Pistachio & Goat Cheese Apricot Bites

These Pistachio & Goat Cheese Apricot Bites are the perfect blend of sweet, savory, and crunchy, guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds and impress your guests. They're simple, elegant, and an easy hors d'oeuvre for any party.

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Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I happen to love mushrooms and made this Hungarian Mushroom Soup. It’s so delicious and comforting. The mushrooms are sautéed in butter until softened, then simmered in broth with onions, paprika, and other spices until thickened and finished with sour cream. It takes no time to prepare and I served it with crusty bread.

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New Orleans Coleslaw

New Orleans coleslaw is a unique and flavorful take on classic slaw. It's characterized by its creamy, sweet, dressing, and toasted pecans, which give it a signature flavor and crunch. There are so many versions of this slaw, this one has mayo, buttermilk, maple syrup, and vinegar, which coats the shredded vegetables.

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Lighthouse Inn Potatoes

Lighthouse Inn Potatoes originated at an iconic hotel and restaurant located in New London, Connecticut, which closed in 2008. Executive Chef Leon “Wally” Walden, who worked there for nearly 50 years, created Lighthouse Inn Potatoes. It is similar to scalloped potatoes, but instead of sliced potatoes he used chunks of potatoes that are cooked in light cream and butter and a bit of baking soda, which neutralizes the potatoes’ tannins and create a velvety sauce. The potatoes are topped with buttery parmesan panko breadcrumbs and baked until the bubbling and golden brown.

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Rice Cooker Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)

I saw this adorable kid @easypeasyjordan make this Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl) all in a rice cooker. It's so easy, hence his name Easy Peasy Jordon, I had to make it. Well, I have to tell you it totally works. I have tweaked his recipe slightly, but you can very easily tailor this to suit your taste. Have your kids give it a go.

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Stuffed Cabbage Soup

You know those days when you get home from work and you wonder what on earth to make for dinner? While rummaging through the fridge and pantry, I had everything to make this Stuffed Cabbage Soup. Stuffed cabbage often has a touch of cinnamon. I actually cut the cinnamon in half. You could also use ground chicken or turkey instead of the ground beef. This soup is really good, my husband LOVED it. It also freezes well. Cabbage has an impressive nutrient, which is rich in vitamin C, fiber, and vitamin K. Some research suggests that it may have health benefits that include supporting digestion and heart health, among others. Eat more cabbage!

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Hot Cuban Dip

Last week, I made Hot Reuben Dip and this week, it's Hot Cuban Dip. It captures all the flavors of the iconic Cuban sandwich in a dip. It's made with a creamy base of cream cheese and mayonnaise, studded with chunks of ham, Swiss cheese, and tangy pickles, and baked until bubbly and golden brown.

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Mojito Cake

This Mojito cake is one of my absolute favorite cakes. It's refreshingly light and captures the essence of the classic Cuban cocktail. It combines an angel food cake base with crushed pineapple, lime juice, and rum. The topping features a creamy blend of softened cream cheese, frozen limeade concentrate, powdered sugar, rum extract, and cool whip (yes, cool whip!). It's then adorned with coconut, lime zest, and fresh mint.

I recently catered a Cuban themed dinner party, which is one of my favorite menus and this was the cake I served, which got rave reviews.

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Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Chicken Casserole

This Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Chicken Casserole is delicious and kind of a more elegant version of what my family calls Nancy Drew Casserole (officially called Hannah Gruen's Chicken and Rice Casserole), which is basically shredded chicken, mushroom soup, uncooked rice and water. Anyway, back to this much more flavorful version, which uses shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken), broccoli, and orzo, which is enveloped in a creamy lemony sauce and topped with toasted panko.

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The Diamond Dog Cocktail

David Bowie was

David Bowie is the artist that has been a huge influence in my life. He taught me a lot of things, mainly to be myself. It never occurred to me to imagine life with a finite body of his work.

I have been a major David Bowie fan since the '70s. I even had the opportunity to meet him when I worked at WNET in New York. My friend Melissa actually picked up his cigarette butt (Marlboro, which is probably why he got cancer).

He also wrote me a thank you note for writing him a letter that I gave to a stage hand to deliver while he was doing The Elephant Man in New York.

There was also an infamous night my friend Jessica at the Café Luxembourg.  It was a Sunday night in the '80s.  We were at the bar about ready to leave when I told her to ORDER MORE DRINKS!!!  She said she was tired.  I told her that David Bowie just walked in and WERE NOT LEAVING UNTIL HE DID! We stayed for another couple of hours breathing in the same air that he was breathing!  Yeah, I know it's ridiculous.  We did not bother him.  We were way too cool for that!

I used to be able to do a pretty amazing imitation of David Bowie dancing on stage - ditto Boy George and John Cougar Mellancamp.  Maybe if I had a few of these cocktails, I could do it again!  Oh, and by the way, this cocktail was created at the George V Hotel in Paris, France.

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