Year: 2013

Okinawan Shoyu Miso Pork Quesadillas

Okinawan Shoyu Miso Pork Quesadillas

A couple of years we had friends visiting and my sister suggested making quesadillas with a slow-cooked Asian pork. I admit it sounded just okay to me and I was a little skeptical. Shows you what I know, it turned out to be a hit. What is Okinawan shoyu miso pork?...

Easy Rib Roast

Easy Rib Roast

When we were growing up the main dish at our Christmas dinner was either ham or turkey, sometimes both depending on how many people were coming for dinner. More recently my sister and I have found that we prefer making a beef rib roast. We found a recipe in a cookbook...

Chocolate Haupia Pie for a Crowd

Chocolate Haupia Pie for a Crowd

I'm back in Hawaii enjoying the warm weather and time with family. I'm also, as always, enjoying the foods I can't get on the mainland. Getting together for dinner with family last week I offered to make a dessert, one that I was craving and had a general idea of how...

Smoked Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash

Smoked Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash

My uncle has been smoking meats for as long as I can remember. When he would go hunting he'd give us smoked venison and during the holidays he smoked turkeys. Now that I live on the mainland the only time I'm able to enjoy smoked turkey is when I'm home for the...

Ginger Shortbread with White Chocolate Drizzle

Ginger Shortbread with White Chocolate Drizzle

This year I participated in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, an event now in its third year. The concept is pretty simple, food bloggers from several countries submit their information to the organizers. For a small fee each blogger is matched with three other...

Singaporean Curry Puffs

Singaporean Curry Puffs

Moveable Feast: Singaporean Street Food Crazy as it may seem, barely a week after Thanksgiving our feasting group came together to enjoy the foods of Singapore. I was the host this time and was inspired by one of my very good friends who invited me to join her when...

Beef Bourguignon Shepherd’s Pie

Beef Bourguignon Shepherd’s Pie

Moveable Feast: Elevated Casseroles The theme for our last Moveable Feast was elevated casseroles - perfect for a cool fall day where all you crave is comfort food. After doing a little research I found a recipe by Daniel Boulud for Beef Bourguignon Shepherd's...

Jamie Oliver’s Vanilla Sugar

Jamie Oliver’s Vanilla Sugar

When we worked together years ago, several former co-workers and I would get together at the holidays to have afternoon tea at the Ritz-Carlton Boston. It was a fun and delicious way to get out of the office for an afternoon and talk about anything but work. Over the...

Cooking Class: Croissants

Cooking Class: Croissants

In spite of my not-quite success of making macarons at home on my own, I enjoyed the experience, atmosphere, and instructor in the class and was looking for more classes to take. Chatting with a friend - who is more of a baker than I will ever be - we started talking...

Making Macarons

Making Macarons

A Work in Progress I love macarons - the delicate French almond cookies, not the heavier coconut macaroons. I attempted making them once and the results were not good. I've always considered myself a cook and not a baker. Baking is an exact science but macarons...

Columbia Road Flower Market, London

Columbia Road Flower Market, London

I love wandering through markets. While in London on this last trip, my friends read about the Columbia Road Flower Market, a market only open on Sundays and an easy walk from our hotel. Having a morning open before we caught our afternoon flights, this was the...

Borough Market, London

Borough Market, London

I recently returned from a short trip to London. I lived there on a study abroad in college, many, many moons ago, and have felt a close connection to that city ever since. I like to go back when I can and have a running list of places to visit, surprisingly (or not...

Moveable Feast: Brazil

Moveable Feast: Brazil

Making Bobó de Camarão - Shrimp Bobo For Moveable Feast last weekend, in addition to the quindim, I made a second dish - Bobó de Camarão or Shrimp Bobo - a delicious stew with vegetables, shrimp, and coconut milk, thickened with manioc (also known as yucca...

Canning with Marisa McClellan, Food in Jars

Canning with Marisa McClellan, Food in Jars

As you know, last year I developed an interest in jam making and canning. Although I've found different resources, my main reference has been Marisa McClellan's blog and book, Food in Jars. Last year I met her briefly at a book signing event in Boston....

Quindim (Brazilian Coconut Flan)

Quindim (Brazilian Coconut Flan)

Moveable Feast: Brazil Last weekend we celebrated the foods of Brazil at the Summer 2013 edition of Moveable Feast. This cuisine is unfamiliar to me but as I researched I came across a recipe for Quindim (pronounced keen-deem) or Brazilian Coconut Flan. I was...

Hot Days, Cool Treats: Frozen Yogurt

Hot Days, Cool Treats: Frozen Yogurt

Maybe we should have seen it coming after the winter we had but this summer has been a series of hot, humid, hazy days with temperatures well in the 90s. Days like these call for as little cooking as possible; tall, cold drinks; and frozen treats. Several years ago my...