za’tar and Spring Vegetables with Fresh Herbs A mezze platter would not be complete without breads, dipping sauces or spreads, and small dishes of either vegetables, meats, or cheeses. My family prefers some small plates of different vegetables and olives to accompany our mezze platter. Last week we had an…
The Fruit of Immortality… A Bit of History: Six thousand years is a long time to wait! According to Chinese mythology, the immortals gathered once every 6000 years to partake of the Feast of Peaches. They consumed peaches from a sacred tree that blossomed only once every 1,000 years and took 3,000 years to ripen….
A Recipe for Mango Salsa. Every spring I wait patiently for the first appearance of Ataulfo mangoes at the store. As soon as I spy them, I buy a box and start making mango salsa. Ataulfo mangoes are often called Champagne mangoes due to their smooth, velvet like consistency and juicy sweetness. They are grown…
A Recipe for Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Sun Dried Tomato Miso Spread and a Side of Mustard Potatoes Did you know that the name Portabella is believed to be a marketing scheme? These mushrooms were once so unpopular due to their gargantuan size and unappealing color that they were almost unsellable. In the 1980s, the…
A Recipe for a Greek Salad with Kalamata Olive Dressing. Coming from an Italian-Greek family, I fondly remember childhood trips to Greek town in Chicago. We lived quite a distance from the city, so eating at the Parthenon in Greek town was always a special event. My favorite menu items included Greek chopped salad, avgolemono…
A Recipe for Fennel, Pea, Green Garlic Pesto with a Mason Jar Salad. Maybe it’s because I always enjoyed chemistry in school and most wanted to go to to Hogwarts to have a wand and take Potions class; but I always love interesting combinations. (I also love the word amalgamations meaning the process of uniting)….