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32 posts

Recipe Sunday: Flan

This past Wednesday, my family went back to Panama after spending three weeks(!!!) staying in my house. A great perk of having my mom and my grandma in town is all the delicious food they make every single day. Last year my grandma tried to make a flan (one of my favorite desserts) using my double boiler to make the flan on the stovetop. It was a disaster, and my poor Tita stayed up until 1 a.m. waiting for the flan to set. This year we tried my mom’s friend’s flan recipe, and things turned out much better (and faster). Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Soy Glazed Salmon

I received a cedar roasting plank as a wedding gift almost nine years ago. It sat, unused, for about 8 years. Then one day, I discovered that my local fish shop had wild-caught sockeye salmon (and later coho salmon, and king salmon, when they were in season). I was a fan of smoked salmon but not crazy about salmon fillets, but the deep, dark red color of the fish beckoned me, so I decided to buy some. When I got home, I busted out that cedar plank, and let me tell you, I’ve been using it at least once a month to make delicious roasted salmon. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Grits with Tomatoes, Arugula, and Smoked Sausage

While I was in Dallas about a month and a half ago, I discovered a delicious breakfast joint by the name of Ellen’s Southern Kitchen. I had breakfast there two out of four days, it was that good. Their motto is “Grits Rule”, and after trying their Poached Eggs and Grits, I had to agree. Once I got back home, I decided to try my hand at a dinner version of this dish. All it took was adding a little smoked sausage to transition from morning to evening fare. Serves 4. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Pico de Gallo

I got back from Dallas last night, where I spent the last five days eating all the tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole that I could get my hands on; I am still craving pico de gallo! Even though pico seems like a very summery dish, it is a must have whenever you serve Mexican food. The key to this recipe is to make sure the ingredients have at least 30 minutes to “hang out” before you serve the pico. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Fall is in the air! Well, not in Central Florida, here it is currently 95° F and very humid. However, every once in a while, in the afternoon, I feel a cool breeze that tells me we have made it over the hottest part of the year hump, and we have cooler temperatures to look forward to. This means that we can go ahead and turn on our ovens and get to baking and roasting without feeling like we are living on the surface of the Sun. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Key Lime Pie

A few Sundays ago I shared a recipe for Strawberry Limeade Cake. The base for the custard filling is a great Key lime pie recipe. When I was researching to see if I could use regular old Persian limes instead of Key limes I discovered that the majority of Key limes come from Mexico, not the Florida Keys. I also figured out that the pie tastes delicious using Persian limes instead of Key limes without making any other changes. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Risotto alla Penski

RisottoAllaPenskiRisotto is one of those dishes that gets a lot of flack for being “hard to make”. Yes, you can’t just set it and forget it, and it is a bit of a pain to stir it every few minutes, but the effort is totally worth it, and realistically you will only be stirring on-and-off for about thirty minutes. NBD. This recipe is near and dear to my heart as I created it when I was wooing my husband. On Tuesday we celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary, so I can say with confidence that this dish will certainly get you some. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Strawberry Basil Martini

Summer is officially here, and one of the most important decisions you will make is choosing the right summer cocktail: crisp, refreshing, and fruity without being too sweet. My new obsession is St. Germain, the french elderberry liqueur that seems to be all the rage lately. After trying out a few different recipes, I settled on this concoction. The gin helps balance out some sweetness and the sparkling water gives it just a bit of fizz. Continue reading

Recipe Sunday: Hearty Black Bean Soup

I recently had a craving for a thick and hearty black bean soup. After wandering the aisles of the grocery store without finding anything that was prepared, I pulled out my phone and realized that making it from scratch would be super easy. This black bean soup is loaded with pork products: pork belly for the fat base, and prosciutto and chorizo for flavor. Sorry vegetarians! Another great recipe inspired by Dave Lieberman. Serves 4. Continue reading