Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam Thai)
I was first introduced to making Papaya Salad by my friend Rahul during one of our Thai-themed cookouts where we watched a sweet auntie on Thai Food Cast demonstrate the step-by-step process. Papaya salad is a popular Southeast Asian dish that has wonderful sweet, sour, salty, and spicy accents. It is super easy to prepare … Continue reading
Watercress, Avocado and Orange Salad
I came across this salad recipe in an issue of the Food Network Magazine and thought it sounded amazing. The refreshing, fruity flavors came together quite well and it was super quick and easy to make. I especially loved the homemade citrus dressing with orange juice lime, honey, and dijon mustard. For other salad dressing … Continue reading
Candied Walnuts
There are various ways to make candied walnuts, ranging from stove top, roasting, or deep frying. I first started making these yummy little morsels to top one of my favorite salads with Roasted Beets, arugula, goat cheese, red onion, and tomatoes. These are great for salad toppers or just to munch on by themselves. I … Continue reading
Curry Vinaigrette
Natalya and I typically dress our salads with just balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, but we started experimenting with making our own dressings such as Lemon Vinaigrette. Here is a great vinaigrette recipe from Kei Kurobe infused with curry and and mixed with golden raisins. I originally made this to served atop my … Continue reading
Baked Peppers with Anchovies
I had some leftover anchovy fillets after making the Honey Mustard Glaze for the Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb and so I was exploring what other recipes could use them up. I decided to use half of them for my Chicken Puttanesca and the other half for this simple baked peppers meze dish I found from my … Continue reading
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
This is a super easy pasta salad that I love to make at any time of the year. The pasta is full of rich Mediterranean flavors, and includes as medley of tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, mozarella, and bacon. I have used feta cheese before although I think the milder mozzarella is a much better complement to the rest of the … Continue reading
Mama Goose’s Golubtsy
After tasting the stuffed cabbage rolls at Sammy’s Roumanian Steak House, Jen and I had been craving this dish at home. This dish is common in many ethnic cuisines of Europe and Asia, and consists of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. In Europe, the dish traditionally uses meat as a filling … Continue reading
Salad Shirazi
As I was preparing my Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with a Honey Mustard Glaze, I was trying to think of a lighter side dish to serve with it. I recalled the first time I had made Baby Lamb Chops with a Cucumber-Mint Relish, I served it with a tomato, cucumber, red onion and mint … Continue reading






















