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November 30, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I have wonderful memories of my mom “pulling out all the stops” for Thanksgiving. The entire family got up early that morning and my father was busy chopping onions and apples for the stuffing while I broke up the toasted French bread and the cornbread that my […]

November 23, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Basil Pomegranate Martini

Santi, my favorite bartender, created this on the spot using Pom Wonderful Concentrated Pomegranate Juice and fresh basil from my garden. While he made these one at a time, I asked him for a recipe to make a pitcher of them. This is what he came up with. If you don’t have Santi, you can […]

November 19, 2015
At Home with Friends

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The Ultimate Cheese Platter

If you slice up some generic Swiss and put a hunk of orange cheddar on a plate, odds are no one will eat it and you’ll be eating lots of cheese omelettes and baking cheese bread to use up the leftovers. Nothing wrong with cheese omelettes or cheese bread, but wouldn’t you rather present a […]

November 16, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Raita

YIELDS: Approximately 1 Cup Ingredients 3/4 cup full fat Greek yoghurt 1/2 cup chopped, seeded and peeled cucumber 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Directions 1. Mix all ingredients on medium bowl. 2. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

November 12, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Parmesan Crackers

I am always on the lookout for great tasting gluten free crackers. I’ve made Parmesan crisps by spreading mounds of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on paper-lined baking sheets. This resulted in delicate thin Parmesan crisps but required careful handling and attention to detail. I had a cup of leftover grated Parmesan cheese and decided to […]

November 9, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Cardamom Rice Pudding with Peach Chutney

While lots of people remember rice pudding as a beloved childhood food, this is definitely an adults-only Rice Pudding. Adult because it contains Amaretto liqueur and also because of the sophisticated mix of flavors. Cardamom, almond extract, orange extract, cinnamon and a savory Peach Chutney are complex and oh so satisfying. You might think it’s […]

November 5, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Shrimp & Corn Cakes with Sauces

I love crab cakes but I wanted to make something different for this party. So this is my riff on a crab cake. This is as enticing but uses wild shrimp, corn and gluten free crackers, so my friends with true gluten intolerance could enjoy them. Also, usually crab cakes are pan seared so they […]

November 2, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Individual Mini Veggie Frittatas

When I was growing up, eggs were strictly for breakfast. Occasionally, they were hard boiled and turned into egg salad or deviled eggs. They were never considered party fare for guests. It wasn’t until I started spending time in Italy and saw people ordering artichoke frittatas as a first course that I realized they make […]