Bourbon Peach Currant Cocktail

This peach currant cocktail is summer in a glass and was inspired by the sweet aroma of summer peaches. As usual, I do my best recipe creation at the farmer's market and the grocery store. Can I walk past containers of currants? No, I cannot because I'm obsessed with how they look and the sweet and sour taste they impart. Neither can I walk past the fragrance of fresh peaches with their very short selling window. So there was no chance both of those were not coming home with me.

Cantaloupe Melon Sorbet

We've had a long, cool spring in New York but have now had a few hot days and I know what's coming. Beach days, air conditioning and a craving for cold, refreshing treats. My fridge is usually stocked with melons during the summer anyway so I made a batch of cantaloupe melon sorbet. Easy, light, dairy-free and so, so good.

There's No Biting on Tuesdays - Part 5 (The Anniversary)

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.

Willow at 22 weeks

Tomorrow will be one year since I lost Hadley and I've had a chance to gather my thoughts. She was my first dog so everything about the process, including losing her and getting another, is new for me. The decision was not an easy one and I passed up several opportunities during the year to have another dog. But I felt like I would know when it was right and I needed time to make sense of all my feelings.

There's No Biting on Tuesdays - Part 4 (The Land Shark)

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.

Part 4: The Land Shark

Although I knew that a 9 week old Cavalier puppy would weigh between 4 and 5 lbs., the photos made Willow look somewhat substantial. But the baby I took out of the carrier when I got her home was tiny and precious. She couldn't have been 5" tall at the shoulders and looked like a stuffed toy.

There's No Biting on Tuesdays - Part 3 (The Journey)

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.

Part 3: The Journey

The logistics of getting Willow here nearly broke my faith that this was meant to be. Hadley's breeder was located only about 2 hours away from us. Willow's breeder would not have been much further except for the move to South Carolina. They're in a small town, not close to a major airport. That would mean both flights and car rentals and I am a New York City girl who is not comfortable driving. I asked around and was referred to a flight nanny who flies that route and was asking a reasonable price to transport Willow. Done. Except suddenly not done. She had to work and then booked a vacation and her new schedule meant a month delay.

There's No Biting on Tuesdays - Part 2 (The Waiting)

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.

Part 2: The Waiting

I had imagined that I would be a much calmer future puppy mom as I was expecting my second. The constant worry and check-ins of the first would not be me anymore. HA! Panic would set in quickly over literally everything.

There's No Biting on Tuesdays

Hadley

Taking a break in my cooking to start a little mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy. Mostly for me to get my feelings out but I hope the words resonate with some of you as well. When I got my first ever dog, 15 years ago, I kept a puppy blog (long since abandoned) for the first year of her life. I was endlessly fascinated with how she grew from week to week but it was also the place I got to express my fears and frustrations with raising a puppy. I didn't promote it or expect anyone to read it. But a few lovely people found it and reached out to express similar feelings. There are more social platforms now and blogs are less popular. But, again, this is mostly for me. If you're following along on the new journey, I'd love to hear from you.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini

It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to drink a chocolate cocktail. And you definitely don't need to drink it out of a heart shaped glass. Kind of impractical anyway because there's no way to drink it without a straw. But all that being said, it's totally fun and so delicious.

Easter Bunny Bark

Do we need a holiday excuse to make a sweet chocolate treat? No, but, also, yes because then we can use all the fun holiday candy to decorate it. This Easter bark combines milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate Easter egg candies and springtime sprinkles along with some flaky sea salt to cut the sweetness. And yes, I did color some of the white chocolate pink!

Banoffee Pie

If you know me, or if you pay weirdly close attention to my blog (tell me if you do because I love you!) then you know that banana cream is my favorite pie and has been all my life. Banoffee pie (a combo word of banana and toffee) is kind of the British version of it. I'd heard of it, both in England and at home in the U.S. but didn't actually taste it until a few years ago. After all, nothing could be better than my beloved original, right?

Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake

I am a sucker for interesting citrus fruit so, when I see it, I need to try it. That's how I first experienced Meyer lemons, years ago and they immediately became a favorite ingredient.

Cadbury Crème Egg Cocktail

I know I'm not alone in my obsession with Cadbury Crème Eggs, right? While I can resist most Easter candy, these eggs have had a hold on me forever. I watch the store shelves as spring arrives, waiting for the first batch to show up. And we won't discuss how many I've bought and eaten.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

For years I would say that carrot cake was not my first choice for dessert. I never ordered it at a restaurant and would be disappointed if that was the only sweet treat on a table. Clearly I just never had good carrot cake. Until now.

Chocolate Chip Tahini Swirl Cookies

Do we need another chocolate chip cookie recipe? Yes, of course we do. Because this one includes some nutty sesame paste both in the batter and swirled on top of the cookies while they bake.

Smoked Gouda and Thyme Soda Bread

I decided a while back that I loved soda bread way too much to wait for St. Patrick's Day to make it. Because it has no yeast and requires no kneading or rising time, it's as fast and easy to make as a sweet quick bread.

Pink Grapefruit Bourbon Crusta

There's so much I love about this drink. The pink grapefruit that I can never resist. The thick sugared rim of the glass. The well balanced flavors of this variation on an old cocktail.

Bacon and Cheddar Potato Soup

Spring may be just a few weeks away but I'm still bundled up in layers and living that all soup, all the time lifestyle. I actually love soup year round but diving into a hot bowl of it when I get home from the cold is just pure comfort.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I take issue with most cupcake sizing. Yes, mini cupcakes or even regular small ones are much better for me but they are not satisfying. They don't feel like a whole dessert but I don't want to take a second one. If I'm going to indulge, I want a large cupcake! And so that's what I made.

Fried Yuca Balls

One beautiful April day, we drove upstate to meet our puppy and then had lunch at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Our meal was insanely good, filled with memorable dishes of the tenderest short ribs and fried yucca balls. It was my first time tasting yuca (cassava root) and it was love at first bite.

White Chocolate Snowflake Sugar Cookies

For all the delicious holiday cookies out there, sometimes you just need to make a batch of good vanilla sugar cookies, grab a cute cookie cutter and a bag of icing. Solo project, family activity, friend get-together or kid project, these cookies are an annual favorite.

Sparkling Rambutan Gibson Cocktail

I wonder who the first person was that looked at this hairy, spiny, choking hazard of a fruit and thought it might be good to eat. That if you slice open the sea urchin-like shell, you'd find soft, sweet, juicy flesh.

Cheesy Ground Beef Stuffed Baked Potatoes

For cold weather comfort food, meat and potatoes usually satisfy all my cravings. The classic baked potato is always welcome but, let's face it, it needs some help. We can slather it with butter and sour cream but, this recipe covers those potatoes with creamy, cheesy ground beef.

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

When my European mother came to the U.S. she did her best to understand American holidays and customs. The idea of Thanksgiving appealed to her but some of the traditional foods did not. So she gave them her own spin.

Acorn Squash Stuffing Bowls

Is it called stuffing or dressing? The answer is that it depends on how it's cooked. It is stuffing if it's cooked inside the bird but dressing if it's cooked on the side. So now you just have to decide which way you want to make it.

Oven Smoked Brisket with Vegetable Fritters

I know that many of you grew up in places where brisket came off a smoker with meltingly tender meat and that characteristic smoke ring at the top. But I grew up with brisket that was cooked in an oven, submerged in beef stock and red wine, accompanied by herbs, onions and carrots. That came out meltingly tender as well and you also got gravy.

White Pumpkin Cocktail

I'm not even going to pretend I don't love Halloween candy but I also want a grownup treat. Cool weather and fall flavors mean a combination of warming bourbon, pumpkin and spices.

Pumpkin Loaf with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Is my house in full pumpkin mode all through autumn? Yup, it sure is. Not only do I love decorating with them but it's a full pumpkin-fest of cooking as well. I love it both sweet and savory and there's no end to my desire for a loaf of pumpkin bread as a snack.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Banana Bread

Happy first day of autumn! It's my favorite season and I wish I could say the weather was autumnal but, if we bake like it is then perhaps it will come.

Crispy Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki and Feta

Sometimes a single ingredient in my fridge or pantry inspires an entire meal. And that's exactly how this dinner of Mediterranean flavors came together. What was the ingredient this time? Some leftover feta cheese from another recipe.

Honey Cake with Tahini Cream Cheese Frosting

You can eat honey cake to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. Or you can eat it just because it's delicious. I vote for doing both. and definitely doing the latter often.

Breaded Veal Cutlet Sandwich

This is my summer of awesome sandwiches. It started with a new gourmet sandwich place in my neighborhood and now I'm addicted to creating fun sammies of my own.

Maple Cream Scones with Candied Pecans

I got my love of scones from my mom, back when they were not nearly as popular. These days they're a staple offering at fancy coffee shops but they're also one of the easiest pastries to make at home.

Grape Bourbon Smash

Normally when we think about grapes and alcohol, we think wine. But fresh grapes taste completely different than fermented ones and actually make a great fruity addition to cocktails.

Strawberries and Cream Popsicles

It's hot and I want ice cream. Sometimes in a dish, sometimes in a waffle cone and sometimes in the form of an easy to grab popsicle. I don't discriminate when it comes to ice cream.

Loaded Pastrami and Swiss Sandwich

There's a fairly new gourmet market in my neighborhood and they specialize in beautiful, over-stuffed sandwiches. The menu is long and it's so hard to choose. But, you actually have plenty of time to make your choice because the line snakes around the block. Sigh.

Watermelon Frosé

Frosé became popular a few years ago when lots of restaurants and bars set up machines to turn out these slushy drinks all day. What is it exactly? Just rosé wine, maybe some fruit, maybe a little extra sweetness and citrus, all blended up with ice until slushy. It's delicious!

Cherry Cobbler with Cream Cheese Biscuits

It's the middle of June and, shockingly, these were the first cherries of the season that I bought. Normally I scoop them up the second I see them but somehow I didn't get to it the past couple of weeks. But, they're here now!

Deep Dish Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

There's a new French bakery in my neighborhood. In addition to croissants and delicate fruit tarts, they also sell slices of their fresh baked quiche. It's hard to walk past the place without immediately getting hungry. So far the only thing that's saved me from buying them out has been the fact that the line to get in goes around the block.

Peanut Butter Milkshake with Chocolate Doughnuts

Last week we had our first mini heatwave. It's not usually in the 90's in New York in May but it happened and we all got an unexpected chance to see if our air conditioners were still working. Apart from being in need of a cleaning, mine seem to be OK.

Cheeseburger Hand Pies

I have a hard time resisting anything in a crust, sweet or savory. So, when I'm developing recipes, I frequently ask myself - would this be good inside a crust of some kind? Truth.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Do you have a "buy nothing" group in your neighborhood? They've become super popular around here and I love my local one. Lots of generous folks and community spirit. So much so that a lovely woman was giving away slices of her homemade banana bread. I didn't have time to grab one but it did start a wicked craving.

S'mores Cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago I had a wicked craving for a cupcake. Sadly the best cupcake bakery (cupcakery?) in my neighborhood is closed for renovation. So I bought one at another place, not really known for them but, hey, you never know. Yes, yes you do. It did not hit the spot.

Pink Salty Dog Cocktail

We're kind of in that shoulder season between all the good winter citrus and all spring fruit. Coming home from the market with a load of beautiful pink grapefruit, I stopped to admire the first flowering tree on my block. A perfect example of where we are right now.

Potato and Caramelized Onion Bourekas (Turnovers)

We may call them turnovers here but, in the Middle East, these filled puffs of dough are called bourekas. Popular in Israel, they usually contain a savory filling stuffed inside puff pastry.

Cocktail 101 for the Home Bartender

Starting a home bar doesn't have to be fussy or expensive if you begin with some basics and then add to your collection over time. Unlike some guides that feel strongly about spirits brands, appropriate glassware and what type of shaker you use, this is going to be a judgement-free zone. Because making cocktails at home should be fun! Below is a guide for building your home bar including items I think you should buy now, items you don't need immediately but are fun and inexpensive and those things you will add over time. Even a small collection will allow you to make a great many types of cocktails. Once you have the basics, it's fun to add a specialty liquor from time to time. And because those tend to be used more sparingly than the base spirit, they'll last much longer.

Sparkling Cotton Candy Cosmopolitan

The Cosmo cocktail came into fashion when Sex and the City was airing but it's never left. For that matter, Sex and the City never really left because I'm sure I can find reruns of it daily. But that combination of vodka, cranberry, orange liqueur and lime definitely has staying power.

Tangerine Mint Whiskey Slush

March is acting true to form - coming in like a lion with snow and freezing temperatures but quickly becoming a lamb. We'll still have some very cold days before spring but we're starting to get a taste of warmth and sunshine.

S'mores Hot Cocoa Bombs

OK, I seem to be a little obsessed and can't stop creating hot cocoa bombs. It can appear a little daunting at first. You have to buy a mold and make a chocolate sphere and that seems like fancy chocolate shop work. Fortunately, it's really easy. And once you make your first batch, you'll find yourself wanting to make more.

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie with Tahini Swirl

Is there anything more comforting than tucking into a warm skillet cookie with ice cream melting into the gooey chocolate? Yes, when you add a swirl of peanut butter or, in this case, a dollop of sweet tahini. The nutty taste of the sesame seeds blends with the sweetness of the cookie but adds an additional layer of flavor.

Savory Dutch Babies (German Pancakes)

The first time I tried cooking these puffy pancakes, I was not expecting them to rise as much as they did. Some kind of photography/food styling trick, I thought. Nope. I've made them several times since that first time and they puff big!