In the midst of a global pandemic, comfort can come in many forms. My comfort is cooking and feeding people. When Barr and I started Flavorista in 2008, our lives were very different. Our children were much younger and we were working towards that elusive equilibrium of personal, family and marital balance. Fast forward 12 […]
I have been playing around with fun, quick things to make-ahead for cocktail parties. Working with pre-made frozen puff pastry sheets couldn’t be easier. There are so many things you can do with these cocktail sticks. You can season them with hard cheeses, spice blends and savory jams, or make them into dessert sticks by […]
Have you been looking for a new potato salad for your picnic table? I made this recipe for Mother’s Day and I quite liked it. Posted on allrecipes.com, it got my attention because its author inherited the recipe from her mother-in-law over 25 years ago. Potato salad enriched with cream? What’s not to like? I […]
Here are a few more ideas for creating an interesting plate of appetizers for a dinner party: Two yogurt dips made with gold and red beets, dates stuffed with Parmesan cheese and Marcona almonds and my all time favorite, Japanese eggplant involitini. The dates could not be easier to make. Here are all the ingredients […]
The word rilettes is French and traditionally rilettes take hours to cook. The word is more about how the final product looks, shreded and rather creamy. This recipe is neither. It’s quick to make and most likey would never be considered a rilette, except for the end result of it’s texture. This is a lovely […]
For my niece Anna’s high school graduation, it was all cupcakes, champagne and lemon curd. I haven’t made lemon cream (aka curd) in ages and I thought it would make for a nice accompaniment with these vanilla cupcakes and fresh berries. Of course chocolate cupcakes and champagne are nice too! Really Vanilla Cup Cakes Recipe makes 24 […]
Over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to have a barbeque at the last minute. The guest list included our friends who are vegans, our neighbors who have celiacs and finally our friends, the omnivores. Makes for an interesting menu, yes? Everyone brought their own “meat” for the grill. I was in charge of sides. White Bean and Green Bean Salad […]
For Easter, I was in charge of deviled eggs and rolls. I found this roll recipe in Maine Ingredients, Fresh and Fabulous Recipes from The Junior League of Portland, Maine. My sister-in-law, flavorista Rose, is a fabulous cook and she regularly turns to her Junior League cookbooks for great recipes. These rolls were a bit […]
Pickle ball, croquet, an egg hunt, and sometimes snow. Yes, that is usually Easter in the Rockies. My in-laws always make it fun with lottery tickets and mini bottles of booze hidding with the eggs and chocolates! Everyone participates in the Easter Egg hunt. This year we made Diana proud even in the rainy, cold weather. […]
Admittedly, I have too many cookbooks, but in my defense I do use them all. My cookbooks allow me to journey the world through food. Paula Wolfert is one of my most revered cookbook authors. She is an amazing researcher and loves the food that I also enjoy cooking. Mediterranean Grains & Greens has a plethora […]
