Betty Eatz

Dill Pickle Salsa

Dill Pickle Salsa

A spoonful of dill pickle salsa.

Fresh, green, and pickle-y? Yes! This Dill Pickle Salsa is everything you love in a green salsa with the addition of some briny tang. It's delicious with tacos, tortilla chips, and scrambled eggs!

The secret ingredient? Crunchy dill pickles.

Crunchy vs Soggy Pickles

Have you noticed some cucumber pickles have a nice crisp snap to them, and others are, shall we say, somewhat limp? You know what I mean. Bendable and without crunch. What accounts for the difference?

Several factors determine the crispness of our favorite spear, including

  • Type of cucumber. Shorter cucumber varieties like Persian and Kirby are better for pickling because of their shape. It's one of the few times in life that a short, fat body is a plus.
  • Trimmed ends. The end of the cucumber that was attached to the pretty yellow flower contains an enzyme that is no bueno for keeping the crunch factor.
  • Tannins. Just like the astringency they add to wine, tannins help pickles keep their snap. Easy way to add it: grape leaves!

I find that refrigerator pickles are often crunchier than their shelf-stable counterparts. And that is what we are using today in this dill pickle salsa!

One of my favorite brands of refrigerator pickles is Grillo's. So, when I saw someone make a salsa from those pickles, I knew I had to try it! And wowwwwww. It's good.

Tomatillos, garlic, pickles, cilantro, jalapeno, and onion on a cutting board.
Oven charred veggies on a sheet pan.
Dill pickles in a blender.

Lessons Learned

  • This is a little bit of a loosey-goosey recipe, as you might have guessed from the ingredient measurements. They don't have to be exact. It's important to taste as you go to add the right amount of lime juice and pickle juice for your taste.
  • Note there is no added salt! Pickles provide that!
  • An alternative to broiling the veggies in the oven is to char them in a skillet on the stovetop.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Alfredo Garcia, aka Freddsters, for the genius dill pickle salsa recipe.

A blender filled with salsa on a cutting board.

Herby Peach Cherry Crumble

Herby Peach Cherry Crumble

Herby peach cherry crumble baked in a pan.

Luscious summer stone fruits, a handful of herbs, and shortbread-like topping all come together in this Herby Peach Cherry Crumble! Delicious as is, or add a scoop of ice cream for extra yumminess.

Wait, what? Herbs? Yes!

Garden Herbs

Is your name Mary? Are you contrary? And how does your garden grow? My answers might be different from yours: no, yes, and sporadically.

No one will ever accuse me of having a green thumb. However, I have had success growing herbs, perhaps because they can survive triple-digit heat, pesky bugs, and my lack of attention to them.

The two superstar performers for me? Rosemary and mint. And wouldn't you know, they both appear in today's recipe.

Rosemary, cherries, lemon, mint, and peaches.
Mint and sugar blitzed together.
Mixy, mixy.
Shortbread crumble ingredients in a bowl.
Pan filled with fruit mixture and topped with crumble.

The mint gets blitzed together with granulated sugar in a blender or food processor and the result is a deliciously green and heavenly scented sugar to fold into the fruit. It adds an interesting and refreshing layer of flavor to the filling.

As for the rosemary, it's chopped finely and rubbed into the crumbly shortbread topping. The heady aroma will hit your nose about halfway through the bake time. Together, these herbs help temper a dessert that can sometimes skew too sweet.

I love the combo and I hope you do, too! Can't get enough of peaches and cherries together? You might like this Kale Salad with Stone Fruits.

Lessons Learned

  • Use peaches that are ripe, but not overly so. Freestone peaches are easier to pit and peel, in my opinion, but use what is available to you.
  • Have you bought a cherry pitter? It's worth the $10 or so. They save so much time!
  • Not excited about cutting in the butter for the shortbread topping? It's easier to just grate frozen butter on a cheese grater.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Food52 for the peach, cherry, and mint pie recipe. Also to Alexandra's Kitchen for the food processor rosemary shortbread recipe. This recipe was inspired by them both!

A close up of the peach and cherry goodness!

Korean Bulgogi Street Tacos

Korean Bulgogi Street Tacos

Korean bulgogi street tacos!

Mexican + Korean = delicious! Korean Bulgogi Street Tacos are an Asian take on soft tacos. Fill mini tortillas with beef bulgogi, kimchi, cilantro-onion relish, and top with spicy crema to create the best mash-up ever!

Thin slices of beef.
Bulgogi marinade includes ginger, garlic, brown sugar, onion, soy sauce, and apple.
Mixy mixy!

California Cuisine

These tacos are a perfect example of California Cuisine! They are bright, fresh, and delicious, with lots of local in-season produce and flavor combinations that reflect the state’s diverse ethnic population.

Have you signed up for my weekly newsletter? It provides California recipe inspiration, delivered to your email inbox every Friday. Sign up here.

California is the most culturally diverse state in the United States, with no one race or ethnic group making up a majority. The population hails from all over the world but especially from countries in East Asia (such as China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) and parts of Central and South America (like Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, and Peru). Not only does the state but also its cuisine reflect these cultures.

It makes sense that as people live, work, and eat amongst each other, a beautiful mash-up of flavors happens.

Korean Bulgogi consists of thin slices of steak marinated for a few hours or overnight, and grilled. It is fabulous tucked into tortillas and topped with kimchi. Cilantro-onion relish is a traditional garnish in Mexican street tacos and adds a nice fresh crunch. Mexican crema is similar to sour cream, but thinner and pourable. Here, the Asian Latino crema combines gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), mayo, and lime juice to make a drizzly sauce for the tacos.

Kimchi, cilantro-onion relish, and spicy crema.

What makes these street tacos? Their size. Street tacos are smaller than regular tacos, with the tortillas just four inches in diameter. This makes them easy to eat standing at a food vendor on the street or at home on your back patio. Usually, street tacos use corn tortillas. But I’ve had my tacos, and my heart, broken too many times by corn tortillas, so I use flour ones.

Lessons Learned

  • Use whatever kimchi you like best: mild, medium, or hot. Want to make your own for future tacos? I have a homemade kimchi recipe.
  • Don't have fresh garlic and ginger? Sub in dried versions. Remember 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 Tablespoon fresh.
  • These are street tacos, so the tortillas are itty-bitty and fun-sized. But feel free to use regular soft taco-sized tortillas! You're an adult, so you can do what you want.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to my mom for the marinade recipe and to Chef Roy Choi for dreaming up the idea of Korean tacos.

Assembled tacos, ready to eat.

Pork Chops with Figs and Thyme

Pork Chops with Figs and Thyme

Pork chops with figs and thyme.

Deliciously seasoned and cooked until just done, Pork Chops with Figs and Thyme is a warm, savory meal. Enjoy with a tangle of egg noodles and pan gravy. The dish is a nice balance of salty and sweet.

Meat and Fruit Pairings

Most of us have heard of pork chops and applesauce being served together (anyone else remember the Brady Bunch episode where Peter says "pork chops and applesauce" in his best impersonation of Humphrey Bogart?). It is a traditional American combo that dates back to the 19th century and possibly even further. Pork and apples go well together because of the savory and sweet elements playing off each other.

Other classic meat and fruit pairings include

  • Chicken and mango
  • Duck and orange
  • Ham and pineapple
  • Prosciutto and melon
  • Shrimp and lemon
  • Turkey and cranberry

In this dish, dried figs add caramel-y sweetness that complements the savory meat.

Onion, dried figs, pork chops, and thyme.
Seasoned meat.
Dried figs, chicken stock, and sauteed onions.

And of course, add herbs of all kinds to amp up the flavor! Here I've used fresh thyme but equally good additions could be oregano, parsley, rosemary, or sage. Fresh herbs, while pungent, don't always carry the intensity of flavor that dried herbs do. When herbs (or fruits for that matter) are dehydrated, the water content is reduced and the flavor becomes more concentrated.

A good measure to remember: 1 Tablespoon fresh herb = 1 teaspoon dried.

Lessons Learned

  • If you don’t have or like figs, sub in another dried fruit like apricots, cherries, currants, peaches, or prunes.
  • Don't like egg noodles? Good options are mashed potatoes, cauliflower mash, or German spaetzle.
  • Like the idea of meat and fruit? Some other delicious recipes to try include Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad and Tzimmes Chicken with Apricots.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Inspired Taste for the skillet pork chop recipe inspiration!

A pan of pork chops and noodles with an individual plate.

Vanilla Latte Pie

Vanilla Latte Pie

Vanilla latte pie.

Rich, creamy, and so so dreamy! Vanilla Latte Pie appeals to both coffee and non-coffee lovers alike. A friend who is an avowed “tea only” drinker loves this.

Vanilla Latte

Whether hot or iced, vanilla latte is a very popular order at cafes and coffee houses. It is in the list of top drinks that folks order at Starbucks, clocking in at number 10.

For those who don't know, a latte consists of one shot of espresso (or two if you didn't sleep well the night before), steamed milk, and a layer of frothed milk on top. It is similar to a cappuccino but with more milk so it is creamy and mild.

Extracts and syrups are added to change up the flavor, producing drinks like pumpkin spice latte, chestnut praline latte, gingerbread latte, and of course the quintessential vanilla latte.

The combination of coffee, vanilla, and cream is delicious and not-too-sweet, so why not make it into a pie?

Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Variations

Vanilla lattes are also made with plant-based milks. How to make this pie dairy-free? Friend, I’m not entirely sure. This is a very dairy-filled pie, after all.

But!

My best guesstimates are:

  • Sub in plant-based butter for the dairy butter in the crust.
  • Use full fat coconut milk to sub for the whole milk in the custard, but be aware that the custard will not be totally silky smooth (even after straining) once it’s chilled because coconut fat coagulates when cold. There will be tiny bits of coconut fat, but that might not bother you.
  • Use non-dairy whipped topping like CocoWhip to sub for the whipped cream.
  • To make this gluten-free, sub in GF Oreos (they exist!) in the crust. Also, double check that you have pure cornstarch without added gluten.

If you make a dairy-free or gluten-free version, please be sure to leave a comment and let us know.

Lessons Learned

  • All the components can be made a day ahead, if necessary, leaving the assembly of the pie until the day of serving.
  • Even though this pie is light and fluffy, it is rich. You can cut it into 10 or even 12 slices rather than the 8 mentioned in the recipe.
  • Another delicious pie based on a warm drink? Mexican Hot Chocolate Pie!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Dough Eyed for the coffee cream pie recipe.

a forkful of pie.

Cherry Whiskey Sour

Cherry Whiskey Sour

Cherry whiskey sour.

Cherry Whiskey Sour is a fruity twist on a classic drink. With just four ingredients (and one of them is jam!), it's an easy-to-make cocktail to enjoy at home with family and friends.

A Classic Cocktail

The Whiskey Sour is a classic cocktail that’s been around a long time. It started appearing in bartending guides in the mid-19th century but it's likely that the drink goes even farther back in history. In the age of sea explorers and long voyages, spirits and citrus fruit were kept on ships to help sailors avoid scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency.

While the classic recipe includes just three ingredients, spirit, citrus juice, and sweetener, there have been numerous riffs that add other flavors and ingredients. For instance, a New York Sour adds a float of red wine while Vodka Sour with Elderflower swaps out the spirit.

In this one, cherry and whiskey go along to get along and make a fabulous drinkie.

While sours will often include an egg white to give the drink an extra layer of smoothness, I've left it out here but feel free to add it.

Lemon, cherry preserves, and whiskey.
Double straining with a fine mesh strainer.

Lessons Learned

  • No cocktail jigger? No problem. Use measuring spoons. Two Tablespoons equals one ounce.
  • Use whatever cherry jam or preserves you have, either store bought or homemade. I used one made by Divina but use what you like.
  • Fresh is always best when it comes to lemon juice! One small lemon yields about one ounce of juice.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Cooking Up Memories for the cherry whiskey sour recipe inspo.

Cherry whiskey sour garnished with lemon peel.

Mushroom Loaf

Mushroom Loaf

Slices of Mushroom Loaf.

Warm and savory, Mushroom Loaf is a vegetarian version of meatloaf. It brings all the cozy vibes, filled with brown rice, mushrooms, and other veggies.

If you think this loaf sounds like something your hippie aunt who owned a health food store in the 1970s would serve, you aren’t wrong. Brown rice contributes chewy texture and fiber while sun-dried tomatoes bring the 70s vibe.

Meatless Meatloaf

Plant protein loaf bakes go back hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. But it was during World War I and World War II that meatless meatloaves became popular out of necessity. Civilians were restricted to a share of meat (two and a half pounds per week for adults) to help conserve the meat supply for soldiers serving in the war effort.

Eggs, celery, garlic, onion, mushrooms, brown rice, and spinach.

Things like lima bean loaf, baked bean loaf, and mock meatloaf were the home cook's answer to wartime rationing. But how did they taste? Well, they aren't very popular anymore so I think that answers our question.

In 1971, the book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé was published and it created an interest in the U.S. regarding vegetarianism. Meat-free recipes, health food stores, and a concern for food policy in the country were some things that became part of our culture.

Today's recipe is a nod to all the above. This savory loaf combines whole grains, eggs, and all sorts of veggies into a yummy meal. It's delicious served with mashed potatoes and Baby Kale Salad with Apples and Walnuts or Zucchini Ribbon Salad.

Sauteed and fresh veggies.
Mixing up the magic.

Lessons Learned

  • Feel free to play around with the spices in this. If you aren't a fan of smoked paprika, sub in cumin or curry instead.
  • If you are using sundried tomatoes packed in oil, be sure to blot dry with a paper towel before chopping.
  • Frozen spinach can be used instead of fresh, just be sure to thaw and give it a good squeeze to extract all the liquid.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Things I Made Today for the mushroom loaf recipe.

Mushroom loaf baked and in the pan.

Nutty Noodles with Shrimp

Nutty Noodles with Shrimp

Nutty noodles with shrimp.

A delicious nutty, garlicky, gingery sauce bathes the noodles, tender shrimp, and stir-fried veggies in this Nutty Noodles with Shrimp recipe. This uses yakisoba noodles but you can use whatever noodles you prefer.

Noodles vs Pasta

What is the difference, really? I’ve always thought that noodles leaned toward Asian cuisine while pasta veered into Italian territory. And upon doing a little Google research (the world has really come to this, hasn’t it?), it seems my assumption isn’t too far off.

Traditional Italian pasta contains semolina, a type of flour made from durum wheat and is coarsely ground. When combined with water (and sometimes egg), the flour comes together in a dough that can be cut, shaped, and cooked immediately or dried for later use. Pasta is almost always served hot.

Noodles can also be made from wheat flour, but that is where the similarity ends. Asian noodles are also made from buckwheat, konjac, mung bean, rice, sweet potato, or tapioca. Just like pasta, the dough is cut, shaped, and either cooked or dried for later use.

However, noodles can be served hot or cold depending on the dish. A good example of this is naengmyeon, a popular cold noodle dish that originated in North Korea where my mom is from. She, along with so many others, fled the north during the Korean War and brought what they could to the south. Thankfully that included recipes and ways of preparing food. After the war, naengmyeon became popular in South Korea and is now served in many Korean restaurants all over the world.

Yakisoba noodles.
Cilantro, garlic, ginger, baby bok choy, shrimp, and Japanese eggplant.
The makings of the nutty, garlicky sauce.

For this week’s recipe I used wheat noodles (because I happened to have them on hand), but you can use whatever noodle you prefer.

Lesson Learned

  • The dish is naturally dairy-free and can be gluten-free too by subbing in GF noodles.
  • Don’t like eggplant or bok choy? Substitute other veg or leave them out altogether. You’re an adult, so you can do what you want.
  • You can use already cooked shrimp if you prefer. Just throw them in at the last minute to warm.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to NYT Cooking for the sauce inspiration.

Noodles, shrimp, and veggies in a one-pan meal.

Mexican Pasta Verde

Mexican Pasta Verde

Mexican Pasta Verde.

Creamy with mild heat, Mexican Pasta Verde is unlike anything you’ve had before. Roasted chilis, tomatillos, garlic, and bulb onions bring some smoky char to the sauce while fresh cilantro and lime juice brighten things up!

California Cuisine

California Cuisine is what I mainly cook. It is bright, fresh, and delicious, with lots of local in-season produce and flavor combinations that reflect our state’s diverse ethnic population. I wrote an article for FoodStack Library if you want to read more about it.

One of the main influences in Southern California cuisine is Mexico. I live a little over an hour from the U.S.-Mexican border so our local area is filled with not only restaurant chains that feature Mexican food but also mom-and-pop shops. Mexican cuisine isn’t just tacos, as delicious as they are, but varies from region to region in Mexico.

For instance, in El Norte, which runs along the U.S. border and stretches for 2,000 miles, you will find all sorts of grilled meats (goat and beef, sometimes pork), cheeses and cheesy dishes, and seafood on the coast (hello, fish tacos!). The Bajio area is on the inland plains of Mexico where rice dishes are popular as well as pork. Central Mexico is where the foodie scene is, mainly in Mexico City, and where you’ll find trendy street food. The Gulf and South regions are closer to the Caribbean so their food reflects Carib, Spanish, Mayan, and even Middle Eastern influences.

Cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, bulb onions, tomatillos, and poblano.
All the green veggies, roasted.
Pasta verde sauce with uncooked penne.

Espagueti Verde

When my children were toddlers, I used to attend a Mothers of Preschoolers group (MOPS!) at the local church. Each meeting we had a potluck and that is where I was first introduced to espagueti verde, or green spaghetti. A mom named Ileana frequently brought it and I always looked for it on the buffet table. She learned how to make it from her mom in northern Mexico and said it was a staple at holidays and family parties.

As much as I love the original dish, I adapted Ileana’s recipe for espagueti verde to my family’s need. The majority of my peeps are dairy-free (not by choice but necessity) so I subbed in coconut milk for the cow’s milk. And you know I can’t help but tinker around, so I also added tomatillos, jalapeno, and Mexican bulb onions to give the dish a little more zip. I think you are going to love it.

Lessons Learned

  • Leave out the jalapeno if your tummy says no to spicy.
  • Sub in parsley if you don’t like cilantro.
  • Use any pasta you like. You’re an adult so you can do what you want.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to my friend Ileana for her espagueti verde recipe.

A forkful of pasta verde.

Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key

Skeleton key cocktail.

Fizzy, floral, and fun to look at, the Skeleton Key might become your new favorite cocktail. It's built with just four ingredients at the base. The fifth ingredient? Bitters.

Angostura Bitters

What are bitters? They are very concentrated extracts of herbs, roots, and spices that have been steeped in an alcohol base. Yes, they taste bitter!

In the ages past, they were like medicine to help with digestion (sometimes called digestifs) and other gastrointestinal ailments. And along the way, someone decided they'd be great in a drink, maybe to make them more palatable.

One of the most commonly used bitters today in the cocktail world is the Angostura brand. Originally crafted in 1824 by Dr. Siegart, a German living in Venezuela, these bitters were used as a medical elixir for the Venezuelan army. He eventually began selling and exporting the bitters all over the world.

Angostura bitters.

Once the family moved to Trinidad, his three sons took over the growing business. At the beginning of the 20th century, cocktails came into popularity and the use of bitters played a role in their development. The result: cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and Sazerac.

Companies all over the world produce a large range of bitters today. I tend to come back to Angostura bitters time and again because I like the classic taste.

Normally it's just two or three dashes of bitters in the crafting of a cocktail, but this one uses double that amount as a float. It's delicious!

Lessons Learned

  • Use your favorite whiskey or bourbon (a specific type of American whiskey) in this.
  • Don't have a cocktail jigger? No worries. Use your kitchen measuring spoons. For example, 2 Tablespoons = 1 ounce.
  • Ginger beer is a non-alcoholic beverage with carbonation. It is similar to ginger ale but with more ginger-y flavor.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Tasting Table for the skeleton key cocktail recipe.

Overhead view of skeleton key cocktail.

Bordeaux Cherry Mezcal

Bordeaux Cherry Mezcal

Bordeaux Cherry Mezcal.

Pair smoky mezcal with the sweet fruitiness of real maraschino cherries to get Bordeaux Cherry Mezcal! It's deliciously good with dark cherry flavors. Plus, it only needs a handful of ingredients.

What are Maraschino Cherries?

Old World maraschino cherries are from Croatia and Italy. The cherries steep in a cherry liqueur yielding a luxurious concoction. Italian Luxardo cherries are the gold standard for cocktails and their continuous quality and delicious flavor have stood the test of time. During Prohibition, these European cherries were banned in the U.S. because of their alcohol content.

To compensate, American-made maraschino cherries were made without alcohol to replace the boozy European ones. They became the "cherry on the top" for ice cream sundaes, Shirley Temple drinks, and even Old Fashioned cocktails. Neon red, over the top sweet, and almost waxy in texture, they taste nothing like real cherries, thanks to the calcium chloride, sulfur dioxide, sugar syrup, and red food coloring added to them.

Recently, I found a jar of delicious Oregon-grown Bordeaux cherries. Made by Royal Harvest, they cost less than one-third of the price of Luxardo. No red food coloring here, just deep dark cherry flavor. They are perfect for this smoky cocktail!

Bordeaux cherries, agave syrup, fresh lime, and mezcal.

What is Mezcal?

Many people see mezcal as a smokier version of tequila. They are both agave spirits but that is where the similarity ends. Mezcal production includes any kind of agave but tequila comes from only the blue agave. Because the core of the agave is roasted in the production of mezcal, the final product has a smoky, earthy flavor.

The production of mezcal is all done by hand by workers called mescaleros. The labor intensive methods and small batch production are part of why mezcal is a higher price point than many other agave spirits. Each bottle contains many hours of labor.

Overhead view of cocktail.

Lessons Learned

  • If you have room in the budget for Luxardo, go for it! You will not regret buying them.
  • Looking for a less pricey option? There are several good quality maraschino cherries including Royal Harvest, Trader Joe's Amarena Cherries, and Peninsula Premium Cocktail Cherries.
  • Mezcal range in price from $30-ish up into the $100-ish per bottle. If you are new to drinking mezcal, start with a small, more reasonably priced bottle like Madre Mezcal. Or visit a bar that does a mezcal sampling to determine which one you like best.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Hip Cooks for the blood-red cherry margarita recipe inspiration.

The cherry mezcal cocktail.

Vegan Curry

Vegan Curry

A bowl of Vegan Curry.

Warm, hearty, and plant-based protein at its best! Vegan Curry is a combination of flavor-filled tofu, cauliflower, carrots, and onion all baked in a creamy coconut curry sauce. Delicious for vegans and non-vegans alike.

The secret: extra-firm tofu.

Extra-Firm Tofu

Tofu comes in several different styles and they are all used in different ways. Block tofu is what we see in most grocery stores today. The blocks come packed in water, so drain the water before adding to recipes.

Cauliflower, cilantro, garlic, onion, carrots, tofu, and spices.

Tofu types include

  • Silken. Very delicate and falls apart easily. Use it in dressings, smoothies, and desserts.
  • Soft. Firmer than the silken variety. Spoon-able and easy to add to hot soups.
  • Medium. A step up in firmness, you can cut this tofu and add it to salads or stir-fries.
  • Firm. The most popular type of tofu! Use it in a wide variety of dishes: baked, pan-fried, stir-fried, and even boiled.
  • Extra-Firm. Best in hearty dishes, this tofu can do it all. It has the firmest texture.

Other variations include dry tofu and smoked tofu which come in vacuum sealed pouches.

Because extra-firm tofu has a denser texture, you can play around with it without fear of it disintegrating. A good technique is to tear the extra-firm block with your hands into bite-sized pieces. The first time I made this recipe I couldn’t get over how the pieces looked so much like chicken once baked.

Baked tofu.

An quick and yummy side with this? Easy 30 Minute Flatbread.

Lessons Learned

  • Don't have garam masala? Sub in 1 teaspoon cumin mixed with ¼ teaspoon allspice.
  • This is not a spicy dish but you can turn up the heat by adding a teaspoon of cayenne or serving with a chili sauce garnish.
  • Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest sauce.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Minimalist Baker for the coconut curry inspiration.

Baking dish of vegan curry.

New York Sour

New York Sour

New York Sour.

The New York Sour is a layered, lovely cocktail that is easy to shake together, tastes delicious, and looks like a million bucks. It has a deep crimson float of dry red wine on top, but at it's base this drink is a riff on a traditional whiskey sour.

Whiskey Sour

The family of cocktails called sours normally consists of a spirit + citrus + sweetener. Many times egg white is added to smooth out the combo of liquor and citrus juice, plus it adds a velvety mouthfeel to the drink.

Here, the base spirit is whiskey. Combine that with fresh lemon juice (fresh is always best!) and a viscous sweetener. Best options for a sweetener are simple syrup, pure maple syrup, or agave.

And the egg white? Again, fresh is best. Crack a fresh egg and carefully separate the white from the yolk (reserve the yolk for another use). Fresh egg white has proteins that when shaken billow into a white foamy head. Egg whites in a carton are normally pasteurized and might not yield the same result.

Red wine, bitters, whiskey, maple syrup, egg, and lemon.
Shaken, not stirred, and strained into a glass.

Lessons Learned

  • The red wine float looks fancy but isn't too hard. Pour the wine over the back of a spoon onto the cocktail. The overturned spoon helps it distribute evenly. Even if you mess it up, the drinkie still tastes great.
  • Use any dry red wine that you like. Traditionally, it's Cabernet Sauvignon but I've seen Merlot and Syrah used as well.
  • Does using a raw egg white give you the ick? You can leave it out altogether or sub in an equal amount of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans) instead. Doing this also makes the cocktail vegan.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Liquor.com for the New York Sour recipe.

The drink from above. See the red wine dribbles?

Lentil Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Lentil Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Lentil meatballs with roasted red pepper sauce.

Tender, meat-free, dairy-free, and delicious! Lentil Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce features plant-protein, thanks to lentils. The easy roasted red pepper sauce is blitzed in a blender and comes together in minutes.

Meatless Meatballs

Yes, meatless meatballs is an oxymoron. But how else do we describe something that we know and love (meatballs) that don't contain the meat? Lentil balls doesn't quite have the same cachet.

The point here is that something shaped like a meatball, served like a meatball, and sometimes tastes like a meatball, might in fact be meat-less!

Garlic, spices, egg, parsley, couscous, red pepper, lentils, and oats.

Plant proteins like vegetables, legumes, nuts, and even grains form the base. Mushrooms, lentils, beans, rice, oats, and walnuts are all common ingredients in meatless meatballs. The secret is to cook ingredients until they are tender, add a binding ingredient, and season with spices.

Once baked, meatless meatballs can be served just like regular ones: alongside a pasta dish, tucked in a hoagie roll, or with veggies. Today's recipe is delicious garnished with plenty of fresh herbs or some Homemade Zhoug.

Cooked lentil mixture.

Lessons Learned

  • Need this to be vegan? Easy! Swap out the chicken broth and egg and use veggie broth and flax meal instead.
  • Red lentils are actually orange and lend a warm color to the meatballs. You can use brown or green lentils if you prefer but be aware that the meatballs will take on a different hue.
  • A fresh, crunchy salad is delicious with this! Try Marinated Zucchini and Yellow Squash or Zucchini Ribbon Salad.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Dishing Out Health for the Moroccan lentil meatball recipe inspiration!

Homemade Fig Simple Syrup

Homemade Fig Simple Syrup

Homemade fig simple syrup.

Made with fresh California Black Mission figs, Homemade Fig Simple Syrup is sweet, figgy, and delicious! Pour it into cocktails, salad dressings, marinades, and desserts. And it's incredibly easy to make.

How to Make Simple Syrup

Simple syrups are basically liquid sweeteners. Typically an equal amount of water and sugar are boiled together and slightly reduced. The result is an easy to use sweetener for beverages like coffees, iced teas, lemonades, sparkling water, and your favorite cocktails.

The beautiful thing about homemade simple syrups is that you can play around with the flavors. Infusing the syrup with fruits, herbs, and even flowers yields delicious aromas and tastes, like in this Rose Simple Syrup.

sugar, fresh figs, and lemon.
Straining the syrup.

Fig simple syrup is easy to make and is a two-fer. For your efforts, you get a delicious figgy syrup but you also come away with jammy fig pieces that are fantastic over yogurt, ice cream, soft cheeses, and savory appetizers. Tuck some into a chicken dish for something different.

Make an easy appetizer: layer those jammy fig pieces over crumbled feta or goat cheese, drizzle with honey, and serve with crackers. Yum!

Fig pieces over goat cheese.
Cheese and figs on crackers.

Lessons Learned

  • There are many different types of figs including Adriatic and Brown Turkey. Use whatever is available in your area.
  • Use a fine mesh strainer to rid the syrup of any stems and seeds.
  • Need a cocktail idea? This Fig Margarita uses fig simple syrup and is delish!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Cocktail Contessa for the homemade fig syrup recipe using fresh figs.

Pouring fig simple syrup into a jar.

Fig Margaritas

Fig Margaritas

Fig Margaritas.

Deliciously autumnal, Fig Margaritas are the perfect drinkie for the fall months. They are so pretty, thanks to fresh fig syrup that you can easily make or purchase. Plus, they are simple to shake together at home, saving you time and money.

Everything has gotten more expensive lately, but have you seen the price of cocktails? Whoo-ee. It’s well into the double-digit range. A margarita at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Laguna Beach is anywhere from $15 to $25, depending on the brand of tequila. Ouch. What a damper on date night when the price of drinks is nearly equal to the cost of the entrees.

But! We don’t have to go out for drinks.

Make Cocktails at Home

In another life, I used to be a ghostwriter of other people’s blogs and cookbooks. It was while I was working on a cocktail and home mixology book that the lightbulb went off in my head—I can make these drinks at home!

The caveat, of course, is we won’t enjoy the ambiance and luxury of someone else shaking together our liquid sanity saver. But if it means I don’t have to drive anywhere and can enjoy a cocktail while watching The Great British Baking Show in my jammies, then I am very happy to make my own cocktail, thank you very much.

Cost

For fun, let’s price out how much it is to make a margarita at home. These costs are all approximations based on the price of 750mL bottles at my local BevMo. It may be cheaper or more expensive in your area. And if you get your liquor at Costco, the price per ounce is probably going to be less.

Tequila, fig syrup, lime, fresh figs.

As reference, a 750mL bottle is approximately 25 ounces. If we use 2 ounces per drink, we can make 12-ish drinks per bottle. I chose two tequilas, one considered value-priced and the other top-shelf.

Warning: lots of numbers ahead. And they are all loosey-goosey, not scientific, and rounded to the nearest cent.

Value-priced:

  • Cazadores Reposado Tequila is $21.99 at BevMo = around 88 cents per ounce
  • Triple Sec is $10.99 at BevMo = around 44 cents per ounce
  • Limes are 33 cents and yield around 1 ounce
  • Cazadores (2 oz) + triple sec (1 oz) + lime juice (½ oz) = $2.36 per cocktail

Top-shelf:

  • Patron Silver is $39.99 at BevMo = around $1.60 per ounce
  • Cointreau is $37.99 at BevMo = around $1.52 per ounce
  • Limes are 33 cents and yield around 1 ounce
  • Patron (2 oz) + Cointreau (1 oz) + lime juice (½ oz) = $4.88 per cocktail

Compare that to the $25 margarita at the Mexican restaurant. Excited? Me too.

Are you ready for it? Me too.

Lessons Learned

  • Fig simple syrup is easy to make (recipe is here) and is a two-fer. For your efforts, you get a delicious figgy syrup to use in cocktails, salad dressings, marinades, and desserts. You also come away with jammy fig pieces that are fantastic over yogurt, ice cream, and savory appetizers.
  • If you are saying to yourself “That sounds delicious but I’m never going to make fig syrup in a million years,” then you will be happy to know you can purchase 8 ounces fig syrup on Amazon for $19.75.
  • Quality ingredients are key to a good cocktail! Buy the best that you can comfortably afford.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Kasey, my supplier of fresh figs, for giving me the idea for fig margaritas.

Margarita with fresh fig garnish.

Pizza on the Grill

Pizza on the Grill

Grilled pizzas.

Delicious crust with char and melty cheese from your outdoor grill? Yes, yes, and yes with Pizza on the Grill!

I know this can be intimidating. I mean, floppy dough on hot grates, dripping cheese flame-ups, and toppings falling into the abyss. A lot can go wrong.

However, there are some tricks to achieving a crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside crust with melty cheese and savory toppings.

Tips for Grilling Pizza

  • Plan ahead. Putting together from-scratch dough will require a couple of hours but it is so worth it. But even if you aren’t making dough, plan your toppings and grate the cheese ahead so everything is ready. Once the dough hits the grill things move quickly.
  • Start with the right dough. Sure you can grill most doughs (including store-bought), but one made with bread flour or Italian 00 flour is sturdier and easier to work with. Plus, a nice chew is achieved with these flours.
  • The grill needs to be hot. This is the eleventy-eth time we’ve talked about the grill needing to be hot, but the caveat here is it shouldn’t be too hot. 350 to 400F/180 to 200C is just right for grilling pizza.
  • Oil the grates. A light brush with oil will help to prevent anything from sticking to the grates.
  • Tools are your friend. If you have a pizza peel, great, use that. But I don’t, so I use a large metal spatula and a pair of tongs to move the pizza off the grill in one piece.
  • Don’t overload. Keep it simple when it comes to toppings. Too much and the cheese doesn’t completely melt, the dough becomes soggy, and items start falling off.

Next, let’s talk about making the dough.

Homemade Pizza Dough

Flour, water, and yeast.
Rolling out pizza dough.

If you’ve never worked with yeast before you might think this is too hard, but I assure you it is not. There are a few ways to make pizza dough and some require overnight proofing (have you tried my cast iron pizza recipe?). But the one we are making today is an easy peasy, stir it together dough.

Bread flour and 00 flour are both higher in gluten and protein than all-purpose flour. And so what? Because of this, the webby gluten network that forms from them keeps the dough stretchy and helps it to proof up bubbly so that when it hits the heat the crust develops a crispy, crackly exterior and a soft and chewy interior.

Perfectly delicious!

Lessons Learned

  • Grate all your cheeses and chop all the toppings ahead of time and set up a work station. It makes assembly of the pizzas quick and easy!
  • The dough recipe makes two 10-inch pizzas, 3 to 4 mini pizzas, or one giant pizza for those who are brave like that.
  • Leave out the toppings you don't like and replace them with ones you do. Anchovies? Go for it. You're an adult so you can do what you want.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to King Arthur Baking for their grilled pizza recipe.

Pizza on the grill.

Cosmopolitan with St Germain

Cosmopolitan with St Germain

Cosmopolitan with St. Germain

A sophisticated twist on a popular cocktail: the Cosmopolitan with St Germain. It's somewhat tart, mildly sweet, slightly floral, and 100% delicious!

Do you think Carrie Bradshaw would approve? I'd like to think so.

Cosmo

The Cosmopolitan was invented by a bartender in the late 1980s in New York City. A few years later the cocktail became extremely popular with young 20-something women when the TV show Sex and The City made it the cool drink to order on girls' night out. Even though I have never seen an episode of SATC (strange, but true), I have always associated the show with the pink cocktail.

New York City, birthplace of the Cosmo.

The original Cosmopolitan cocktail contained Absolut Citron vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and cranberry juice, a sweet and sour combination that also happened to be pretty and pink. Usually served in a martini glass, it was lovely to look at and lovely to sip while visiting with friends.

The cocktail also just happens to be an easy one to make yourself. My friend Lisa is a Cosmo fan and always orders it when we are out to dinner. But she also knows how to make a fantastic one at home, like we are doing today.

A cocktail is only as good as the ingredients that go into it, so purchase your ingredients wisely. Fresh lemon juice, mid-range (or top shelf) vodka, and quality sweetener makes a difference in the final product. Compared to the cost of ordering a cocktail in a restaurant or bar, you are still getting a bargain by making it at home!

Lemon, St. Germain, vodka, agave, and cranberry juice.
Straining cocktail into a glass.

Lessons Learned

  • No cocktail jigger? No problem. Use measuring spoons. Two Tablespoons equals one ounce.
  • While St Germain is popular, there are other European elderflower liqueur brands that are equally good including Bols (Netherlands) and Fiorente (Italian).
  • It's important to use unsweetened cranberry juice, so check the ingredient label! Already sweetened cranberry juice will yield a cocktail that is way too sweet.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to A Couple Cooks for the St Germain & cranberry cocktail recipe.

Cosmo, ready to drink.

Vodka Sour with Elderflower

Vodka Sour with Elderflower

Flower Drop cocktail.

Refreshing, sweet-tart, and botanical! The Vodka Sour with Elderflower is a balanced and sublime cocktail made from just four ingredients, including liqueur made from elderflower.

What is elderflower?

Elderflower

When I first heard of these tiny flowers, I mistakenly thought they were the same thing as edelweiss. You know, the bloom that Christopher Plummer sang about in The Sound of Music. Well, they're not.

Elderflowers are blossoms of the elderberry tree that flower each spring. While these trees grow all over Europe, they also grow in the U.S. My friend who lives in Tennessee sees them on her rural walks and picks some to make into tea and simple syrup.

The fragrant blossoms are also made into cordials and liqueurs.

Elderflowers.

How to Use Elderflower Liqueur

With it's subtle floral aroma and citrusy, pear, and lychee notes, elderflower liqueur brings an elegant flavor to a variety of foods and drinks. One of the most popular and widely available elderflower liqueurs is St Germain. I find it at my local BevMo but some grocery stores carry it as well.

Tip the liqueur in:

  • cake, muffin, and pancake batters
  • jams and jellies
  • ice creams and sorbets

And, of course, mocktails and cocktails like this one.

Fresh lemon, St. Germain, vodka, and agave syrup.
Straining the cocktail into a glass.

Lessons Learned

  • St Germain, like other liqueurs, is quite sweet. Adjust the amount of agave or other sweetener in the cocktail to suit your taste.
  • Fresh lemon juice is best! If you don't have any lemons on hand, bottled juice is okay in a pinch.
  • A cocktail is only as good as the ingredients used. Because there are only four ingredients in this one, don't use a cheap vodka if you can avoid it. Mid-range vodkas like Tito's or Kirkland Signature from Costco are perfect. If you can afford Grey Goose, go for it.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to St Germain for the flower drop cocktail recipe and to Corina Rainer on Unsplash for the elderflower photo.

Flower Drop cocktail ready to drink!

Green Goddess Chicken Cobb

Green Goddess Chicken Cobb

Green Goddess Chicken Cobb salad.

A mashup of two California classics! Green Goddess Chicken Cobb features herby, creamy dressing drizzled over a non-traditional Cobb salad. It's fresh, bright, and delicious.

Two California Classics

In this salad, two California classics get married and have a baby. Green Goddess dressing originated in San Francisco in the 1920s. Cobb Salad appeared a decade later in Los Angeles.

Let’s look at a short history of both.

Green Goddess Dressing

The Palace Hotel was San Francisco’s first grand hotel when it opened its doors in the late 19th century. And it was in the hotel kitchen that Green Goddess dressing was first stirred together.

More than 80 percent of San Francisco, including the Palace Hotel, was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and the fires resulting from it. Once rebuilt, the hotel resumed its stature as a luxury hotel that hosted dignitaries, opera stars, and international actors like George Arliss.

Cilantro, basil, parsley, mayo, lemon, green onion, and garlic.

Arliss was starring in the play The Green Goddess which was on tour in the U.S. in 1923 after having great success in England. Famous guests of the hotel often had dishes named in their honor, like singer Luisa Tetrazzini who inspired the pasta dish Chicken Tetrazzini. And so it was with George Arliss except the salad dressing wasn’t named for him but for the play. Womp womp.

Regardless, 100 years later the Palace Hotel is still an upscale luxury hotel and the dressing remains on the hotel menu. It is full of fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic resulting in a bright green dressing.

Cobb Salad

Now we head down the coast to Southern California where Cobb Salad originated at The Brown Derby restaurant. Although The Brown Derby was actually a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles with locations in Beverly Hills, Los Feliz, Hollywood, and Wilshire Boulevard, it is the Hollywood branch on North Vine Street that gets the credit for inventing the main dish salad in 1937 that has become an American classic.

Rumors and legends tend to be part of the Hollywood landscape, and stories surrounding The Brown Derby restaurant are no exception. Holding court at the restaurant were movie studio execs, theater owners, and celebrities. It became a place to see and be seen.

Romaine, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado.

The creation of the Cobb Salad has two differing legends attached to it. The first one tells of owner Robert Cobb looking through the restaurant kitchen for a midnight snack. Pulling a little of this, a little of that, he pilfered some bacon from a busy line cook, chopped up the whole shebang, and voila! The Cobb Salad was born.

Another rendition involves the head chef concocting the chopped salad as a way to cheer up Mr. Cobb, who came straight to work after a dental appointment, hungry and irritable (as we all are after dental appointments).

Will we ever know the real story? Probably not.

Looking at an old Brown Derby menu dated September 1953, I had to marvel at the prices. Baja California Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail for $1.50. Derby Lamb Stew with Vegetables and Potatoes was $1.85. A pot of coffee for 25 cents. And Cobb Salad? $2.25. Order a Cobb in any restaurant today and you will pay 10 times that price.

It’s so much cheaper to make it at home, so let’s do that now.

Chicken slathered with marinade.
Marinating time!
Grilled and looking good.

Lessons Learned

  • Because chicken breasts can sometimes dry out when grilled, the mayo-based marinade helps keep them moist. Once the salad is assembled, drizzle the reserved portion of the herby dressing over everything.
  • Traditionally, Cobbs include bleu cheese and bacon but this one doesn’t. The salad ingredient list is flexible, of course. Leave out what you don’t like or add more of what you do.
  • And bread? This Ligurian Focaccia would be so delicious alongside the salad!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Lillie Eats and Tells for the Green Goddess grilled chicken inspiration.

A closer look at the Green Goddess Chicken Cobb.

Easy Chicken Liver Pâté

Easy Chicken Liver Pâté

Easy chicken liver pate being spread on a cracker.

Deliciously smooth and creamy, Easy Chicken Liver Pâté is a welcome addition to any appetizer plate. Serve it spread on toasted baguette, crackers, or crunchy veggies.

What is Pâté?

Have you wondered what exactly is pâté? It is meat or seafood that is cooked, ground up, and combined with seasonings and herbs along with some fat. Blended together, either coarsely or finely, the mixture is molded into pots or a terrine.

Pâté can even be made with vegetables only. A popular type includes mushrooms, walnuts, and garlic.

Celery, onion, butter, chicken livers, garlic, and seasonings.

It seems that pâté has fallen out of fashion with certain people. You don’t see a lot of social media posts for it. Maybe because it isn't eye-catchingly colorful but is just so…tan. However, a classic smooth chicken liver pâté is a wonderful snack or appetizer with drinkies.

Plus it is so simple to make! After cooking the chicken livers, throw it along with the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and you’re done. Easy peasy.

Serve pâté spread on a baguette or toasted bread. Call me suburban middle-class, but I think it tastes best on saltine crackers. It would also be delicious on these Gourmet Crackers.

Cover and store in the fridge for up to two weeks, but I bet it won't last that long.

Cooked chicken livers.
Hello from the other side.

Lessons Learned

  • Chicken livers are in the fresh meat section of the grocery store. Where I live, the price is around $2 per pound.
  • Don't overcook the chicken livers! Simmering just for 10 minutes leaves them tender and perfect. Any longer makes them turn rubbery and you will regret everything.
  • Play around with the seasonings and choice of alcohol (can omit if you like) to adjust the pâté to your taste.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to the classic The Silver Palate Cookbook for the recipe inspiration.

Balsamic Tomato Toast

Balsamic Tomato Toast

Balsamic tomato toast.

Tangy, salty, and full of tomato-y flavor, Balsamic Tomato Toast makes for a delicious appetizer, snack, or brunch item! Ripe in-season cherry tomatoes are perfect, but this even works with sad, out-of-season ones thanks to the addition of balsamic vinegar.

Balsamic Vinegar

It's rich, slightly sweet, and sometimes syrupy, but what one notices right away about balsamic vinegar is the color. Dark, dark brown, nearly black. But what makes a vinegar balsamic?

Balsamic vinegar bottle.

True balsamic vinegar is made in Italy and only in Modena or Reggio Emilia. It is produced using traditional methods that are centuries-old. Whole pressed grapes (called grape must) are cooked down until concentrated, left to ferment for a few weeks, then aged for 12 to 25 years in wooden barrels. Its texture is glossy and viscous while the flavor is complex.

Like other European products made according to certain specifications, balsamic vinegar has a regulating agency. Balsamic from Italy is labeled with a special stamp (DOP or "Denominazione di Origine Protetta") to show its authenticity. True balsamic vinegars can be quite expensive starting at $50 a bottle and going up from there.

These traditional Italian balsamics are not meant for cooking purposes. Heat destroys its aroma so it is instead drizzled over fresh fruit, cooked meats and risottos, and drunk before or after a meal as an apertif or digestif.

Most of the balsamic vinegar produced outside of Italy are imitations of the real thing. They consist of grape must plus other vinegar and coloring. There are good quality imitators and they are more than adequate for salad dressings and marinades. Use them in cooking, reduce them to make syrups, or deglaze a pan.

Garlic, oregano, olives, tomatoes, basil, and capers.
Tomato-y goodness in a pan.
Ready to eat!

Lessons Learned

  • Use any kind of tomato you like or have on hand. Little bitty ones like grape or cherry tomatoes look cute when cut in half, but they aren't necessary.
  • This tastes equally delicious with or without cheese. Sub in vegan cheese, if desired.
  • Want a delicious and refreshing side dish? This Zucchini Ribbon Salad fits the bill.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to the old school Italian nonnas who know how to use up summer produce in a delicious way! I've seen many iterations of this on social media, but we know it was the grandmas who thought of it first.

Quick Cucumber Kimchi

Quick Cucumber Kimchi

Quick cucumber kimchi.

Crunchy, zingy, and mouthwatering, Quick Cucumber Kimchi is a great side salad to any grilled meat or Asian-inspired meal.

Full disclosure: it's not fermented so technically it's not kimchi. By the way, yes, you can make homemade kimchi. However, this salad brings all the flavors of traditional kimchi onto your plate with less time and effort.

The star ingredient here is cucumber.

Cucumbers

Have you noticed that there are many types of cucumbers? Most common is the garden cucumber which is dark green and contains seeds. They are easy to grow in raised garden beds, as I found out last year.

Along with the common garden variety, seedless English cucumbers are available at most grocery stores. Lately, I've seen more varieties offered at my local supermarket and farmers market. These include Persian cucumbers, which are shorter with thinner skins, and lemon cucumbers, which resemble a tennis ball.

Cucumbers, garlic, carrots, green onions, white onions.
Salted and draining in the sink.

All cucumber varieties provide a cool, refreshing crunch to salads, sandwiches, and fresh veggie platters. For this recipe, I used a combination of garden and Persian cucumbers because that is what I had on hand, but you can use what you like.

The combination of cucumbers with other veggies, namely carrots and onions brings irresistible crunch. Season with Korean red pepper flakes, garlic, sesame oil, sugar, and rice vinegar for a flavorful but not-too-spicy sauce, and now you've got a salad that is tangy and refreshing.

Gochugaru, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and vinegar.
The sauce.

Lessons Learned

  • Gochugaru, or Korean red pepper flakes, are at Asian grocery stores or online. Be sure to get the red pepper flakes rather than the powder.
  • This salad is perfect for vegans! Unlike traditional kimchi, this one has no fish sauce or animal products.
  • Serve quick cucumber kimchi with Korean BBQ Ribs, Miso-Caramel Salmon, or Asian Pork and Mushroom Burgers. Delish!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Stella ‘n Spice and Korean Bapsang for the cucumber kimchi recipe inspiration.

Open wide! Cucumber kimchi between chopsticks.

Homemade Zhoug

Homemade Zhoug

Homemade zhoug.

Green, herby, spicy, and delicious, Homemade Zhoug is a green dynamo condiment! Spoon it over grilled meats, veggies, and dips like homemade hummus. Prepare to be addicted!

What is Zhoug

Yemenite in origin and served in some form all over the Middle East, zhoug is kind of like the chili paste of the East. It has some kick to it but is more herby than anything else. Traditionally, it contains chopped herbs, garlic, chilies, and toasted spices.

How is it pronounced? I've heard zhoug pronounced many ways, but I say the "zh" like a soft "j" sound. Similar to how you pronounce the "s" in the words vision or pleasure. Yes, the English language is weird.

How is it used? It's delicious as a saucy drizzle over falafel, pita sandwiches, and chopped salads. But zhoug also complements dips, soups, and just about any dish that needs a green punch of flavor. Lately I've been spooning it over my morning eggs or stirring it into my plain yogurt for a savory breakfast.

Garlic, spices, jalapeno, parsley, and cilantro await the blender.

While you can certainly hand-chop all the ingredients, a quick and easy way to make zhoug is in the blender or food processor. Just place the ingredients in the blender, pulse a few times, and it's ready.

Allowing the prepared sauce to sit for an hour-ish before serving is a good idea. It lets all the different flavors talk to each other and meld into one.

Lessons Learned

  • My middle-aged tummy says one jalapeno is enough but you might not think so. The key here is to blend, taste, and make adjustments until you like it.
  • Don't go crazy with the blender. You don't want a puree, but rather a sauce with some texture and small chunks. Over-blending causes the sauce to be watery.
  • Once refrigerated, the olive oil in the zhoug will harden. To bring it back to a spoon-able consistency, allow the sauce to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.

Hat Tips

This recipe is adapted from many including the one from New York Times and Simply Recipes.

A spoonful of zhoug makes the medicine go down.

Homemade Rose Simple Syrup

Homemade Rose Simple Syrup

Homemade rose simple syrup.

A rose by any other name is…a simple syrup? Yes, you can make Homemade Rose Simple Syrup to flavor cocktails and drinks, hot or cold. It’s easy, economical, and delicious!

Plus, can you say homemade rose latte?

What is Simple Syrup

We’ve talked previously about making homemade vanilla extract and how it takes some pre-planning because extracts take months to steep. But what if you need some instant gratification? While your vanilla extract is watching Netflix and chillaxing, make a simple syrup.

Simple syrups are basically liquid sweeteners made of sugar and water boiled together. Plain or flavored, they sweeten coffee, tea, cocktails, lemonade, iced tea, and sparkling water.

Premade simple syrups are found at grocery stores and liquor stores. Have you seen the Torani syrups used to flavor coffee drinks? Those are simple syrups. What about Rose’s or Monin syrups for cocktails? Those also are simple syrups.

Store bought simple syrups include grenadine and orgeat.

I first learned about simple syrups while ghostwriting a cocktail and mixology book for a client. There is a “golden ratio” that is 2 parts alcohol, 1 part sour, and 1 part sweet, sometimes in the form of a simple syrup. This combo is what makes a cocktail taste good. Any other cocktail ingredients add another layer of complexity while a garnish is nose or eye candy.

A good example of the golden ratio is the cocktail my neighbor Byron makes. It’s a great little drinkie with White Claw, of all things, as the base. Now neither my neighbor nor I are the target market for White Claw (it is 20-something Gen Zers) but he doctors it up and turns it into something delicious.

He uses a non-mathy formula of vodka/tequila (alcohol) + White Claw (sweet) + lime juice (sour) = yummy drink. By employing the golden ratio, my neighbor transforms a mediocre, sweet, grain alcohol drink into a bright, refreshing cocktail that I am happy to imbibe at their Super Bowl and July 4th parties.

How to Use Simple Syrups

Homemade simple syrup can be used in so many creative ways.

  • Cocktails and mocktails. Bring sweet complexity to mixed drinks.
  • Desserts. Drizzle syrup between cake layers, over ice cream, or into frosting.
  • Hot or iced coffee and tea. Add a teaspoon or two to sweeten and flavor your morning cup.
  • Lemonade and sparkling water. Stirs into cold drinks easily because the sugar is already dissolved.
  • Whipped cream. Whisk into whipped cream to add a hint of flavor.

I did not calculate the price breakdown for purchased simple syrup versus homemade syrup. But as a reference, Torani syrups cost between $11 to $20 per bottle. Monin syrups are about the same. Their primary ingredients: sugar and water, plus some artificial flavorings. Given that a two-pound bag of sugar can be bought for less than $5, we can safely assume that homemade syrup costs way less than bottled ones.

This project is fast and easy, ready to use immediately. It makes a nice gift, too.

Dried rose petals and granulated sugar.

Lessons Learned

  • Be sure to use food-grade dried rose petals which have not been sprayed with pesticide. I found mine on Amazon. If you grow roses, friend, you have hit the jackpot because you can dry your rose petals for free.
  • To semi-sterilize a clean jar, add boiling water to it and let sit for 15 minutes. Dump out the hot water and let the jar dry upside down.
  • Make a rose latte by adding 1 or 2 teaspoons of the simple syrup to hot milk and coffee.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Liquor.com for their simple syrup recipe.

Simply simple syrup.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Aged homemade vanilla extract in mason jars.

Homemade Vanilla Extract is easy to make, tastes delicious, and is budget-friendly. Yes it's perfect for all your home baking but it has a secret second life as a thoughtful holiday gift.

Not many folks make vanilla extract from scratch but pick it up during a grocery haul because it is easy and convenient. But convenience costs money.

The Cost of Extracts

If you’ve purchased extracts recently, you know they can be expensive (imitation and artificial vanilla are not part of this conversation because I don’t like them). Good quality brand-name genuine vanilla extract costs anywhere from $12 to $20 for a 4-ounce bottle. This is between $3 to $5 per ounce.

Normally vanilla extract is doled out in teaspoons, so there are 24 teaspoons in a 4-ounce bottle, each teaspoon costing between 50 and 83 cents. I know what you are going to say: Costco.

The enemy, I mean, store bought vanilla.

Yes, Kirkland vanilla is definitely more reasonable at $16.99 for a 16-ounce bottle or $1.06 per ounce. And if that’s what you would rather do, no one is going to fault you. I occasionally buy Kirkland vanilla as well because it’s convenient and reliable.

Another option is Mexican vanilla, which is very inexpensive. But don’t be duped like I was. On my last trip to Ensenada, I picked up a very popular brand of Mexican vanilla for what I thought was such a deal.

When I got home, I noticed it didn’t taste quite as strong as McCormick or Kirkland brands. Upon reading the label, I found that it was a “vanilla blend” meaning, yes, it was part extract but it was also a blend of a bunch of other things including artificial flavoring. So disappointing.

The Savings of Homemade Extract

Are there actual savings in making your own vanilla extract? Yes, and here is where it gets math-y.

Grade A vanilla beans.

To make your own vanilla extract, you need to:

  • Purchase vanilla beans. Amazon is an easy and inexpensive resource for this. Either Grade A or B beans are good. Grade A is typically used fresh for pastry cream and ice cream, something you are going to eat soon. Grade B is most often used for extracts and pastes and has a more concentrated flavor. Really, either type is fine. While Madagascar vanilla beans are the most common for vanilla extract, you can experiment with Tahitian (fruitier notes) or Mexican (warm spice notes like clove) vanilla beans.
  • Buy vodka. Don’t buy the cheapest but don’t buy the pricey Grey Goose. The 1.75 liter (59-ish ounces) bottle of Kirkland Signature brand at Costco is a good price at $20. You know, the ginormous bottle that once you put in your shopping cart, you pray that you don’t run into anyone you know. You will only use 16 ounces of it, leaving plenty of vodka for making Cosmos later with your besties. If you don’t want a gargantuan bottle hanging around, buy a 750ml bottle (25-ish ounces) which runs around $25 for a brand like Tito’s.

The cost breakdown:

$9.99 vanilla beans (Amazon) + $5.42 for 16 oz of Kirkland Signature = $15.41 or $0.96 per ounce, or 16 cents per teaspoon.

$9.99 vanilla beans + $16 for 16 oz of Tito’s = $25.99 or $1.62 per ounce, or 27 cents per teaspoon.

Something that I have not factored into the cost savings and that may tip the scale in favor of making your own extract is that the bottle is refillable.

What does this mean?

When you are running low on homemade extract, just top off your bottle or jar with more vodka. You can do this two or three times before having to add or replace the vanilla beans. That makes your cost per ounce even cheaper.

Beans and booze.

Another Benefit of Homemade Extract

Extracts need months before they are ready, so you do need to plan ahead. If you made vanilla extract today (it's currently June), it will be ready for use by December, just in time for holiday baking. Maybe you don’t use a lot of vanilla, or don’t bake like you used to. This project might not be for everybody, and that’s okay.

But! This can also make for a casually genius holiday gift. I know, you’re thinking, “Are you serious right now? It’s summer.” Friend, I’m with you on this. I’m not a holiday prepper at all and I kind of despise people who are.

However, if you had a few bottles of homemade vanilla sitting in the back of your pantry, how awesome would that be in the middle of December when you forgot to buy a gift for the gift exchange? I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.

Think about it. Wouldn’t it be great to reach into your pantry and pull out a homemade gift just when you need it? I think so, too. If you like the homemade gift idea, then take a look at Strawberry Vinegar.

Pouring vodka into mason jars filled with vanilla pods.

Lessons Learned

  • Choose the size of bottle or jar you want to use. I like 2 half-pint (1 cup) mason jars because they are smaller and easier to store in my pantry, but use the larger pint jar if you prefer.
  • Can you use rum or bourbon? Absolutely, but they will add their own flavor to the extract, which you may or may not love. Vodka adds no flavor so all you taste is the vanilla.
  • The bean-to-booze ratio is 5 vanilla beans to 1 cup alcohol.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Zoe Bakes for the homemade vanilla extract recipe inspiration.

Homemade vanilla extract in mason jars.

Easy Green Peasy Hummus

Easy Green Peasy Hummus

Easy green peasy hummus.

Bright and spring-y, Easy Green Peasy Hummus is a dip for pita and veggies, a schmear inside wraps and sandwiches, or part of an appetizer platter. Plus, plant protein!

Plant Protein

What are plant proteins? They are lean, green, cost-effective machines, and an alternative to traditional protein sources like meat, poultry, and seafood. Plant-based proteins are easy to digest, easy to keep stocked, and easy on the budget.

Plus, they taste good.

I recently watched Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix. This documentary looks at five global communities where people routinely live 100 years or longer and maintain active lifestyles. The premise is that these areas share some common elements including family first, natural movement, and a plant-based diet. While some of these communities do eat meat, they get the majority of their protein from plants.

Peas, garbanzo beans, lemon, and cilantro.

This is not surprising if we think about what our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents ate. Depending on where your roots lie, your ancestors may have eaten beans and quinoa, chickpeas and lentils, or tofu and rice. They were eating these things not because plant-based diets were popular but because that’s what was available. And it just so happens that these foods provided the nutrients they needed.

My mom is from North Korea. She grew up eating tofu, rice, and kimchi. Meat was only eaten on special occasions like New Year’s Day and maybe birthdays. After she escaped to South Korea, it was much of the same. When she lived there, tofu and fish were the main protein sources for meals in her home. Today, my mom lives in New York and her breakfast is surprisingly unchanged: tofu, rice, and kimchi.

It is interesting and reassuring all at the same time that people in the centuries before us knew the right things to eat before Netflix came along to remind us. As an aside, does anyone remember waiting for those red envelopes to arrive in the mail? My husband used to say, “It be great if we could just watch the movies instantly instead of waiting for these things in the mail.” Look at us now.

Sources of Plant Protein

Protein is found in a variety of plants, grains, and seeds. The main categories of non-animal protein include cereals, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy. Since we are looking at legumes in this recipe, here is a sample of some and the protein they provide.

  • Beans (black, kidney, pinto, white), 1 cup cooked, 15 grams
  • Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), 1 cup cooked, 14 grams
  • Green peas, 1 cup cooked, 8 grams
  • Lentils (black, brown, green, red), 1 cup cooked, 18 grams

I find that plant-based dishes benefit from a hit of acid, which depending on your past or current lifestyle, may mean something different from what I’m talking about. A hit of acid here means lemon juice, vinegar, or a fermented something. The acidic component lightens, brightens, and brings some freshness to what can be a claggy, dense dish.

So, don't be afraid to add extra lemon juice to this hummus!

Lessons Learned

  • The easiest way to thaw green peas: tip them into a bowl, pour hot water over them, and let them sit for a few minutes.
  • If you aren't a cilantro fan, sub in parsley instead or do a 50-50 mix.
  • Not into green peas? You might like this classic hummus or a carrot lentil hummus instead.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Tending the Table for the green pea hummus recipe.

Creamy and dreamy hummus!

Carrot Lentil Hummus

Carrot Lentil Hummus

Carrot lentil hummus with pita.

Creamy, dreamy, and protein-y Carrot Lentil Hummus is a delicious snack, appetizer, or sandwich spread. Plus, it's so pretty! I know, I know, hummus is supposed to be made with chickpeas. Rename it if you want, but this version uses red lentils instead.

Red Lentils

We’ve talked about lentils before and how they are a good source of protein not just for vegans and vegetarians but omnivores as well. People around the globe have relied on lentils for centuries to meet their need for protein because they are inexpensive and readily available. While green and brown lentils are more common, red lentils are a favorite of mine.

Ingredients include red lentils, carrots, spices, lemon, garlic, tahini, and parsley.
Cooked red lentils.

These little powerhouse legumes cook quickly and are subtle in flavor. No dirt-tasting lentils here! Because red lentils are hull-less, they do not need to be soaked and break down easily into a mushier consistency. This makes them perfect for creamy dishes like curries, soups, stews, dips, and this hummus recipe.

Roasted carrots.

Lessons Learned

  • You don't have to peel your carrots! I like the cleaner orange color of peeled carrots, but this might not be a thing for you. They will roast perfectly fine unpeeled.
  • Yes, draining the mushy cooked lentils is a pain. But a fine mesh strainer makes quick work of this task. If you'd rather not mess with draining, use slightly less than 2 cups of water and pray that the lentils don't burn towards the end of the cook time. You can always add more water if needed.
  • Add more garlic, lemon juice, spices, tahini, or water for the taste and consistency that suits you. If you are looking for a more traditional version made with chickpeas, there is a deliciously easy hummus recipe here.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Blissful Basil for the carrot, walnut, and red lentil hummus recipe.

Creamy and delicious carrot lentil hummus topped with walnuts.

Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

Grapefruit olive oil cake.

Plush and tender, Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake is a deliciously citrusy snack or dessert. If you are like me, you’ll enjoy it with a cup of coffee and call it breakfast.

What makes this cake so perfectly moist with the right texture? Oil.

Oil Cakes Versus Butter Cakes

When I was a kid, all the birthday cakes my mom baked for me and my brother were from a boxed mix. She took a Wilton cake decorating class, so the cakes were beautiful too. They were light, tender, and what I thought cake was supposed to taste like.

Once I had children of my own there was no question that I would do the same: bake and decorate their birthday cakes. But I took it a step further and baked the cakes from scratch rather than use a boxed mix.

I’m not as talented as my mom in the cake decorating department but tried my best. The cakes were fun to look at but tasted dense and dry. What happened?

It all comes down to fat. Boxed cake mixes typically call for oil while from-scratch recipes use butter. These two fats behave differently when mixed with cake ingredients yielding very different results.

Cake ingredients include flour, sugar, oil, yogurt, eggs, and grapefruit.
Smoothing the batter before baking.

Oil Cakes

  • Since oil is lighter than butter and one hundred percent fat, it results in a cake that is lighter and moister than one made with butter. Oil cakes are loftier and spongier.
  • Oil is liquid. When it is mixed with flour, it completely coats the flour and prevents any gluten development from happening.
  • Cakes made with oil keep well at room temperature (up to a week, if they last that long). If they are refrigerated, they can be eaten straight from the fridge and will still be tender.

Butter Cakes

  • Butter is heavier by weight than oil and contains about 15% water.
  • Because water is present, when the butter is mixed with flour gluten can develop giving the cake a chewier, denser texture. If you are making a multi-tiered cake, this could work in your favor because it isn’t as likely to topple over.
  • Butter-based cakes will become firmer if kept in the fridge and will need to sit at room temp to soften up. Again, this isn’t always bad especially if you enjoy cold cake with a hot cup of coffee.

The oil used in this citrus loaf cake is olive oil but not EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil). While EVOO is great in salad dressings and dips, the flavor is too overpowering for a cake like this. The best type for cooking and baking is light olive oil which is golden in color and more neutral in flavor.

If you like citrusy goodies, you will also love Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread and Preserved Lemon Loaf Cake.

Because once citrus is cooked it can lose some of it's punch, this cake gets a grapefruit flavor hit at every step. First, the zest is rubbed with sugar to release the citrus oils. After baking, the cake is doused with grapefruit syrup. And finally, the loaf is drizzled with a grapefruit glaze. It's so yummy!

Grapefruit zest rubbed into sugar.
Grapefruit syrup brushed on the loaf.
Loaf drizzled with glaze.

Lessons Learned

  • Store-bought grapefruit usually is waxed, so wash the outside in hot water or use a fruit and veggie cleaner before zesting. If you are lucky enough to grow grapefruit in your backyard like I do, you don’t need to do this, just zest away. I use a microplane grater.
  • Measure your vanilla extract carefully and resist the temptation to add more. Vanilla can easily overpower the delicate citrus notes and result in a vanilla-heavy flavor.
  • Don’t like grapefruit? I’m surprised you’ve read this far. The recipe works equally well with other citrus like lemon, lime, and orange.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the grapefruit yogurt cake recipe.

Peekaboo! An inside look at the loaf cake.

Easy 30 Minute Flatbread

Easy 30 Minute Flatbread

Easy 30 minute flatbread.

Warm, soft, and drizzled with garlicky-herby oil, Easy 30 Minute Flatbread is beckoning you right now. No yeast, no kneading, and no proofing. No kidding!

Say buh-bye to store bought flatbread.

What is Flatbread

Flatbread is an unleavened bread traditionally requires just a few ingredients like flour, salt, and liquid. It is a staple in many cuisines all over the world. Think pita, naan, roti, lavash, focaccia, and tortillas; all breads that are vertically challenged.

Flour, baking powder, yogurt, garlic, and parsley.
Flatbread dough rolled out.

Baking powder, yogurt, or a small amount of yeast can be added to some types of flatbread to give them an airier texture. But these are simple breads that are easy to make and come together quickly. So they are PERFECT for weeknight dinners.

How to eat them? Dunked in stews, soups, and saucy dishes. Wrapped around grilled meats and vegetables. As an appetizer with dips and hummus. Or by themselves slathered in butter or oil. Delicious!

These flatbreads are especially good with Za'atar Chicken with Green Lentils, Israeli Salad with Chickpeas, and Easy Vegan Hummus!

Drizzling on the garlicky, herby oil.

Lessons Learned

  • Depending on the brand of Greek yogurt you purchase, you will need to adjust the amount used in the dough. Some yogurts are more liquidy and some are less so.
  • After stirring in the yogurt, I use my hands to help the ingredients come together. It is a wetter softer dough, so don’t overmix.
  • Yes, freeze them! Cook the flatbreads, cool completely, then put in a Ziploc freezer bag. Lay them flat in the freezer.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Donna Hay for the no fuss flatbread recipe.

Rolled up and ready to be shoved in the mouth!

Cast Iron Pizza

Cast Iron Pizza

Cast iron pizza with melty cheese.

With a no-knead dough that bakes up crisp on the bottom and pillowy on the top, Cast Iron Pizza is the pan pizza of your childhood dreams. It’s surprisingly easy to make and you don’t have to log minutes in a reading program to enjoy one.

Pizza Hut Book It Program

When my kids were in elementary school, they participated in a program sponsored by Pizza Hut. It was designed to encourage kids to read by setting reading goals, tracking their reading time, and rewarding them with a certificate for a personal-sized pan pizza.

I loved this program because Pizza Hut made it available to homeschoolers, which we were for 17 years. My kids loved the program because every month they got a whole pizza to themselves. Never mind that it was the size of a small salad plate, this pizza was theirs and theirs alone.

Old school Pizza Hut restaurant.

When I was a kid, there was no Book It program, unfortunately. This was when Pizza Huts were still a popular place for families to eat. They were instantly recognizable with their angular red roof and all-you-can-eat pizza/pasta/salad buffet.

While the rest of my family liked the hand-tossed crust, I was on team pan pizza all the way. Occasionally my mom would relent and order a whole pan pizza for the family. The greasy, crunchy bottom and cheesy edges were my favorite part.

What makes this pizza so good? A cast iron skillet.

Cast Iron Cookware

Cooking in cast iron pots and pans has been around for a long, long time. My mom remembers her North Korean grandmother cooking rice in a cast iron or earthenware pot as they did centuries prior. In America, cast iron skillets were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries because they were inexpensive and long-lasting.

Because cast iron can withstand high temperatures and retain heat, it is perfect for cooking over a fire, on the stovetop, or in the oven. Cast iron is great of course for stews and braises, but it is also ideal for baked items like breads, cakes, and cobblers.

My husband’s grandma gave us a cast iron skillet when we were first married. It rusted and I thought I ruined it, so I threw it out. Yikes.

I didn’t know that although cast iron is nearly indestructible, it needs to be cared for in specific ways.

Cast iron skillet.

How to Care for Cast Iron

Cast iron cookware can last for many decades if cared for properly. Here are a few tips that I wish I had known earlier.

  • Determine if your cast iron cookware is already seasoned. If you are buying from a company like Lodge Cast Iron, then chances are it is. A seasoned pan has been sprayed with vegetable oil and baked at a high temp to create a non-stick surface. You will want to re-season your pan from time to time by scrubbing it, applying a thin layer of cooking oil, then baking it upside down at 450F/230C for 1 hour.
  • Cleaning cast iron does not require soap but you can use a small amount if you’d like. Scrape out any food residue and rinse with warm water. Some folks use a scraper or chain mail scrubber to get all the crusties off. Dry thoroughly and rub a small amount of oil onto the surface before storing.
  • Never place your cast iron cookware in the dishwasher or soak it in the sink. This will cause it to rust. Air drying also can cause rust. If this happens, all is not lost! Just scour all the surfaces with a metal scouring pad and soap to remove the rust. Once the rust is gone, follow the steps above to season your pan.

Cast iron skillets range in price from very reasonable to outrageously expensive. You can sometimes find them in thrift stores and at garage sales. The Lodge Cast Iron brand is widely available and a good value. My husband and kids gave me a 12-inch cast iron skillet over 10 years ago as a Christmas gift. It has cooked many meals including this week’s recipe for pan pizza.

Easy Pan Pizza

What I really love about this recipe is that you don’t have to do everything in one day. The dough is prepared the day before and allowed to rest overnight. It is crucial to do this as it is a no-knead dough that needs time to develop flavor, hydration, and a strong gluten network. All the things needed for a delicious crust.

Pizza dough proofed in the cast iron skillet.
Dough is sauced.
Dough, sauce, and cheese.
Dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Another thing that makes this pizza easy is that after the overnight rise, the dough is proofed right in the cast iron skillet. No transferring unwieldy dough discs into a hot oven. The pizza is proofed, topped, and baked all in the same pan.

The hardest part about this pizza: choosing the toppings.

A peek underneath at the crispy crust.

Lessons Learned

  • Don’t have time for the overnight rest? Start the dough in the morning and allow it to rise 8 hours during the day (in the fridge if your kitchen is over 70F/20C). It will be ready in time for dinner that night.
  • Make the dough up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Place it in a Ziploc bag to prevent it from drying out. It can be frozen in a Ziploc bag for 6 months.
  • A fresh salad with fried goat cheese makes for an amazing side!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Serious Eats for the foolproof pan pizza recipe.

Baked and bubbling!

Nordic Salmon Soup

Nordic Salmon Soup

Nordic salmon soup, aka lohikeitto.

Inspired by the simple and hearty soups of Northern Europe, Nordic Salmon Soup is easy and delicious. It is warm and comforting on shivery days like we’ve had recently. Plus, it comes together in less than an hour!

That’s about the length of a TV reality dating show episode.

Love is Blind

My husband and I were poking around on Netflix to find something to watch together. A suggestion popped up for us: Love is Blind: Sverige (Sweden). We had just recently finished watching a Korean dating show that I talked about previously.

Do you know the premise for Love is Blind? Couples meet in pods, unable to see each other but able to hear and talk to one another. Over several days, they decide whether or not they are a match, become “engaged,” and then meet face-to-face. After spending time on a short vacation and a month living with one another, they make their final decision to get married or not. It’s speed dating taken to the nth degree.

Stockholm at night.

While we were interested in the relationship drama (plus the chance to be judge-y about people we don’t know), what really took our breath away were the outdoor shots of Stockholm. Absolutely gorgeous.

We had been contemplating where to go for an upcoming trip this spring. Sweden and its neighbor, Finland, were considered. The Northern Lights is on our bucket list of things to see in our lifetime. And even though it did not work out for this year’s trip, we are so intrigued by Nordic culture and food.

Lohikeitto is the quintessential Finnish soup that keeps turning up on my radar so I decided to make it.

Lohikeitto

Composed of simple and fresh ingredients, this soup is exactly the type that appeals to me. No condensed cream of anything and no hard-to-find ingredients. A mirepoix-like veggie combo of carrots, celery, and leeks (standing in for the traditional onion) starts the soup’s foundation. The plant (or cow) milk adds creaminess and the salmon chunks add protein. It’s practically perfect in every way.

Salmon soup ingredients include salmon, leek, carrots, celery, butter, and potatoes.
Chopped celery, carrots, and leeks.

Even though this soup comes together in less than an hour, the sum is more than the parts so don’t be deceived by its simplicity. This is a nourishing and cozy bowl that will keep you happy, regardless of what the weather looks like outside.

Lessons Learned

  • This easily becomes dairy-free by using olive oil instead of butter. If you are subbing in half and half or regular milk for the coconut milk, gently simmer until it is heated through but do not bring it to a boil because it may curdle.
  • It is so easy (and common) to overcook fish, making it hard and unappetizing. Poaching is the technique used in this soup to cook the salmon. Placing the salmon chunks in the hot soup, covering it, and letting it sit will perfectly cook the fish so it is tender and luscious.
  • The best sidekick to this soup: Nordic Rye Bread.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Cooking the Globe for the Lohikeitto Finnish salmon soup recipe and Oscar Nord on Unsplash for the Stockholm photo.

Soup with Nordic rye bread.

Nordic Rye Bread

Nordic Rye Bread

Nordic rye bread sliced on a cutting board.

This dark and hearty Nordic Rye Bread is similar to the loaves found in Iceland, Finland, and Scandinavia that are delicious on their own or with soup. It comes together quickly, with no kneading required! Plus, it uses rye and only rye flour.

What is Rye

Rye is a type of cereal grain. It's grown all over the world, especially in the European Union where it is an ingredient in bread, medicines, beer, and rye whiskey. It is higher in fiber and lower in gluten than its cousin, wheat.

When milled into flour, rye falls into a few different categories depending on what from the rye kernel is left in or sifted out. The bran is the outer skin, the endosperm is the center, and the germ is the tiny core. White rye is the lightest flour containing just the endosperm, medium rye contains the bran and endosperm, while dark rye contains all parts of the kernel.

Honey, molasses, baking soda, baking powder, buttermilk, an rye flour.

Rye Bread

Central, Northern, and Eastern European countries each have their versions of rye bread. You’ve probably seen Americanized versions of these at your local grocery store.

  • German Pumpernickel. Dark rye flour and a sourdough starter make up this bread. It is very dark brown.
  • Jewish rye bread. Americans are most familiar with this style of rye bread. Yeast and a combination of wheat and rye flour are ingredients. It is often flavored with ground or whole caraway seeds and is popular for deli sandwiches.
  • Russian rye bread. Made with dark rye, wheat, molasses, and a sourdough starter, this bread is very dark brown. It has a tangy flavor because of the sourdough starter and is often baked in round loaves.
Packing the bread dough into a loaf pan.

The Nordic countries, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden also bake rye breads. For the most part, these Nordic versions are dense, mildly sweet breads that may or may not contain yeast or a sourdough starter. Finland even has a special rye bread day celebration every February 28 called ruisleivän päivä.

This recipe is based on the Icelandic rye bread, rúgbrauð, which uses only baking powder and baking soda for leavening. The resulting bake is a deliciously dense loaf with a tight crumb that does not fall apart when slathered with butter or dipped in soups like this one.

Baked and cooling.

Lessons Learned

  • You don’t have buttermilk? Boo. If you need a sub, add one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to one cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Why the baking sheet on top of the loaf while it’s baking? It helps keep the bread from rising too much. This is a dense loaf that bakes low and slow. If you have a lidded Pullman loaf pan, you are a baking superstar and can use that.
  • Because this bread is dense, it cuts nicely when cool. Thin slices are best!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to King Arthur Baking for the Icelandic rye bread recipe.

Rye bread slice topped with a schmear of cream cheese and cucumber slices.

Crusty French Bread

Crusty French Bread

Crusty French Bread.

With a crunchy crust and a soft middle, Crusty French Bread brings the European bakery vibes. It’s formed and cut into the shape of the sun, which we all want more of this shivery month.

This bread is different from the best ever challah or Japanese milk bread. While those are soft and pillowy yeast breads, this one has the characteristic crunch of a baguette.

What Makes French Bread Different

If you have been to France, you probably were astonished at how good the bread was there. My mom and I went on a girls’ trip to Paris a few years ago. We ate our body weight in bread.

My mom at the Louvre in Paris.

It was that delicious.

Why? I mean, we’ve eaten plenty of baguettes here in the U.S. The long, thin, crunchy batons of goodness can be purchased at most grocery stores and even Costco. But bread tastes different in France.

Some possible explanations:

  • French wheat flour. It is different from the flour we use in America. Their gluten and protein content are lower. That may explain why some folks with gluten sensitivities who cannot eat bread in the States have no problem eating it in Europe.
  • Longer fermentation. French bakers allow a yeast and water mixture to ferment overnight before incorporating it into bread. This mixture, called poolish, brings flavor and texture to the baked loaf.
  • You’re on vacation. In France.
Bread ingredients include flour, salt, yeast, molasses, and water.

In France, there are laws regarding bread. The French Bread Law stipulates what bread can be comprised of, as well as the weight and length of baguettes. They may only contain flour, yeast, salt, and water as ingredients. Baguettes weigh 8 to 10 oz and are usually 21 to 26 inches long.

In this recipe for French-style bread, we are breaking all the laws. But the good news is the resulting bake is a delicious consolation prize for not vacationing in France.

A ring of dough.
Making the cuts.
Cut and ready for the oven.

Lessons Learned

  • I love the aroma and slight bitterness of molasses. It is such a tiny amount used so if you don’t have it and don’t want to buy a bottle, sub in brown sugar instead.
  • Shape the dough into two baguettes, if you prefer. All other instructions and bake time are the same. You’re an adult, so do what you want.
  • This tip is in the recipe but bears repeating. Do not use a glass or Pyrex dish for the ice cubes. It will shatter and you’ll regret everything.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Natasha’s Kitchen for the wreath bread recipe.

A closer look at the crunchy goodness of this bread.

Best Ever Challah

Best Ever Challah

Best ever challah!

A classic and well-loved bread, Best Ever Challah is a bread lover’s dream. Pillowy and yeasty with just a hint of sweetness. It is one of my favorite things to bake.

It all starts with yeast.

The Goldilocks Ingredient

People shy away from making yeast bread. “Too hard,” they’ll say. Or, “I don’t have the patience for that.” But along came the pandemic and suddenly everyone was trying to make their own sourdough starter.

Yeast is temperamental, I’ll give you that. It’s the Goldilocks of the baking world. The temperature is too hot! Or too cold! Leave me alone for two hours! Or where have you been for the last hour, I’m done!

Everything must be just right. And even then, it may decide that it doesn’t want to perform like it is supposed to that day. Sigh.

However, don’t despair. There are some basic points about making yeast bread that will help you turn out a beautiful loaf.

Active dry yeast proofing in a cup.

Types of Yeast

First, let’s talk about the types of yeast you will find in your grocery store. We won’t address fresh yeast here since it isn’t as commonly found. These are all granulated dry yeasts that come in quarter-ounce sachets or one-pound bags.

  • Active dry yeast. This type of yeast requires you to dissolve it in warm water to activate it. When you see a recipe call for “proofing” the yeast, this is what that means. Look on the package for the expiration date and heed it. This type of yeast is perishable and many times active dry yeast will not activate because it is dead.
  • Instant dry yeast. This yeast is 100% active and is the best performer. Because the granules are tinier, there is no need to dissolve it in warm water before using. You can add it directly to the other dry ingredients without rehydration or proofing. Once you’ve opened a bag, store it in the freezer where it remains stable for a long time (like years).
  • Rapid rise (fast-acting) dry yeast. This is a type of instant yeast. It is stable, like instant dry yeast, and always up to the task. The difference here is the way it performs. It is designed to work more quickly and is best for breads that only require one rise time.

When reading yeast bread recipes, take note of what type of yeast it is specifying. The directions will reflect what steps to take for the type of yeast required. For instance, a recipe that lists active dry yeast should have a step to prove the yeast before adding it to the other wet ingredients while one that calls for instant dry yeast will not.

Bread ingredients include flour, eggs, sugar, oil, and yeast.

Steps for Making Yeast Bread

So, how do we make those beautiful loaves of golden brown? Here are some tried and true steps to help you on your yeast bread journey.

Choose your flour. Bread flour is best for yeast bread. It has a higher gluten and protein content than all-purpose flour, giving the finished loaf a nice chew. You can substitute it for all-purpose flour but may need to adjust the amount by a half cup or more.

Don’t kill the yeast. Using water that is too hot will kill off the yeast. Water should be under 115F/46C.

Keep the salt separate. Don’t add the salt and yeast at the same time as salt can inhibit or kill off the yeast development.

Spot the unkneaded piece.

Knead the dough. Kneading builds the gluten network that allows the dough to rise. So knead the dough by pressing down with the heels of your hands and stretching it forward. Fold it in half, give it a quarter turn, and repeat for the next 10 minutes of your life. Or place the dough in your stand mixer and let the dough hook do the work for you. The goal is dough that is smooth and stretchy.

Proof it. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise for anywhere from one to two hours. Yes, very unscientific, I know. So much depends on the temperature of your kitchen. The optimal temp is around 75F/24C. Look for dough that has doubled in size as the indicator that it is ready.

Dough rising and pillowy soft.

Shape the dough and proof again. Do your best Jackie Chan move and punch down the dough. Divide and shape the dough, then place it on the baking sheet. Allow the dough to rise and double again. This could be 45 minutes or an hour and a half.

Bake! It helps to have an oven temperature gauge to see if your oven runs hot or not. An oven that routinely runs hotter than the set temp will turn out dry, overbaked bread even when you follow the baking directions.

Lessons Learned

  • Prepare to spend a few hours on this recipe. Much of it is waiting, but it is best to make it on a day when you are not rushed.
  • If you want to add raisins or nuts to your challah, wait until after you have punched down the dough and are ready to shape it for the second proofing. Adding them too early can slow down the initial rise.
  • Traditionally, challah is braided into a 3-strand braid but you can get fancy and do 2, 4, 5, or 6 strands.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to the Kosher Baker for the classic challah recipe.

Bread with internal thermometer reading 195F.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Tarte Soleil

Spinach and Goat Cheese Tarte Soleil

Spinach and goat cheese tarte soleil.

It’s beautiful to look at and beautiful to eat. Spinach and Goat Cheese Tarte Soleil has all the flavors of spanakopita tucked into puff pastry and baked to perfection. While it looks like the sun, you don’t have to be solar-powered to enjoy it.

What is Tarte Soleil

Thinking back upon your high school French class, you may remember that soleil means sun. This is a tarte that is shaped like the fiery orb that gives light to our planet. Most recipes I’ve seen use puff pastry cut and twisted to look like sun rays.

Tarte soleil is stunning as an appetizer, snack, or main with a side salad. It is pastry rolled out, filled with savory or sweet filling, topped with more pastry, then cut and twisted before baking.

Tarte ingredients include spinach, green onion, egg, garlic, lemon zest, dill, goat cheese, and parsley.
Mix-y mix the filling.
Use a template to cut circles.
Filling sandwiched between two sheets of puff pastry.

When it comes time to eat, grab one of the crunchy ends, pull, and devour. I will admit it shows beautifully at a party or potluck, but who says you can’t make this just for yourself?

And in case you are wondering, yes, I regret not taking Spanish instead of French. I live in Southern California so Español would have come in incredibly handy. Tant pis.

Tarte soleil would pair nicely with a glass of white wine and this salad.

Cut in quarters, then into quarters again.
Twist each strip three times.
Brush with egg wash.

Lessons Learned

  • Want to use fresh spinach instead of frozen? Saute two pounds of fresh spinach in a pan (might have to do this in batches) with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil for 5-ish minutes. It will wilt and shrink considerably. Two pounds will cook down into what is the equivalent of two packages of frozen spinach.
  • You can absolutely use feta instead of goat cheese in this recipe.
  • If you are subbing in dried herbs for fresh, remember that 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon of dried.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Olive & Mango for the spanakopita tarte soleil recipe inspiration.

Close up of the sun's rays.

Roasted Vegetable Galette

Roasted Vegetable Galette

Roasted Vegetable Galette.

Tender veg nestled in crispy pastry: Roasted Vegetable Galette is a wonderful way to get in your five a day and eat the rainbow all at the same time. It is delicious as an appetizer, side dish, or entree, especially with a glass of vino.

Root Vegetables

You might think that root vegetables are just that, roots that grow underground. You’re right. They are the edible bulb, root, or tuber that grows unseen, absorbing and storing nutrients from the earth.

Most of us eat root vegetables regularly without thinking too much about it. Carrots, garlic, onions, and potatoes are staples in the North American diet. These veggies are filled with fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

Sweet potato, shallots, beets, and acorn squash.

Traditionally, root vegetables are considered starchy. They are complex carbohydrates that your body takes time to process. Because of these traits, they take longer to digest and can help to keep you fuller longer.

Common and not-so-common root veggies include beets, carrots, cassava, celeriac (celery root), daikon radish, fennel bulb, garlic, ginger, jicama, kohlrabi, onions, parsnip, potatoes, radish, rutabaga, shallots, sweet potatoes, and yams.

Some root veg can be eaten raw, but most will need to be cooked. They can be prepared in many ways including boiling, grilling, roasting, sauteing, and steaming.
My favorite way to prepare them is roasting.

Folding pastry over the sliced veggies.

When these veggies are roasted, the excess moisture evaporates during cooking and their flavors are concentrated. Drizzled with a little olive oil and maybe balsamic vinegar, they are so delicious.

I love the clean, uncomplicated flavor of these root vegetables with the pastry in this galette. But it might not be enough for you. To change up the flavor profile, spread a very thin schmear of pesto, marinara, or chimichurri to the dough before layering on the veggies.

A close up of the deliciousness.

Looking for a fruit galette? There is an apple one here.

Lessons Learned

  • Can you swap out the veggies? Yes! Good subs are white or purple potato, butternut squash, rutabaga, sweet potato, and other root vegetables.
  • Some vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms release a lot of moisture as they cook. If you put them raw on the dough it will make for a soggy bottom on the galette. Veggies like these need to be cooked before including them.
  • Want more cheese? Go for it. Laying down a thin layer of mozzarella, parmesan, or other cheese before layering on the veggies will give you more cheesy goodness.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Trail Sisters for the roasted vegetable tart recipe and Southern Living for the single-crust pie pastry recipe.

A slice of roasted veg galette.

Easy Vegan Hummus with Toppings

Easy Vegan Hummus with Toppings

Vegan hummus with toppings.

Perfect for gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan peeps, as well as everyone else: Easy Vegan Hummus with Toppings. It is creamy, garlicky, and garnished with fresh herbs and veggies. So yummy!

Yes, it is a great dip, appetizer, or snack. But I will occasionally have it for girl dinner.

Hummus

Just about every supermarket in America today stocks hummus in the refrigerated section. But that wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted hummus then you made it yourself.

The early 2000s saw a surge in the popularity of items like Greek yogurt, kombucha, and hummus. Food trends are always interesting to watch and reflect upon, and I am amused that each of these was once considered exotic.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans.
Smashed and swirled on a platter.

Hummus, which is the Arabic word for chickpea, is popular all over the Middle East, especially in the eastern Mediterranean. The dip is a staple in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It consists of smashed chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini.

Nutritionally, hummus is a great source of plant-based protein thanks to the chickpeas. It also serves up good fiber and essential minerals like iron and magnesium. Olive oil is a key ingredient in hummus and contains heart-healthy fats.

While I love making hummus from scratch by soaking and boiling the chickpeas, it does take some doing. And during busy holiday months, ain’t nobody got time for that. So, the easy shortcut: canned chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans.

Lemon, tahini, cilantro, chickpeas, cucumber, garlic, tomato, parsley, and spices.

The creamy dip pairs nicely with pita bread, falafel, and veggies. Serve it alongside Roasted Chicken with Sumac or Sheet Pan Meatball Gyros.

Lessons Learned

  • Adjust the consistency of the dip by modifying the amount of olive oil and water.
  • Think of the hummus ingredients as suggestions. Like your hummus to be extra garlicky and lemony? Add more of each. Don’t like cumin? Leave it out. You’re an adult, so do what you want.
  • Ditto on the toppings. Although pine nuts are a common topping, they aren’t included in this recipe. Add or subtract what suits you.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Taste Love and Nourish for the loaded hummus recipe.

Creamy, dreamy hummus with toppings.

Easy Vegan Gourmet Crackers

Easy Vegan Gourmet Crackers

Easy vegan gourmet crackers.

Crunchy, crisp, and better than anything you can get from the store: Easy Vegan Gourmet Crackers! They are delicious and a cinch to make. These crackers are more economical than a package of bougie $7 crackers.

Plus, they look so pretty on a charcuterie board.

Charcuterie Boards

Trays of cured meats have been around for a very long time. Charcuterie is a French word that refers to cooked and cured meats such as dry-cured sausages, salamis, and ham. In medieval times, the shops that sold cured meats, also called charcuterie, could sell only pork products.

Today, charcuterie is still a term for meat that has been air-dried, cured, salted, or smoked. We’ve all picked up a salami and cheese tray, kind of a very basic charcuterie board, at the grocery store on our way to a party. These boards now include not only cured meats but also various cheeses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and crackers.

Brie, gourmet crackers, grapes, Boursin, and pomegranates.

Something good to come out of the pandemic lockdown was the rise in charcuterie board popularity. Peeps, including myself, longed for something positive, something beautiful, and something delicious. Assembling and eating a charcuterie board was the answer.

I like that they are so versatile. Planning a party? A big charcuterie board is splashy, eye-catching, and has something for everyone. Enjoying a night in by eating alone and watching the final season of The Crown? A mini charcuterie board and a cocktail add to the self-care experience.

You certainly can purchase crackers for your board, but you will pay a pretty penny. Artisanal flatbreads and gourmet crackers have risen in price because of the popularity of charcuterie boards. Thankfully, you can make your own that are just as delicious, if not more so, and considerably cheaper.

Two types of flour, oats, pepitas, spices, dried cranberries, and brown sugar.
Batter in a loaf pan.
Slicing the loaf and ready to bake.
Baked cracker slices.

And they keep for a month!

Another fun crunchy thing to include on a charcuterie board? These.

Lessons Learned

  • Allow the loaf to completely cool before wrapping it in plastic wrap and freezing. I made the mistake of wrapping it while the loaf was still warm and had to re-wrap it because of the trapped moisture.
  • It is essential to freeze the loaf, so don’t skip this step! It doesn’t have to be completely frozen all the way through but about halfway is good. This helps when slicing the loaf into thin slices.
  • You can play around with the dried fruit and nut mixture. Sub in what you prefer, just keep the amounts roughly the same as listed in the recipe.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Recipe Tin Eats for the homemade gourmet crackers recipe.

Thin and crunchy gourmet crackers.

Glazed Ginger Citrus Shortbread

Glazed Ginger Citrus Shortbread

Glazed ginger citrus shortbread.

Buttery shortbread, but make it zippy. Glazed Ginger Citrus Shortbread brings lemon and orange zest into the picture, making these cookies mouthwatering. Just mix, slice, and bake!

What are Slice-and-Bake Cookies?

Sometimes called icebox cookies or refrigerator cookies, these are the ultimate plan-ahead treats. They became popular in the 1930s when refrigerators became more widely available and women started to work outside the home.

Fresh homemade cookies any time you want? Not a problem if you had a premade cookie dough log in your refrigerator. It was easy and convenient to just slice and bake cookies for after-school treats or a quick dessert.

Crystallized ginger, lemon, orange, butter, egg, and sugar.

Along came Pillsbury. They stuffed cookie dough into a plastic tube and stocked it in grocery store refrigerator cases all over the nation. It’s what many people think of when they hear the term “slice and bake” cookies.

But! It is easy to have homemade slice-and-bake/icebox/refrigerator cookie dough in your fridge or freezer. You add whatever ingredients and flavors you like. The dough logs can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months.

Tips for Perfect Slice-and-Bake Cookies

Making slice-and-bake cookies is easy, I’ll admit. If you can stir together butter, sugar, egg, and flour, you can make these cookies. It is a simple recipe.

Cookie dough wrapped in parchment and nestled inside an empty paper towel roll.

Here are a few helpful tips that I learned along the way.

  • Decide what shape you want the finished cookies to be, then form the dough logs accordingly. Round, square, or triangular? Shape the logs before chilling them. Avoid a fat middle and tapered ends because the cookies will be different sizes once sliced.
  • Wrap the dough log in parchment paper. If refrigerating for several days or freezing, place it inside a Ziploc bag to prevent the dough from absorbing other smells and protect it from freezer burn.
  • To get perfectly cylindrical logs, allow the wrapped dough to sit inside something that will keep the edges from slumping over as the dough chills. An empty paper towel tube or empty stainless steel water bottle can serve as a nest for the dough log.
  • Let the dough chill for several hours. We want the dough to be solid before slicing. Otherwise, the log will not hold its shape and the cookies will be wonky.
  • Use a serrated knife and rotate the log a quarter turn after each slice. This helps keep the slices even and the log to maintain its shape.

Now, all you have to do is bake and enjoy!

Slice and bake!

Lessons Learned

  • Rubbing the sugars and the zest together before incorporating them into the butter allows the zest to release the citrus oils. It makes the sugar more fragrant and zesty!
  • Crystallized ginger can be difficult to dice. Use a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or kitchen shears to get it the size you want.
  • Looking for a cookie with lime zest? I have one here.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to King Arthur Baking for the recipe and the trick on making perfectly round cookie dough logs.

Baked cookies, glazed and unglazed.