Just in time for the holidays comes this buttery shortbread bar with a bold ribbon of fruit preserves, straight from (sort of!) my grandmother’s kitchen. Betty is my grandmother and is arguably my favorite person on the planet. Growing up as a picky eater, she was my culinary hero. Her traditional recipes were predictable…
Category: Recipes
Warm butternut squash and spinach salad with Stilton and cranberries
Thanksgiving may have come and gone, but this warm salad is packed full of autumn flavors to brighten your table this holiday season. The sweetness of maple roasted butternut squash and tart cranberries is balanced with spinach and red onions, while the mild tang of Stilton cheese adds some richness and a hint of unami….
Honoring France with Boeuf Bourguignon
This post is a dedication to the people of France, Lebanon, and Iraq in the wake of the tragic attacks of November 13, 2015. Lest Beirut and Baghdad’s losses be dwarfed, the CD will post future Lebanese and Iraqi recipes; stay tuned! May we all stand firm against hate and fear. May we all show…
Italian-Californian fusion: A hearty sauce Romanesca over roasted spaghetti squash
This classic, hearty Italian sauce adds some masculinity and depth to roasted spaghetti squash for a nutritious and satisfying low-carb, comfort meal. Customize by going meatless or pair it with your favorite pasta for a taste of Roman home cooking in your own kitchen. I believe that Italian food is the world’s comfort food….
Foster’s Market Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip cookies: A taste of North Carolina fall
The CD is finally back in the kitchen! From California, I’ll continue to share flavors and unique finds imported from around the globe, but I’ll also share my old East Coast culinary traditions and discover new perspectives of the American West. It is fitting that the East Coast gal marks her return to the –…
Voodoo Doughnut-inspired “Memphis Mafia” ice cream
It is quite possibly the most ridiculous ice cream inspired by an equally ridiculous pastry. Here we have a surprisingly elegant but decadent ice cream, inspired by a gluttonous fritter that in turn is a pop food culture to Elvis Presley and his legendary love of (fried) peanut butter and banana sandwiches. What?? Such a…
Recipe Reinterpretation: Salt & Straw’s Strawberry-rhubarb pie coconut ice “cream”
Portland, Oregon’s Salt & Straw makes a killer coconut milk ice cream packed with gooey, tangy chunks of strawberry-rhubarb pie. I recreated it with easy to assemble ingredients. So great you won’t miss the dairy, and non-vegans will miss the fact that it can be vegan. After trying my sister’s scoop of Coconut with Petunia’s Strawberry…
Keeping cool and carrying on with chilled cucumber-avocado soup
Sometimes, salads get to be a bit mundane in the middle of a summer heat wave. That’s when a chilled gazpacho or other cold soup variant is a nice change of pace. My adaptation of a Martha Stewart Living recipe is a summer must-try: Summer-fresh English cucumbers add lightness and volume to the richness and…
Watermelon frozen Greek yogurt
Delicate, light, and refreshing, this easy frozen yogurt is a guilt-free dessert you’ll love. Whether you’re looking for a novel idea for a baby shower or cookout, or just a Tuesday night, try it out. Start to finish in under an hour! Watermelon is easy is fresh and easy to come by in the summer….
Sweet and spicy Thai-inspired chicken sausage and arugula salad
Sweet and spicy. That might describe my own personality a bit, but it definitely fits this salad. An easy, healthy meal for a hot summer day, or if you’re like me, year round! Another salad? Isn’t this kind of cheating? Perhaps. The cook-from-scratch purist in me is embarrassed to pass off my go-to salad as…
The Culinary Diplomat 