Last summer was my first real fling with beets.
I am enthralled with these color-bleeding, edible and bursting-with-flavor globes. Beets tuck right into that whole ugly swan story, appearing ugly, or at least starting out ugly but later transformed into something breath-taking. Beets are that way: ugly ducklings waiting to be transformed into swan-form. Who would […]

The truth is, I make a lot of default dinners.
We are a busy family, with school and extracurricular, sports, music and you name it pulling us in a million different directions. Though my pie in the sky would be to cook an elaborate meal with new recipes every evening, it just isn’t practical. Instead, I […]

I am in heaven. I love fennel. In fact, I wish I had the wherewithal to eat fennel bulbs like apples; perhaps a 2008 New Year resolution?
Instead of eating them raw in my paws, I am finding creative ways to insert them into lunches… dinners… even breakfast.
This post is about ‘what to do when you […]

Amuse Bouche. Sounds amusing; no doubt hearing me pronounce is certainly worth a giggle. That token, one-bite taster that precedes even the starter or appetizer, the amuse bouche can be an elegant way to begin a meal. At the finest of restaurants—or newbie boutique restaurants smartly making a notable first impression—a server might put an […]

Well, it could be round 12. It seems pesto makes regular appearances in my life. Like a good dream that repeats itself with countless variations. There are so many versions of pesto, and how to use it, it is astonishing. You can find my recipe for basic pesto here, and cilantro pesto if you dare.Pesto […]