Thankfully, summer 2024 has been mild so far here in Germany (not too hot). I am working on many projects, and trying to keep things simple in my video production. These deviled eggs came together very naturally today and at the spur-of-the-moment. A little more peppery than deviled eggs you might be used to, this is my favorite style of deviled eggs. If you really like your own version of deviled eggs, then stick with that, especially if you add a sweet element. These are definitely a savory, with a deep umami flavor from just a little of anchovy paste. […]
Yearly Archives: 2024
74 posts
You just can’t go wrong with this. These ingredients; fresh tomatoes at the peak of flavor, red onions and garlic – all bring their best to this wonderful concoction. I feel that the way you slice your tomatoes matters here. Slice them in half, then into thin-ish slices. Crushing garlic is recommended, but a fine mince will do too. I urge you to use fresh garlic, and not the pre-minced jarred garlic – it will leave a funky, sulfur taste when left uncooked. Assemble your marinade/dressing by combining olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh crushed garlic, salt and black pepper. […]
If you’ve ever seen gorgeous berries longed to make something really special and pretty out of them, this video is for you. All you need to do is make an easy galette! #pastry #farmersmarket #pie Pâte Brisée Makes enough for 1 galette: 1 1/2 cups flour 1 Tbs sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 6 Tbs ice cold water Strawberry Galette Blueberry Galette Blackberry Galette
A simple, tart, savory meal or appetizer. This earthy, summery, fruity crostini can be hovered over and devoured in-between slurps of deep, forest-y red wine. It’s the kind of impromptu meal that has the restorative power to set you right – after a topsy-turvy time of feeling not-quite-yourself. Roasted to tart perfection, these gooseberries make a full-bodied appetizer or small meal by the addition of deep, earthy, aged goat’s cheese and fresh rosemary. Let’s take a peek into my journal and learn a little about gooseberries. What are gooseberries? Gooseberries (ribus grossularia), despite looking like grapes, are (as their name […]
The only aspect of this dish that’s more stunning than the fresh, creamy, bloomy, fragrant amalgamation of flavors is it’s joyful, colorful presentation. For the best presentation:
So green and so sunny! If this smoothie wasn’t so delicious I’d have to highlight the nutritional benefits of drinking so much spinach!
I have a hard time passing up the vibrant red rhubarb stalks in the market this time of year. Rhubarb is naturally flavorful, yet extremely tart. Pairing fresh rhubarb with strawberries makes an amazing old-fashioned pie. I used my own Pastry Pie Crust recipe for this pie. You can find that recipe below. Tart and flavorful; strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my family’s absolute favorites. A cold slice of strawberry rhubarb pie topped with ice cream is just about the best dessert you can have on a hot day. Strawberries have an extremely high water content and can make […]
This is one of the first truly British cakes I tried after moving to the U.K. in the early 2000’s. Named for Queen Victoria, this is said to be one of her favorite confections. Now, over twenty years later, and after over a dozen moves – it’s a favorite in my home. I recommend serving this cake on a rickety outdoor dining table covered with some sort of old-fashioned table cloth – a big pot of tea set in the middle. It’s preferable that the table be in the shade, precariously teetering on uneven ground and surrounded by an overgrown […]
This recipe is for the person who’s great grandma or great aunt used to make these and serve them on the front porch. That’s the kind of short cake this is. Also called short bread, or shortening bread. It’s more of a biscuit than a cake. As a food stickler, I will say that it’s actually and technically a pastry. I mean, it IS fabulous. However, it will require you to be IN THE MOOD to get your hands in dough and mix stuff and use a rolling pin and everything. Which, I mean, I’m into just about every day. […]
You will need a pre-baked pie shell to make this gorgeous fresh strawberry pie. You can find my masterclass video and recipe here. This recipe will make a generous-sized deep-dish pie, but it will also work in a standard sized pie pan. Be sure to buy more strawberries than you think you’ll need. That way, you can pick the best strawberries of the bunch to use. This is best served on the day of assembly. You can serve it immediately after you assemble it, or chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Because fresh strawberries spoil so quickly, […]
Pre-cooked chicken is my secret weapon when throwing together dinner in a flash. You can use rotisserie chickens from the store, or pre-cooked chickens that you’ve prepared yourself. It’s so easy and economical (and stress reducing) to know that you have something in your fridge that can be made into several meals. Video Here: https://youtu.be/VXeg7Y6Y4uw These quesadillas cook up so fast, and are truly decadent and delicious. The chickpeas add such a nice earthy flavor and a great texture. I recommend the small tortillas when making quesadillas, as they are sturdier and less likely to go floppy when loaded with […]
I’ve been spring cleaning. While I do not ENJOY cleaning and organizing, I like how having clean spaces enables me to do more of the creative work I love to do. I’m five days into my OPERATION UNASS SPRING 2024 and I really needed to throw dinner together in a fast and easy way. I asked my teens and my husband to start some rice in the rice cooker and bring home a bagged salad – and that’s dinner for tonight.
Fast, easy, simple. This beautiful dinner comes together in only 45 minutes and with minimal effort. I serve this with steamed rice. Everyone loves it! To avoid overcooking the bell peppers and onions, roast the seasoned chicken thighs and Italian sausages for twenty minutes before adding sliced bell pepper and sliced onion. Roast for twenty more minutes and dinner is ready. I found my olive oil spray bottle to be especially handy in the creation of this dish, but a small bowl of olive oil with a silicone brush will suffice.
This fresh made hummus is so delicious. You’ll be amazed at all the flavors, especially if you are accustomed to store-bought hummus. This is a great dish to take to a gathering any time of the year! People love it!
I think with the convenience of bagged salads and bottled dressing, we often forget how simple it is to pick greens out by hand and make a fresh homemade dressing. I find that a custom-assembled salad and fresh dressing is just SO GOOD. It’s fresh, crunchy, juicy and balanced in flavor between sweet, salty, vinegary and peppery. This simple dinner salad is a common-sense combination of green lettuce, cucumbers and tomato. Fresh mustard vinaigrette – always versatile, is both easy and delicious. I like to keep my dinner salads simple for two reasons: Less ingredients means less steps. I want […]
This is my modern take on the old “shake and bake” although we don’t actually shake our chops – they wouldn’t get nearly enough of the delicious seasoned coating on them if we did. Instead, I place each chop in a pie dish that’s been filled with the seasoned panko, turn it once, and after I place it on the pan I heap more bread crumbs over it – just for good measure.
This is the kind of dish that will transform a regular Saturday or Sunday into a memorable, cozy day. Chicken and dumplings is really just a stew without potatoes or any other starches in the stew portion. Instead, it’s topped with raw biscuit dough and the dough is allowed to steam and puff up into perfect little orbs of soft, pillowy pastry. Plan to spend 5-7 hours in total on this recipe. While this is definitely a “slow cooking” dish, the hands-on work for this recipe totals only about thirty minutes. It’s the stewing and the simmering that take […]
This icing is made with meringue powder – a product made with pasteurized egg whites. You can confidently make this icing without worrying about salmonella – a risk always when using fresh egg whites in a product that is not cooked. To “flood” a sugar cookie, outline each cookie by piping a thick border. Let the border dry a little, then “flood” the inside of the cookie. The border will prevent the “flood” from pouring off the cookie. My recipe for the perfect sugar cookie is below.
There is nothing like savoring a fresh weekend morning like making a batch of pancakes. Make these when you find some big, juicy fresh blueberries at the market. Be sure to remove all blueberry stems and withered blossoms before using. It’s a good idea to rinse fresh blueberries and lay them out on a clean dry towel to dry. Pick over the blueberries and remove any smooshed or otherwise undesirable blueberries before you add them to your batter. If you have a little helper, be sure to buy an extra punnet of blueberries so you can be generous when little […]
A soft, delicious bread studded with buttery roasted garlic cloves and fragrant rosemary. You could also add Kalamata olives if you’d like. A light dusting of a hard cheese like Parmesan after the bread bakes gives it a savory, salty finish. This bread is EASY. In fact, I recommend this bread for first-time bakers. For a well-practiced baker, consider this a very simple bread to accompany a full dinner, or as an appetizer – dipped in small bowls of olive oil dotted with Balsamic vinegar.