Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches

I made these easy sandwiches for a work party. I like how cream cheese and mint filling gives this sandwich a refreshing taste. You can whip these up in no time for events like baby showers, tea parties, bridal showers and more. Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches recipe via Epicurious Ingredients 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint … Continue reading

Tzatziki

Jen and I have been meaning to make tzatziki ever since our trip to Greece in 2007.  We even bought the herb mix for it at the market during our trip. But somehow we’ve managed to forget until Jen decided to concoct the Mediterranean Feast of Baked Stuffed Peppers and Falafel Sandwiches. I used a … Continue reading

Baked Peppers Stuffed with Ground Beef, Wild Rice & Goat Cheese

It had been a while since I planned a big dinner, and I decided I wanted to make a Mediterranean feast!  I had fallen in love with Stuffed Capsicums (Peppers) while I was in Greece, and it was one of the first recipes I tried after buying The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook.  I decided to ramp … Continue reading

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Another recipe from the Essential Mediterranean Cookbook (newest edition here).  The name “puttanesca” is a derivation of the word puttana which means “whore” in Italian — so this dish is literally called the “whore’s spaghetti.”  This is a spicy and salty Southern Italian dish invented in the mid-20th century.  There are many accounts surrounding the … Continue reading

Salmon with Caramelized Leeks and Carrots

The simplest fish dish ever!  Quick, easy, elegant and delicious — great attributes for any meal.  We had some leftover leeks from making the Fish Cooked in Paper recipe and so I decided to try another fish recipe using leeks that I found via AllRecipes.com.  I love caramelizing vegetables — it kicks your basic sautéing … Continue reading

Strawberry Orange Pasta Salad

I first tried this at my cousin’s place; she had made it for her son’s 7th birthday party in August.  It was a fantastic summer pasta salad and a crowd-pleaser amongst the picky kid eaters and adults alike.  It tasted very refreshing and the combination of mandarin oranges and strawberries was great!  Ok, so the … Continue reading

Red Velvet Cake Balls

If you love red velvet cake, you’ve probably tried or at least heard of these amazing little desserts called cake balls. Essentially they are cake mixed with frosting, which are then rolled into 1-inch balls and dipped in chocolate candy. I first discovered these yummy treats at work, where my co-worker makes delicious red velvet … Continue reading

Char Siu Baby Back Ribs

Char Siu translated to “fork burn/roast,” which is a literal description of the Chinese traditional method of cooking pork: long strips of seasoned pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or a fire.  The term is typically used to refer to Chinese-flavored barbequed meat, and one can usually see hanging … Continue reading

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

I had some extra Kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) leftover from making my Creamy Kabocha Squash Risotto and so I went on the handy ingredient search engine on AllRecipes.com to figure out what to do with it.  I essentially had pumpkin puree leftover and an initial search resulted in many recipes for pumpkin pies, pumpkin smoothies, … Continue reading

Creamy Kabocha Squash Risotto

To get into the autumn mood, Natalya and I decided we should try to cook something involving a pumpkin!  I found a recipe from the The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook Volume II called “Carol Field’s Creamy Pumpkin-Flavored Risotto” and decided to give it a go. When I went to the grocery store, I decided to … Continue reading