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Tamale Time!

It’s tamale time! Set aside a day for them and you will be rewarded for weeks to come. It’s not hard to make tamales (really, it’s not!) ~ it’s just time consuming. Add some music, friends and/or family to the mix and that problem is quickly solved.

In my recipe for Green Chili Chicken Tamales, shredded chicken, Serrano chilis, tomatillos and fresh cilantro stew together to make a delicious filling. The masa, or dough, is seasoned with paprika, cumin, chili powder and garlic. A combination of chicken broth and vegetable oil moistens and binds the dough. That’s right, I skip the lard, and honestly ~ no one suffers.

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Winter Soup Roundup!

Soup is one of my all time favorite things to make and eat. What’s not to love about a bowl of soup? I make it year round. In the winter, it warms you from the inside. In the summer, it can be cool, light and refreshing. Any time of year, it can be a healthy […]

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Baked Chicken with Artichoke Hearts

Baked Chicken with Artichokes is old school comfort food. Traditionally made using an artichoke mixture bound by mayonnaise, I pull my usual trick and substitute Greek yogurt with great results. I also use marinated artichoke hearts to add flavor. Serve this satisfying dish with rice to soak up the extra juices…

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A Generational Thing: Cranberry Chutney

My aunt gave me this recipe. Many years ago, she cut it out of the New York Times Magazine and glued it to a recipe card, in strips, sort of (well, totally) hanging off the bottom. I love recipes like this. Tried and true, they’ve been around the family, and saved over the years so we won’t forget to use them again and again. I just made this chutney for the first time this year and it is holy-cow-delicious. Trust me. Fresh cranberries are not just for Thanksgiving…

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Pumpkin Bread!

I love baking quick bread. It freezes well, it makes great gifts, and it’s nice to have around for guests to nibble on for breakfast, or any time, really. If you make a recipe like this, with enough batter for 2 loaves, you can make one loaf and turn the rest into muffins. Or, you can divide the batter among smaller tins and make mini-loaves. Read more for the recipe…

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday!

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Mustard Crusted Salmon

Thanks to a good fisher-friend, I have Alaskan wild caught silver salmon in my freezer. Looking for something new to try, I stumbled on this recipe. It gave me pause because of its simplicity. I imagined making a miso glaze or salmon cakes or something else more complicated – but why would I do that? When using fresh high-quality ingredients, it’s best to just let them shine…

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Remembering Marcella: Roast Chicken with Lemons

This weekend, Mark Bittman published an article remembering Marcella Hazan, an Italian immigrant who brought “real Italian food to the United States.” I immediately went to my bookcase and reached for my copy of her cookbook, The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. This behemoth was lovingly lugged to Santa Barbara all the way from Genoa by our Italian exchange students, knowing their host was a chef. Boy, did they hit the nail on the head. As I flip through the pages, I am reminded how simplicity can be the most powerful of ingredients…

Read more for recipe: Roast Chicken with Lemons

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