Gorgeous scalloped potatoes with caramelized onions, Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. Perfect for holiday entertaining! One of the most requested dishes at our holiday table, for either the Christmas holidays or Easter, is this scalloped potatoes gratin with caramelized onions and Gruyere. For this recipe I wanted a somewhat "lighter" version of the classic, so we skip the cream and bacon that you would normally find in a more...
Roasted kabocha squash soup, thick and creamy, with ginger, cumin, and coriander. Perfect for fall! Have you come across "Kabocha" squash in the market? It's a Japanese variety of winter squash, one that is heavy and thick-fleshed, similar in that way to butternut squash, with a deep, rich flavor. Typically the outer skin is forest green, though some varieties are sunset orange and red as well. Elise Bauer My friend Kori gave me a kabocha...
Classic baked apples! Filled with pecans, cinnamon, raisins, butter, and brown sugar. I was in New England a few weeks ago, at the height of apple picking season. I'm guessing they're all down now, but our apples here in Northern California are at their peak. There are so many great varieties in the market to choose from! We first posted this recipe in 2006, during another trip east to visit my goddaughter and her family. A gang of us went...
Gluten-free rice pudding scented with oranges and two kinds of almonds is the hands-off slow cooker dessert needed to feed a crowd. The slow cooker does all the work so all you have to do is eat bite after bite. This slow cooker rice pudding, a riff on Indian Kheer, is a gluten-free, vegetarian, homey dessert you can serve either warm or cold. I came to love kheer during Jewish holidays growing up when my grandmother would make it. For...
Homemade pesto is one of the best ways to enjoy a bounty of fresh basil. This basil pesto recipe uses pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan or Romano cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. Make it in just 15 minutes! Every year we plant basil and every year the plants do so well that we can't use it up fast enough. What to do? Basil pesto, of course! Here is a simple recipe. Ingredients for Pesto Sauce Note that pesto is always made to taste, based on the...
Cranberry glazed meatballs with lean ground turkey, thyme, fennel seeds, ricotta, glazed with a spicy-sweet ruby red cranberry sauce. Cranberry-glazed meatballs. Holiday party anyone? I don't know about you, but I love party appetizer meatballs. These cranberry meatballs are particularly fun, in that they are sweet, sour, spicy, and savory, all at once. Cheerful little flavor balls in a festive, candy red cranberry glaze Yum! I can say that...
We're taking this beloved, retro recipe up a notch with Italian sausage, gooey Camembert cheese and fresh herbs. Meet your new favorite appetizer, or a mighty fine addition to family movie night! Let's bring a little retro back this season, shall we? Maybe you've heard of them or maybe they're new to you – regardless, we're willing to bet these cheesy sausage balls will be a hit at your next family gathering! Often made with sausage, boxed...
Are you a turnip lover? If so, try these delicious turnip and potato patties! They're a cross between pancakes and fritters, but made with turnips and potatoes. Turnips on their own can be on the bitter side. Great for those who love nothing more than the zing of strong turnip, but for the rest of us? Enter the potato. When you cook and mash turnips together with potatoes, and then fry them up in savory patty, you transform this bitter root...
These Gouda and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms, made with your basic white button mushroom, are a hearty, crowd-pleasing party appetizer. Stuff them ahead and bake them when ready. Your guests won't be able to have just one! Stuffed mushrooms are one of the first things I ever learned to cook as a budding home cook. They seem fancy but are actually quite approachable and endlessly flexible. Over the years I’ve made them every which way,...
Minced clams mixed with butter, onions, parsley, and bread crumbs, spooned into half clam shells and baked. Quahog Stuffies recipe. For most California girls, the idea of "digging for clams" isn't really part of our cultural makeup. But out in Rhode Island, and the beaches south of Cape Cod, digging in the sand for your dinner is apparently a regular summertime activity. My friend Alden (age 8) and her sister Piper (my goddaughter, age 5) took...
