Baked Polenta with Bacon and Gruyere

Let's get the basics out of the way before we dive, face first, into this pan of deliciousness. Is it cornmeal or polenta? What's the difference? What should I buy? Why does one bag say cornmeal and the other bag say polenta? So, polenta is the name of the dish and cornmeal is the stuff it's made out of. Easy, right? You can use regular, medium or course ground cornmeal to make polenta but very fine ground will make it gummy. So, if the bag is labeled polenta, all it means is that the grind of the cornmeal is OK to make that dish. I buy cornmeal, in a regular/medium grind because it's the most versatile.

Caramel Pear Bourbon Cocktail

The weather is finally chilly in New York and that makes me want to drink things like bourbon while wrapped in a cozy throw blanket by the fire. Um, except that I don't have a fireplace and the dog is currently using the throw blanket as her own. But bourbon I have plenty of!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Crumb cakes never last long in my family. Or, rather, I should say that the crumb topping itself has a shorter life span than the actual cake. The cake will eventually get eaten as well but it will likely be missing a lot of it's crumb by then. It's so bad sometimes that, a crumb cake left on the counter almost needs a guard posted to protect it. Assuming, of course, that the guard can be trusted not to eat the crumb topping. The struggle is real here, folks.

Autumn Squash and Smoked Gouda Mac

October, aka my favorite month, is here - check. Cooler weather is here - check. Market full of pumpkins and squash - check. Bring on the comfort food! Creamy, extra cheesy homemade mac and cheese clearly qualifies as comfort food. And even if you're a purist who doesn't like extra vegetables snuck into the mac, I would argue that squash is an exception. It adds a creamy sweetness that's just another layer of comfort.

Sweet Pumpkin Fritters

You want these, don't you? Admit it. You know you want them. Hot, fried balls of sweet pumpkin flavored dough. Just a touch of spice, without overwhelming you, and tossed with glorious powdered sugar. It's everything we love about summer street fair food but at home, autumn style.

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

In case you all were wondering what the most popular dish on my blog is (I'm 100% sure that none of you were wondering this), it is my Mexican Tortilla Pie. It's crazy good, has been featured in a magazine and is served for dinner on repeat in my house. It uses ground beef but I decided to make a vegetarian version of it for non-beef eaters and for any meatless Monday dinner makers. Also, I was out of beef.

Loaded Turkey Sandwich with Sweet and Spicy Mango Honey Sauce

Is it back to school time where you are? Or do you just have a need for a good desk lunch, day in and day out because that's definitely the case for me. Either way, you've probably got sandwiches on repeat.

Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad with Toasted Walnuts

I was in the park the other day, chatting with a few of my neighbors while our dogs played, and we all said how we felt this was a long summer. Maybe due to life events, maybe because it was such a hot one but either way, we were trying to decide if we were happy to see it end. We're not looking forward to snow and early sunsets but we're still a few months away from that. For now, we're kind of looking forward to the slight cool down of September and the energy the city gets after Labor Day.

Thick and Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

I still remember the first time I was told about Costco's gourmet chocolate chunk cookies. They were raved about with so much passion but, never having tasted them, I wasn't that excited. How good could they be from a package? Of course, I changed my tune the first time I actually tasted them because...wow. Hello new addiction.

Taco Meatballs

I'll admit that I don't eat tacos all that often but, every time I do, I ask myself why not. They're easy to make and fun to eat so it's a win-win situation. What I do make quite often is meatballs because I like how versatile they are. With a few changes in herbs and spices, I can create completely different flavors. So, it was a natural thinking progression to taco meatballs, right?

Roasted Corn Fritters with Tzatziki Sauce

For me, there's always been something about the last two weeks of August. Historically it's the time when most New Yorkers take their vacations, even if it's just to head out to the beaches of Long Island. The temperatures get more comfortable and the city empties out slightly. I mean, this is New York so truly empty is never an option but it's still a noticeable difference. And there's a combination of anticipation of fall but also the desire to take advantage of the last bits of summer.

Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Skillet Tarts

In the realm of favorite food smells, it's hard to top the aroma of onions caramelizing in a pan. Not only does it bring me right back to childhood, because my mother believed sauteed onions made everything better, but it makes me instantly hungry. All onions are capable of doing this but it would be such a shame to pass up the sweet summer onions while we have them. I want to caramelize them all!

Bourbon Peach Shrub

Do you associate certain smells with certain times of the year? I definitely do and, although the smell of summer, to me, is the smell of the ocean, August has it's very own aroma. Peaches! For the past few days, whether I'm at the produce section of the grocery store or at the farmer's market, the air is perfumed with peaches.

Brownie Bottom Cherry Swirl Cheesecake

It's that time of the year again. The time when I celebrate my birthday (tomorrow) and my lifelong love of cheesecake. And yes, I am one of those people who makes my own birthday cake because I take my cheesecake very seriously.

Blueberry Lemon Galette with Labneh Whipped Cream

Galette is the French term for a flat pastry but I just consider it a nice way of saying lazy pie. As in, I found some beautiful blueberries in the market and I really feel like eating blueberry pie but I really don't feel like dealing with crust crimping. No problem, just make a galette!

Frozen Mint Lychee Daiquiri

I get very happy when each seasonal fruit I love finally appears in the market. The first cherries, mangoes, figs, etc. are all cause for celebration and recipe planning. And lychees definitely belong in that category. I can never resist those little rough looking pinkish orbs.

No Bake Cheesecake Mousse with Cherry Compote

It's been kind of quiet around here, hasn't it? You might have wondered where I've been for the past few weeks. Well, I'm going to tell you and get a little personal today. Or, if you've got enough on your own plate, just skip down to a simple and perfect treat recipe.

Black Bean and Vegetable Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles

In my life I've met some pretty amazing homemade tomato sauce makers. But I'll admit this is an area where I'm more likely than not to get a little help from the store. Still, it's got to be good and I want to be able to pronounce all the ingredients. I also really want any sweetness to come from ripe tomatoes and not a pound of sugar. Fortunately, the selection of good store bought sauces has grown a lot over the years.

Lemony Angel Hair Pasta with Carrots and Zucchini

I'm in summer recipe planning mode these days and definitely going for dishes that are light, easy and quick to make. Because I want to be outside in the warm sunny weather and not in the kitchen chained to my stove. Bonus points for dishes that taste good at room temperature as well as hot. Extra extra bonus points if I can work a few veggies into it.

Pan Roasted Smokey Potato Salad with Corn and Bacon

We are officially two weeks away from the unofficial start of summer. Yup, Memorial Day weekend is when I've always considered it the beginning of the season because that's when summer time shares typically start, summer work schedules go into effect and I start to want grilled food and potato salad every weekend.

Watercress Salad with Honey Sauteed Apples and Almonds

Can we talk about my favorite new healthy green that's not kale? When I say new I mean new to me, of course. Watercress has been around a long time and I had heard of it but I'm ashamed to say I hadn't tried it. Somehow I had this idea that it was super bitter or something so I kept buying spinach and kale and passed it by. Not anymore!

Baked Pine Nut Falafel Sliders with Hummus Slaw

It's time, once again, to celebrate one of my favorite foods. Yes, this coming Saturday, May 13th, is International Hummus Day and it totally makes me happy that hummus is so widely appreciated.

Corn and Bacon Fritters with Apricot Yogurt Sauce

I am all about the sweet and savory together. Yes, that's why I love chocolate covered pretzels but it's also why I like apple tarts baked with cheddar cheese, sweet fruit compotes over brie and maple syrup on bacon. And I know just where I get this particular set of taste buds, too. Yup, just like mom. So it makes sense that I make a sweet and savory treat for her for Mother's Day, right?

Cherry Blossom Cocktail

I've always been completely obsessed with cherry blossoms and eagerly wait for them every year. They bloom for such a short period of time and I check the city parks regularly to make sure I don't miss them. For the record, I get like this in the fall, too, when I'm planning a road trip to see the leaves turn and monitor the foliage report like a stalker. Anyone else?

Smoked Gouda Pretzel Cheese Dip

Serious pretzel lover here! Not the hard, crunchy ones you snack on. Wait, I mean, yes, those, too. But I'm talking about the soft, bready ones. Is bready a word? Let's just say it is. Pretzels are all my New York childhood memories of getting the big salty ones from street vendors when my mom and I went to watch the ice skaters at Rockefeller Plaza. Pretzels are my jam.

Liz's Shabbat Apple Cake

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a recipe with you that comes from my friend Liz's new book, The Ultimate Jewish Shabbat Dinner. Liz writes the blog, The Lemon Bowl, and she shares many recipes from her Jewish and Syrian childhood. Given my passion for Middle Eastern cuisine, I'm obviously a fan.

Potato Hash Shakshuka

The first time I saw shakshuka on a restaurant menu, I flashed to my first experience of huevos rancheros, the popular Mexican breakfast dish. The two aren't really similar at all except for the tomato sauce but, since my first huevos experience wasn't good, I kind of mentally banned eggs and tomato sauce, no matter the cuisine. I know better now, of course.

Strawberry and Honey Oat Scones

I'm always fascinated by cooking / lifestyle programs that talk about entertaining over breakfast. I mean, I love entertaining. Come for lunch, come for tea, come for dinner or drinks. It's all good. But please don't come for breakfast. Unless you either enjoy cold, half eaten toast or like having your breakfast around Noon. I just can't fathom it any other way.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Pretzel Bagel Balls

Being a native New Yorker, I'm used to a bagel with a schmear (of cream cheese) as a given. Every deli has it as the morning special with coffee, as do the street vending carts that offer breakfast options in midtown. It's our thing. Our delicious thing. The only question, really, is what kind of bagel you want with your schmear.

Chocolate Crumb Snack Cake

Last weekend I was home, wanting a beautiful spring day but, instead, watching it snow outside. I was alternating between watching that giraffe cam and snuggling with my dog (my own personal petting zoo). Are you guys into the giraffe thing? I have no idea how I got sucked into waiting for a giraffe to give birth but now I'm involved so I'll wait it out until she has that baby and then go on with my life. But, in the interest of sanity, I decided to bake a cake.

Loaded Egg Salad Bagel with Honey Roasted Bacon

What's that expression about, if you're going to do something then do it right? Well, this is a breakfast sandwich done right. More of a weekend project for me but definitely a special Sunday morning treat. Maybe even an amazing brunch for two after a good long sleep.

Middle Eastern Potato Snack Platter

I'm impatient for spring to arrive. It always happens to me around this time of year. I feel like I've endured two months of freezing cold and snow and now I want cherry blossoms and warmth. Soon, I know, but not quite yet. So, while it's still cold and bleak, I'm catching up on my streaming movie watching and that requires snacks.

Smokey Black Bean Burgers

The other day I was looking through my refrigerator and cupboards and pulling out ingredients to make lunch. No particular plan. Just seeing what I have and what I could make with it. My own personal episode of Chopped?

Tex-Mex Potato Nachos

It feels like I haven't been in my kitchen for weeks but, actually it's more like one week. One whole, incredibly long week of being flat on my back with the flu. Yes, that plague that's been going around since the new year finally caught up to me and all I can say is that it's evil. And I need a serious break from chicken soup for a while. Oy.

Heart Shaped Chocolate Cherry Mini Cakes

It all started when I decided to make some Valentine's treats for friends and neighbors. I figured I'd do something fun and colorful but my baking cabinet was sadly out of red or pink sprinkles. So I headed to the store to restock and saw heart shaped sprinkles (what??) and red candy melts and heart shaped cutters and I bought them all without even knowing what I was going to do with them.

Red Velvet Swirl Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Ganache

So the Superbowl is over, right? And one of the teams won, correct? My lack of interest is showing, isn't it? In fairness, I'm a big fan of football food. I just prefer eating it while watching puppies playing with a ball. But that's not important now. What is important is that we all stuffed ourselves with copious amounts of game day snacks and now it's time to focus on the sweets. Yup, Valentine's Day is coming!

Soup and Salad Wraps Dinner

I think I've made it known in the past that I'm obsessed with soup in cold weather. And by cold weather, I mean starting right after Labor Day. And by "made it known" I mean multiple times per year going back forever. So, it's a soup-fest around here for most of the year.

Game Day Eats Ideas and Finds!

I'm back today with more game day food ideas but with an eye toward convenience. Let's face it, sometimes you've just been cooking too much and too many folks are coming and you need some shortcuts. Or, at least, recommendations for good products to buy to supplement the snacks you've made yourself. So here then are some items I've tried lately that deliver on flavor, convenience and quality. I hope some of them will find their way to your game day festivities. Enjoy!

Southwestern Chorizo Filled Potato Poppers and Pineapple Salsa

I'm deep in game day recipe mode around here. Between regular Sunday sporting events on TV and the big game coming up soon, it's a bit of a snack fest around here. And the cold rainy weather outside is not doing anything to remove the desire to eat yummy food in front of the TV inside, if you know what I mean.

Ultimate Crispy Topped Cheddar Mac and Cheese

Superbowl is almost here. Are you getting really excited? Are you cheering for your favorite teams and planning a big get together with lots of great snacks? Me, too! Um...OK...maybe just the food part. Seriously, I have watched football (the things you do for men), I understand football (sort of, in the sense that I know the rules of the game) but I'm really just here to eat.

Spiralized Root Vegetable Pasta with Crispy Chickpeas and Walnut Pangrattato

This recipe title is a mouthful, I know. And it really should be even longer because it's technically a walnut gremolata pangrattato. Ouch. So many big words for such a simple and easy to make dish. Healthy, filling, delicious and on the table in 30 minutes. Let's discuss, shall we?

Southwestern Black Bean Salad with Sweet Potato Wedges

Happy New Year, friends! I have to say that I love when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. I mean, I'm all for resolutions and new beginnings and all that. But to go from chugging a bottle of champagne (I admit nothing) to presenting yourself at the gym the next morning on a bowl of high fiber, whole grain cereal, is a little daunting. By which I mean, it ain't happening. So this way, we kind of get a bridge day to get it together.

Bourbon Manhattan Cherry Shrub

I always find it hard to say what my favorite foods and drinks are because I love so many. But if there's one cocktail that's had a starring role over the years, it's the Manhattan. It's one of the first real drinks I ever tried and I'm sure the name had a lot to do with the attraction for this native New York girl. But I did really like it.

Baked Gingerbread Doughnut Holes

In between the rounds of cookie baking I've been doing lately, I was suddenly struck with an urge for a doughnut. Of course, the problem could also be that I was gifting all the cookies and developing sweet treat withdrawal. It actually doesn't take much to put me in sweet treat withdrawal which is probably why stretchy pants are such a good idea. But back to the doughnuts. I wanted some right now.

Satsuma Mandarin Shrub Martini

This year I added a new treat to my list of favorite things. I wasn't completely sure how I felt about the idea of drinking something that was made with vinegar. But, as it turns out, I'm totally on board and the shrub experiments began in earnest around here. If you haven't tried it yet but are a fan of kombucha, you probably will become a shrub lover.

Potato, Onion and Cauliflower Latkes

It's getting to be the most delicious time of the year. And if there's anything better than the smell of frying potato pancakes, I don't know what it is. Yes, Hanukkah is in a couple of short weeks. In fact, it's rather late this year, with the first menorah candle being lit on Christmas Eve. So, there will be yuletide carols and frying potatoes. It's going to be epic!

Southwestern Cheddar Stuffed Meatballs

Meatballs again? Oh, hell yes, I love them! They're easy to make, use ingredients I usually have around the house and the flavor can be customized in lots of different ways. They're great as leftovers or on a sandwich. Hey, there's a reason that a meatball themed restaurant is doing so well in New York that it's opened multiple locations. More meatballs!

Potato and Acorn Squash Soup

Every year I flip through fancy housewares catalogs and see gorgeous soup bowls shaped like pumpkins and squash, just begging to be added to an elegant holiday table. And I want them. And I imagine making pumpkin or squash soup to serve in them. But I never buy them because they're kinda pricey for something I'll just use at Thanksgiving.

Cocoa Caramel Cocktail

Every year I plan a "house cocktail" for the holidays. I make a big pitcher of it in advance and then just shake off the individual cocktails with ice as guests arrive. Since I'm a big believer in making as much ahead as possible so I can enjoy actually spending time with friends and relatives, it makes sense to do the same with the drinks.

Pear and Apple Autumn Pie

Holiday desserts in my house have always meant pie. Sure, there might be a few other things that I whipped up or that guests brought. And they change with the season and mood. But there's always pie. When I was a kid, I really only ever wanted the crust and could do without the filling. But now that I make my own pies, I want them both.