In the spring, we tend to eat asparagus until it feels like our skin is going to turn green. To avoid the inevitable overload, I try to dream up new ways of preparing the popular vegetable. Typically, I grill it with some olive oil, salt and pepper or steam it, as in Asparagus with Hazelnuts…
Braised Leeks with Red Pepper Cream Cheese Sauce & Capers Recipe
This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Kraft. When cream cheese is mentioned, one of three things comes to mind – slathered bagels, cheesecake or frosting. Quite honestly, I rarely use cream cheese for anything else. Of course, that is a rather narrow-minded view, as many people use cream cheese in dishes such as…
Asparagus with Hazelnuts & Dried Cherries Recipe
Despite the fact that it snowed just yesterday, subtle signs of spring are revealing themselves. Crocuses in our front garden bed, birds flocking to the feeders and asparagus popping up in every store surely mean that winter is releasing its hold. However, the most telling sign that spring is on its way is when my…
Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Cannellini Bean Salad Recipe
The holidays are always a time of abundance. Abundance of food, family, presents, and parties make the season a whole lot of fun, but often leave me in need of a good long rest. One of the downsides of all of the revelry is the accumulation of extra pounds that settles around my midriff, which…
Spicy Stir-Fry Bok Choy with Ginger & Soy Sauce Recipe
It is just a matter of time before my family stages a rebellion. Not against any inane house rules I set, though inevitably they will put a collective foot down about the “when you’re setting setting the table, the curved part of the knife should be facing towards the center of the placemat” thing. I…
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries & Pecans
(Please stop by my giveaway blog to tell me about your favorite holiday traditions. Plus, a link to a contest.) When Kelsey of The Naptime Chef asked me to contribute a recipe for one her posts on Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog, I was more than happy to oblige. Kelsey and I met on an egg…
Green Beans with Balsamic Roasted Shallots Recipe
Green beans have never tasted so good. The sweet and savory flavors of the balsamic roasted shallots take this holiday side dish to a new level. My intention is not to set off a panic alarm either in your head or within the vulnerable turkey flocks around the nation, but I do want to point…
Roasted Vegetable Dip Recipe
When the cooler weather hits, this roasted vegetable dip is the perfect way to curb the afternoon munchies. Or serve it up at your next get-together with friends. Roasted Vegetable Dip Recipe As the clock flicks past midnight tonight, summer officially turns to fall and that means it’s time too pull out some seasonal favorites,…
Southwestern Spaghetti Squash Recipe with Chipotle Peppers, Cilantro & Queso Fresco Cheese
As fall slips in through the seams of summer, vegetable gardens are producing their last offerings of the growing season. The tomatoes that we pick now need to be eaten within 24 hours before turning into wrinkled specimens, good only for throwing at bad Shakespearean actors. Delicate produce will simply not do in the cold…
Soba Noodle & Vegetable Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin & Chili Sauce Recipe
I am a wrapper and am not ashamed to admit it. No, not a rapper. Definitely not a rapper. In fact, if I ever try to rap or beatbox in public or anywhere else, feel free to tackle me to the ground and drag me away before my inner hip hop diva takes over. The…
Ginger Crêpes with Stir-Fried Hoisin Pork & Vegetables Recipe
Even though my hackles rise each time I hear Martha Stewart expound upon her multi-faceted talents, I have to concede that she produced one of the most beautiful cookbooks ever to grace my bookshelf. Dedicated to all types of little morsels of goodness, Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook is packed with original, tantalizing recipes and…
Fusilli with Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetable Recipe
This pasta dish has been our family menu for years, and with good reason. My boys, who are typically disinterested in salmon unless it has been smoked, smothered in cream cheese and piled high with capers, greedily gobble up platefuls of this pasta. I would like to think their enthusiasm has to do with my…
Baked Eggs with Summer Vegetables & Capers Recipe
Well, I successfully dodged the Carl’s Jr. bullet. My husband was heading out for a well-deserved boys’ night with some of his buddies while I stayed at home with the two smaller boys. I decided to treat them to a kid’s meal from Carl’s Jr. (we had coupons – what can I say?) and I…
Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad Recipe
The fresh flavors of grilled summer squash, zucchini and eggplant make a fantastic salad when mixed with feta cheese and a light vinaigrette. My crookneck squash was begging to have its pictures taken. Who am I to deny a squash its 15 minutes of fame? It’s a miracle that we even have vegetables to harvest…
Zucchini Latkes with Yogurt-Curry Sauce
Lock your doors! That’s right, it’s zucchini season. Bountiful zucchini crops are a thing of legend in these parts, and many people have told me stories of climbing into their cars, only to find a large bag full of zucchini on their seat. Their friends and neighbors, desperate to get rid of the masses of…
Basil & Veggie Mini Quiches
There’s nothing better than starting the day off with a hot breakfast. I love quiche, but don’t always have the time to make a crust. That’s when I turn to crustless quiches, which have the same consistency as a frittata. They are incredibly versatile, easily complimenting any flavors you want to add. The ones I…
Sweet Potato Noodle Spring Rolls
Sweet potato noodle spring rolls are made with Korean Japchae noodles and rolled into spring roll wrappers with chicken and vegetables. Sweet Potato Noodle Spring Rolls One thing you’ll learn about me is that I LOVE Asian flavours. I think it has to do with my love of soya sauce – it feeds my salt…