Around the holidays, I am all about the bubbly.  Sparkling wines such as Champagne, Prosecco, and Kava can make even the most mundane occasions feel special.  When you mix sparkling wine with fruit juices or liqueurs, you can make a wide array of easy and elegant cocktails which are perfect for festive gatherings. This year,…

My husband is Jewish, so to honor him and to teach our son about his cultural heritage, we celebrate Hanukkah each year with a special family dinner.  Not being Jewish myself, I always turn to my favorite Jewish-American cook, Ina Garten, for inspiration when planning my menu. This year, I was unable to buy a…

Water chestnuts wrapped in bacon are a classic hors d’oeuvre.  My mum was making these for cocktail parties long before I was born.  Happily, she passed the recipe on to me.  Assembly is slightly time-consuming and messy, but tremendously easy and well worth the effort.  Anytime I serve them, they are devoured.   2 (8…

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year—it’s a season unto itself.  By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I’m chomping at the bit to get decorating, but due to my “no Christmas until the Turkey is picked clean” policy, I don’t begin decking the halls until the week following autumn’s grand finale. Decorating always…

As a novice cook, I often turned to Jamie Oliver’s book, Jamie’s Food Revolution.  One of my favorite recipes is his “Basic Stew Recipe,” in which he gives multiple options for meat-and-booze combinations to make a variety of different stews. This is followed by numerous recipes for different stew toppings such as dumplings, pastry, and…

  With the whole e. coli-Romain lettuce scare that has impacted the country over the past few weeks, my local grocery store rid its shelves of all lettuces, making green-leaf salads a scarce commodity.  In lieu of salads with our meals, I’ve been adding extra servings of vegetables.  One of my favorites is steamed artichokes….

  I threw this recipe together this evening on a whim and was quite pleased with the result.  My husband is not a huge fan of red sauces, so, when making pasta dishes, I often mix in a little heavy cream to make a pink sauce.  Bulk Italian sausage packs such an incredible flavor punch…

Beef and cheese is such a great combination.  Hello, Philly cheesesteaks!  But if you don’t live in the central northeast (think Pennsylvania and New Jersey),  they are hard to come by…at least if you’re talking about a proper cheesesteak (I’m a “whiz with” kind of girl—translation: steak with cheese whiz and sautéed onions).  But I…

I first started hosting family Thanksgivings back in 2006.  My parents were coming to visit me in my little apartment outside of Bel Air, Maryland, where I worked as a teacher.  I really wanted to impress them with my cooking prowess, but as a rookie, I was nervous about tackling the turkey.  After spending hours…

Everyone has their favorite Thanksgiving side dish.  Mine is cranberry sauce.   More specifically, my Mum’s cranberry sauce.  It’s so freaking good, I dream about it year round.  This is not an exaggeration.  Anytime I serve it, my friends beg me for the recipe.  It’s super simple to make and can be prepared days in…