Christmas Eve Eve
While Jen absconded to her family’s home in sunny California, I decided to host a little holiday dinner for the friends who were still in New York. Most of the dishes had been featured in this blog before, some were new. I baked a cake for the first time in probably a decade. And a … Continue reading
Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Tomato Sauce
I found this recipe randomly on epicurious.com when I was searching for hearty appetizers for my Christmas Eve Eve dinner. What appealed to me is the combination of all the ingredients I really love: cauliflower, tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. I made a few changes to the original recipe, which I will note below. Cauliflower … Continue reading
Garlic Parsley Potatoes
This dish is also called our “scrap potatoes” because this was thrown together with a bunch of leftover ingredients from our Thanksgiving Eve dinner. I used the excess herb butter juices from the Whole Roasted Chicken, extra potatoes from the Purée of Garlic Potatoes, and fresh parsley from the Marinated Mushrooms. Every time I make … Continue reading
Brown Butter Creamy Apple Pie
My cousin Rose uses this recipe for a classic apple pie with a crumbly brown sugar streusel topping. It is super easy to make (using a frozen pie crust helps) and deliciously creamy. Enjoy with some homemade whip cream (or Redi-Whip) and serve with some vanilla ice cream… yum! Brown Butter Creamy Apple Pie (recipe … Continue reading
Our Third Annual Thanksgiving Eve Dinner
Last Wednesday, Natalya and I hosted Thanksgiving Eve dinner for a bunch of our friends who, like us, have no choice but to stick around the city during this foodie holiday because of work Friday. Our first year, we made the mistake of not making it clear to our guests we were preparing legitimate food … Continue reading
Mini Caprese
Insalata Caprese is a simple Italian salad made of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. When you downsize all the ingredients to bite-size form, you get the perfect party appetizer that is both refreshing and, well, really cute. I prefer to keep my Mini Caprese salad skewers very simple; I use the same olive oil + balsamic vinegar + … Continue reading
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots
For our Thanksgiving Eve Dinner, I wanted to roast a side dish of Brussels sprouts but make them a little more exciting than usual. I found this recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Wild Mushrooms and used it as inspiration. I didn’t have the time (or extra mushrooms) for the whole recipe, so … Continue reading
Crunchy Deviled Eggs
For our Thanksgiving Eve dinner, Natalya and I decided to try a new deviled eggs recipe. I saw a recipe for A Little Bit of Devilish Eggs and decided to substitute celery for chives to add a nice crunch (plus I had some leftover celery from the Whole Roasted Chicken). These deviled eggs have a … Continue reading
Roasted Garlic
I love garlic — it just makes every dish so much better! But garlic can be more of an accent ingredient; it can also be a highlight dish on its own. I was first introduced to roasted bulbs of garlic with my favorite Whole Roasted Branzini dish at Bohemian. Roasting garlic is a super easy … Continue reading
Spicy Meat Sauce
Natalya and I attended the Meatball Master Class at the De Gustibus Cooking School which was taught by Daniel Holzman of the The Meatball Shop. The Spicy Pork Meatballs are top sellers at The Meatball Shop and they are made even more delicious served with a hearty and spicy meat sauce. We have been making these … Continue reading
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