Experimenting to make delicious food with fresh ingredients.

Feb 13

Feb 13 Chicken Pearl Meatballs with Hot Pepper Jelly

Because I love the act of cooking, I don’t mind if it involves a bit of work. It’s work, but it’s worthwhile work, and I feel a sort of inexplicably magnetic pull to do it. Especially during this difficult time, sitting down to eat a homecooked meal with my family is the highlight of my day. I feel fortunate to be cloistered with people I love and enjoy being around, and good food is one of my favorite ways of expressing that love. I even enjoy the process leading up to the actual cooking. Mulling over what I’m going to cook during the week, deciding how I’ll adjust a recipe from how I made it previously, and mapping out what I need to buy to make it happen is a welcome distraction from the woes of the world. Read more.

Jan 19

Jan 19 Cheese Crisps

Leila

Sometimes in life, lots of small choices can pile up to the point that they look like one large decision. I stopped blogging one small delay at a time. It began innocently enough with a little frustration over a recipe that I couldn’t get just right. Next came vacation. While on vacation, I got a phone call from my doctor, relaying the results of a biopsy I had gotten the week before. It was cancer. Next came surgery. Then chemotherapy. Then, of course, the pandemic struck. In hindsight, the onset of the pandemic would have been a good time to hunker down, cook, and post. But instead, I just turned to cooking, and then more cooking. Long before I started blogging, cooking has always been my go to activity for when I need to process all the thoughts bouncing around in my head. At the time, like most people, I had all sorts of thoughts bouncing around in my head. Election years are usually like that. Plus, two of my sons came home to quarantine during the early stages of the pandemic. So the cooking went into overdrive. Finally another surgery rounded out the long stretch of putting off my blog. But happily my son’s girlfriend recently encouraged me to start blogging again. And I thought, yes, I’m ready. Read more.

Jun 8

Jun 8 Roasted Brussel Sprout Pesto

Leila

This versatile pesto can add a richness of flavor to a variety of meals such as pizza or pasta, but in my opinion it is phenomenal served alongside a platter of sliced homemade bread. It is also versatile in the sense that it is just as wonderful at room temperature as it is freshly made; this is a relief because I can make it early in the day, set it aside for a few hours, serve it much later, and then use it for leftovers the next day. Like many other pestos, this pesto is made in a food processor with the usual ingredients—garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, and olive oil—but what makes it stand out is the distinctly pronounced flavor of the roasted brussel sprouts. Basil for brussel sprouts might seem like a rather small substitution, but it makes a huge difference. You have to taste it to believe it. See the recipe.

Apr 20

Apr 20 Chicken Strudel

Leila

I have been making this chicken strudel recipe for over 25 years and I never tire of serving it to guests and family. With its flaky phyllo crust, it tastes as impressive as it looks.

Some notes:

- If you’ve never worked with phyllo dough before, don’t worry; it’s not as difficult as it seems. People often recommend covering the dough with a damp towel in order to prevent cracking, but I find that that makes the sheets of dough too moist. Instead, I simply try to work quickly enough so that the sheets won’t have enough time to dry out and crack. And even if the sheets do crack, the good news is that they’re relatively forgiving. Regardless, because the sheets are ultimately stacked, the final product will look perfect no matter what. Read more.