The first time I made these fried shrimp I was cooking them in the galley of a boat in the Caribbean. Many of these tiny islands lack fresh produce, so I served the shrimp in warm corn tortillas with smashed avocado, sour cream and a squeeze of lime. The Chinese Five-Spice is so flavorful, it

A couple weeks ago we went on an incredible sailing trip with six friends in the British Virgin Islands. And for me, what is most memorable is not the beautiful sunsets, the free-flowing Pina Coladas, or the listerine-colored water. The highlight of the trip is that I did not have my phone or the internet

Here’s our last KitchenAid “Cook for Mom” brunch recipe, a festive drink inspired by the raspberry ice colored stand mixer we’re giving away. Bubbly is the perfect celebratory drink for Mother’s Day. Rather than flavor it with the usual orange juice, we decided on fresh raspberries, doused with Chambord (raspberry liqueur) and then frozen into

Last year we ran a version of this tart entitled Summer Fruit Galettes. Since then I can vouch this tart works equally well with fall and winter fruits like apples and pears. Now that spring’s here, I’m happy to report it’s extraordinary with the classic strawberry-rhubarb combo. When the tart last ran I suggested using refrigerated

Obligatory old school photo of mom, Sharon, and me. I don’t care what my future children look like so long as they have Sharon’s legs.  Please pardon our delay in announcing a winner. Maggy’s been on vacation and I’ve been in FL helping my parents move from their home of 35 years to a retirement

I’ve never been big on pasta. In retrospect, I think younger me thought it was relatively boring, an empty starch. But as I’ve grown and evolved as a cook over the last several years, as I have traveled and dined at the table of many pasta-lovers, my mind has been opened. I have abandoned the notion

Pardon our delay in announcing a winner. Maggy’s been on vacation, and I’ve been helping my parents move to a retirement facility from their home of 35 years. Our winner is Yvonne D. Congrats! Last Friday I was invited to visit Redwood Hill Farm, a family-owned and operated goat farm in Western Sonoma County, California.

Simply put: I love coconut–everything from the coconut cakes and pies my southern grandparents brought me up with to the toasted coconut ice cream and Filipino Biko my friend Erika introduced me to. I love the savory almost as much as the sweet. My favorite appetizer is Mom’s famous coconut shrimp without which Christmas would not be complete. I love the coconut

A few weeks ago I ordered Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook, Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi. In addition to being one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen, the recipes are inspired. In an era where recipes tend to feel like an ever-so-slightly-modified version of someone else’s work, his recipes immediately struck me as

Inspiration for this recipe comes from the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council whose booth we visited at the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Culinary Expo. Mom and I made sure to have a heaping salad lunch before parading through aisles of tempting treats, but the pea and lentil trail mix they were serving

This recipe comes from Mom’s latest book, Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals which I have been cooking from several nights a week since the fall. It was at that time that I first started watching films like Forks Over Knives, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, Food Inc, and Robyn O’Brien’s 2011 TED Talk about the link

A couple weeks ago, we were at the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago. I snapped some photos of things that I really loved, so I thought I’d share them with you here. We spent a long time at Emile Henry booth. We were taken with the simple design and beautiful colors. Bright and vibrant,

This is one of my favorite healthy treats to make these days. It’s sweet, rich, and just one glass satisfies my craving for something sweet in the afternoon. You can make it in 20 minutes and serve it hot or cold. Your kids will love it and you will too. It keeps for up to

Several weeks ago Mom and I were enjoying a pumpernickel bagel with avocado for breakfast when I had an epiphany of sorts: why not make pumpernickel pizza dough? Within a few hours she and I had made our first batch. We took my crazy idea and added Mom’s practicality to make an easy pumpernickel dough