Appetizers

Day 7 – My Trip to Japan

Day 7 – My Trip to Japan Today was really fantastic.  I was taken to the Tsukiji Market.  It was the most fascinating and frenetic place I have ever been. Thank you Reiko for the wonderful tour!! Tsukiji Market is a large wholesale market for fish, fruits and vegetables in central Tokyo. It is the most […]

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  June 11, 2014   2 comments

Fig in a Blanket

Today is Fig Newton Day! I’ve cooked some weird things in my life, but this recipe is one of the more “off the wall” offerings!  The combination of sweet, salty and savory is at work here. Originally, the Fig Newton was just called the Newton. Fig rolls were first mass-produced in 1891 by Philadelphia baker […]

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  January 16, 2014   2 comments

Fried Emmental Cheese with Cranberry Sauce

Yes, I know, it’s fried cheese! My brother-in-law, Russell, brought some Emmental cheese from Zabar’s in New York city. When life gives you emmental, fry it! The key is to put it in the freezer for an hour before frying to prevent it from melting. [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:150]  

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  December 16, 2013   1 comment

Fried Mashed Potato Balls

It’s the morning after. What does one make with all those leftovers cluttering up your refrigerator? Potatoes are my favorite thing to use up the next day. You can also make these into larger patties. [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:161]  

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  November 29, 2013   No comments

Baba Ganoush

Yesterday, I catered a large party. It was all vegetarian. I served falafel, tabouli, lentil salad, hummus and Baba Ganoush. Baba ghanoush is a Levantine dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with virgin olive oil and various seasonings. The eggplant is charred over an open flame and then baked, so that the pulp is […]

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  September 16, 2013   2 comments

Miso Bagna Couda

Last night, I was invited at the last minute to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Pasadena, CA – thanks Dad!  As a starter, we had the Bagna couda (farmers market organic vegetable). 健康さんへ、旬の有機野菜をアンチョビとオリーブオイルで This is where two cultures successfully collide. Bagna couda, is a warm dip typical of Piedmont, Italy, made from garlic, […]

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  September 9, 2013   1 comment

Elote Corn Dip

Today is a guest post by my good friend Jeanne.  She lives in Southern California, but she and her husband have a Summer home in Little Compton, Rhodes Island. Last night, she brought over this really delicious dip.  It is basically a creamy, cheesy, Mexican corn dip . Elote is the Mexican name for corn […]

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  August 2, 2013   1 comment

Big Alex’s Crab Melts

Lest you think I’m one of those people who gives themselves a nickname, fear not: “Big Alex” is my stepfather. My name, of course, is also Alex. The fact that we share a middle name as well doesn’t help. So, around the house, it’s “Big Alex” and “Little Alex.” For his birthday, which was last […]

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  June 24, 2013   No comments

Shrimp Cocktail – Roasted

Last night we went to Hollywood to see Mel Brooks get a lifetime achievement award from the AFI. It was an amazing, star-studded and very funny event. It will air on TNT on June 15 at 9 p.m. and on TCM on Sunday, July 24 on 8 p.m. Thank you Eileen for making this all […]

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  June 7, 2013   5 comments

Dukkah

We went to San Diego for a funeral and stayed for the weekend. Every time we go away (if we are driving) I take my towering stack of magazines next to my bed to go through and rip out things that interest me, recipe ideas, etc. It’s probably one of my all time favorite activities, […]

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  March 4, 2013   No comments