first

May 6, 2015
At Home with Friends

2 comments

Marinated Artichoke Hearts with Tarragon

I always keep jars of artichoke hearts packed in water in my pantry. I can incorporate them into a vegetable puree, a green soup, an artichoke pesto or in this case as part of my antipasto platter. I prefer artichoke hearts packed in water over those packed in oil. I don’t like the type of […]

October 20, 2014
At Home with Friends

4 comments

Bastilla with Chicken

Bastilla is also called bisteeya, pastilla, b’stilla or bstilla. This is the actual recipe I developed for my friend’s birthday years ago. It might look complicated but it’s basically 3 steps: Make the filling, assemble the bastilla, bake the bastilla. This is really quite doable for everyone. I read many recipes before I created this […]

September 24, 2014
At Home with Friends

4 comments

Fig Pesto Torte

This makes a wow presentation. As good as it looks, it tastes even better. The combination of savory (pesto) and sweet (figs) combine for a magical taste. This recipe makes a large 10-inch torte so it’s great for a big party. Also it’s better if you make it at least 2 days ahead. You can […]

August 29, 2014
At Home with Friends

4 comments

Mini Turkey Meatballs with Yoghurt Dipping Sauce

This is one recipe that will surprise your guests. The assertive spices together with the cooling Yoghurt Dipping Sauce made this a hit at my party. They look like ordinary meatballs but the flavor is anything but ordinary. Make them really small. If people like them, they go back for more. If the spices are […]

August 20, 2014
At Home with Friends

4 comments

Turkey Empanaditas

Sometimes I get inspired by tasting something wonderful at a restaurant that I want to duplicate, and sometimes I get inspired by bad food. A few months ago I was at a party with a Latin theme. I love theme parties and Latin inspired food. I had been told that they were serving empanadas. I […]

August 18, 2014
At Home with Friends

5 comments

Tequila Cured Gravlax

Many years ago, I had a new acquaintance and we found ourselves talking about — what else? — food. We were amazed to find out that we both were hooked on sesame Ryvita crackers. These are a simple whole grain, healthy cracker that we both loved. We talked about how we like to slather them […]

July 16, 2014
At Home with Friends

6 comments

Cold Minted Pea Soup

When I was growing up, we only had soup when we were sick. Then, of course, it was chicken soup. Since then, I learned to love simple pureed vegetable based creamy soups. This is one of my all time favorites because it’s simple to make, very versatile and freezes beautifully. Another make-ahead dish. For this […]

June 11, 2014
At Home with Friends

6 comments

Corn Cakes

These are great to make ahead and freeze. This recipe calls for masa harina flour which is available at most supermarkets and all Latin markets. To make masa harina, dried corn is treated in a solution of lime and water which loosens the hulls from the kernels, which softens the corn. The soaked corn is […]