Tag: Blog Hop

Weekly blog hop

Black Bean and Corn Salsa and a Bean Blog Hop

86 Comments

With the weather heating up (and it is scorching here already!) I’ve got light, bright, fresh, raw salads, salsas, and sauces on the brain. I whipped up this delicious Black Bean and Corn Salsa to top the fish tacos that I just posted about, but I was also eating the leftovers with tortilla chips as a dip. It would be great with grilled chicken or fish as well. In addition to the black beans and corn, I also included pineapple for a hint of sweetness, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice. I could seriously eat this one way or another every day of summer. What are your favorite bean recipes? Link them up in the blog hop below!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Continue reading “Black Bean and Corn Salsa and a Bean Blog Hop” →

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict and a Mother’s Day Blog Hop

59 Comments

Mother’s Day is a little over a week away, but I wanted to have a Mother’s Day blog hop today in order to give plenty of time for menu planning and inspiration. Back home Mother’s Day is usually one of my favorite days of the year. Usually my mom, sister, and I use it as an excuse for a girls’ day out. We go to the zoo or botanic gardens, get mani-pedis or enjoy a leisurely brunch, stroll through a museum or go shopping (and yes, we’ve done all of those things on Mother’s Days past).

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Continue reading “Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict and a Mother’s Day Blog Hop” →

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Round-Up and Blog Hop

61 Comments

Simple guacamole recipe

With Cinco de Mayo just over a week away, I thought I’d throw a little Cinco de Mayo fiesta here on my blog. Although the holiday (which translates to the fifth of May) technically memorializes the victory of Mexicans over French at the 1862 Battle of Puebla, it has become by and large an American holiday to celebrate Mexican and Mexican-American heritage and culture. Whatever your reason for celebrating, I will never turn down an excuse to eat good Mexican food and honor their beautiful culture. Here are some of my favorite Mexican-inspired dishes from the archives, and I’d love for you to link up your Cinco de Mayo fare at the blog hop below!

Continue reading “Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Round-Up and Blog Hop” →

Freekeh Salad Recipe and a Grain Blog Hop

35 Comments

freekeh

Have you tried freekeh? Also called farik, frikeh, and green wheat, it is wheat that is picked when young (i.e. green), and then dried and roasted. It looks a lot like bulgur or farro, and can be used in many of the same ways. While it is an ancient grain that has been popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa for centuries, I’ve noticed that it’s starting to get its due in the US as well. Living in Israel it is readily available in the bulk bins, and it has become one of my favorite ways to add a wholesome grain to my meal.

 

Continue reading "Freekeh Salad Recipe and a Grain Blog Hop" →

Guest Post: Strawberry Tart and an Easter Blog Hop

52 Comments

Strawberry BunnyTart from Cravings of a Lunatic

Oh do I have an exciting post for you. While I am in Istanbul (cue song: Istanbul not Constantinople) I have a very special guest: Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic! You may recall that I did a guest post for her back in December. If you read food blogs then chances are you know Kim, but if not head on over and check out her blog. I promise you will leave with a smile on your face. Not only does Kim come up with the best recipes (allow me to site this, this, and this as evidence), but she’s funny as all hell. And just the sweetest! Ok, enough gushing. I’ll allow Kim’s post to speak for itself: Continue reading “Guest Post: Strawberry Tart and an Easter Blog Hop” →

Strawberry Shortcake and a Strawberry Blog Hop

125 Comments

Is it strawberry season where you live? Here in Israel it’s my favorite time of year. Strawberries, artichokes, fresh almonds, and gorgeous fresh garlic are all in season and in abundance. I love it!!! It’s actually nearing the end of strawberry season, which is when they are cheapest and at they’re best. What better use for glorious fresh strawberries than strawberry shortcake?! Perhaps one of my favorite desserts of all time, this simple dessert is the best way I know to welcome in spring.

Strawberry Shortcake

Continue reading “Strawberry Shortcake and a Strawberry Blog Hop” →

Blood Orange Panna Cotta and a Citrus Blog Hop

83 Comments

Is there anything as beautiful as a blood orange? Their gorgeous tart flavor and vibrant red color make them irresistible to me. So irresistible, in fact, that I dragged two kilos home from Tel Aviv (an hour and a half away) just so I could have my way with these seductive fruits. I drank blood orange juice and put it in cocktails. And I made this: blood orange panna cotta. It was so good, and so easy! Bursting with bright citrus flavor, the blood orange dyes the dessert a beautiful shade of pink. It’s the ultimate palate cleanser, and a wonderful end to any meal.

Blood Orange Panna Cotta Recipe

Continue reading “Blood Orange Panna Cotta and a Citrus Blog Hop” →

Irish Beef Stew Recipe and a St. Patrick’s Day Blog Hop

67 Comments

Irish Beef Stew with Daikon Radish Puree

In case you couldn’t tell from my last name, I’m not Irish. But growing up in New York City, come St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish. It’s fun and festive, rowdy and chaotic. I know that drinking lots of beer is a St. Patrick’s Day tradition (an entirely made up one, by the way – but who’s to argue?!), but this weekend why not save some of that brew for your stew (watch out, I may break out into limericks at any moment…). Enter Irish Beef Stew, sometimes called Guiness Beef Stew, a hearty and delicious way to celebrate the luck of the Irish.

 

Continue reading “Irish Beef Stew Recipe and a St. Patrick’s Day Blog Hop” →

Eggplant with Tahina and an Eggplant Blog Hop

75 Comments

Eggplant with Tahina and Pomegranate Seeds

In the Middle East there’s a saying that a woman is not ready to wed until she can cook an eggplant (i.e. aubergine) 1,000 ways. Before you start huffing and puffing about the gendered implications of this adage, I think the New York Times explained it well: “The saying is less about preparing women for marriage, though, than it is about the amazing versatility of the eggplant.” Indeed, living in Israel my appreciation for these humble, purple-skinned vegetables has skyrocketed. On a single dinner table they can appear in countless forms. Usually it begins with flame roasted eggplants, but after that they can be pureed with tahina for baba ghanouj, mayo for an entirely different dip, or lemon juice and olive oil for eggplant “caviar.” Israelis make a convincing vegetarian chopped liver (devised in the 1940s when times were tough and meat was rare) using fried eggplant and hard boiled eggs. Continue reading “Eggplant with Tahina and an Eggplant Blog Hop” →

Spaghetti with Mushroom Cream Sauce and a Pasta Blog Hop

54 Comments

Spaghetti with Rosemary-Mushroom Cream Sauce

I don’t think that it’s an exaggeration to say that growing up we ate pasta every single night with dinner. In today’s carb conscious, diet crazy world that may elicit gasps, but in my Italian-American family it was just the norm. And while I was a picky eater, I never got sick of pasta. My dad – the cook in our family – mixed up the shapes and sauces, served it with chicken parmesan or steak pizzaiola (ok, we also ate a lot of meat and cheese…) and well into my 20s I could not understand how or why anyone would want to cut pasta from their diet. Today my dinners are a bit more diversified, but pasta remains one of my favorite foods. Continue reading “Spaghetti with Mushroom Cream Sauce and a Pasta Blog Hop” →