Tag: Recipe

Secret Recipe Club Cilantro-Lime Chicken

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It’s that time of the month again! No, not that time. Secret Recipe Club time! Hosted by Amanda over at Amanda’s Cookin’ it’s a great way for bloggers to meet, share, and make each others’ recipes. Every month each participant is assigned another blog and we can make any recipe from that blog. Then, all at once, we reveal our posts! Yup, it’s as fun as it sounds. Who doesn’t like being in a secret club? In June I made some excellent Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from Connor’s Cooking and in July I made Darn Near Domestic‘s awesome Smoky Salsa. I took a hiatus in August and am excited to be back because this month I was introduced to another fabulous blog – Once a Month Mom. Continue reading “Secret Recipe Club Cilantro-Lime Chicken” →

Friday Shout-Out: Zucchini

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It’s Friday, which means another round of shout-outs for a week of great recipes! If you recall for last week‘s inaugural Shout-Out I focused on peaches as a glut of end-of-season stone fruit translated into a vast array of appetizing peach recipes. This week is all about Zucchini (that’s courgettes for the rest of the world). It got in my head last week when I started seeing great recipes like Mission: Food’s Farfalle with Zucchini Sauce, Chef in Disguise’s Zucchini Dip, Kitchen Lab’s Courgette and Pesto Gratin, and Wine Country Cook’s Zucchini Bruschetta. Continue reading “Friday Shout-Out: Zucchini” →

Chocolate-Cherry Babka

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When my editor at the Jew and the Carrot (the food blog of the Jewish Daily Forward) asked me if I’d be interested in writing an article about babka, there was only one answer – YES. Babka, for those who have been sadly deprived, is a yeasty bread that is rolled around a filling (typically cinnamon or chocolate), stuffed in a loaf pan, and baked. It’s decadent and yet as appropriate for breakfast as for dessert. Yet somehow it seemed beyond my reach to make it at home. And in New York, when you have Zabar’s why bother? I was thrilled to learn it’s incredibly easy to prepare. Even better, most recipes make two to three loaves, which you can freeze and enjoy later. Continue reading “Chocolate-Cherry Babka” →

Round Zucchini Stuffed with Couscous

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For some reason, round zucchini didn’t make it into my diet much back home. You don’t see them often in New York, or maybe I just wasn’t looking. As soon as I spotted them in Israel, though, I knew exactly what to do with them. Round zucchini, if you haven’t had them, are the ideal vehicles for stuffing of almost any kind. They’re easily hollowed out with a spoon, and – bonus – they look pretty. They make for neat little packages that are fun and elegant to serve to company or, well, any night of the week. I kept the courgettes (sorry – that’s me slipping into British English there) vegetarian and stuffed them with couscous, but anything you can dream up will work – ground meat, other vegetables, any number of grains – go nuts. Continue reading “Round Zucchini Stuffed with Couscous” →

Friday Shout-Out: Peaches, and the (Unofficial) End of Summer

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Although fall doesn’t officially start in the Northern hemisphere until September 23 this year, this weekend – Labor Day weekend – marks the de facto end of summer. It used to mean nervous anticipation, back to school outfits (how many hours did we all spend picking out that first day ensemble?!), clean notebooks and sharpened pencils. Continue reading “Friday Shout-Out: Peaches, and the (Unofficial) End of Summer” →

Gougères

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I first made gougères years ago and was enchanted by their (seemingly) effortless elegance, their lightness, and their grace. They are cheese puffs as only the French can do cheese puffs, both dainty and dignified. I suppose that is to be expected when their base is a delightful pâte à choux (think cream puffs and profiteroles) spiked with generous amounts of cheese. I decided to revisit them recently (ok, I confess, I made these months ago now) when I spotted Dorie Greenspan’s recipe in her simply stunning cookbook Around My French Table. Of course, while cookbooks are great pastry school would be a good option for those who want to improve their skills. Continue reading “Gougères” →

A Tropical Cocktail for a Tropical Storm

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I know everyone on the East Coast has already stocked up on groceries and other essentials this weekend in preparation for Hurricane Irene, as we all watch every moment of its journey North. My sister and many other friends had to evacuate from Red Hook to higher ground in Manhattan, and relatives in Long Island had to do the same. I wish I had a pantry meal ready to go for those who are homebound right now, but I’m running low on stockpiled recipes. Instead, I’ve got the next best thing: a cocktail. Continue reading “A Tropical Cocktail for a Tropical Storm” →

My Summer Vacation, and a Summer Pasta Recipe

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I feel like a kid, sitting down to write my first assignment at the start of a new school year. Pulling out a fresh notebook and clean pen, I carefully write my heading: What I Did on my Summer Vacation. Except it’s been more than a while since I was a student, let alone in elementary school. But being a freelancer and having a husband in medical school has its benefits, and that (at least briefly) is a return to summer vacations. I scrambled to hand in articles ahead of time so that I could enjoy every minute of our precious time. And that we did. Continue reading “My Summer Vacation, and a Summer Pasta Recipe” →

Classic Sole Meunière

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Sole Meunière has long been a classic, a staple of French cuisine, proof to the elegance that can be found in the simplicity of a few fine ingredients. And although she in no way invented or discovered it, Sole Meunière was undoubtedly immortalized by Julia Child who fondly recalled it as her first meal in France, and a life changing moment. This single, simple meal introduced to her by her husband Paul Child seemed to awaken in her a culinary grumbling, bringing to life her palate and gastronomic imagination. And with good reason. Those of you who aspire to be like Child may enjoy online cooking schools. Continue reading “Classic Sole Meunière” →

Guest Post: The Secret of the Hungarian “Surprise” Cake

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When Jayne from the lovely food blog Chocolate and Figs approached me about doing a guest post, I didn’t need much time to consider. Her blog is stunning, her recipes mouth-watering, and her photos simply sensational (seriously, go check it out right now!). Since I tend to lean towards the savory, a guest dessert post was an enticing option. And we have a lot in common: she spent a number of years living in Israel and is originally from Hungary. Having recently been to Budapest to reconnect with my own Hungarian roots, I was particularly thrilled when Jayne said she wanted to do a special dessert from there. And so, for so many reasons I am honored to have Jayne leading the way with my very first guest post! I learned a lot from reading her post on Rakott Palacsinta and I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
 Continue reading “Guest Post: The Secret of the Hungarian “Surprise” Cake” →