In A Nutshell

  This originally comes from a longtime college friend and it has become a family stand-by over the years (thank you Laura C.- this dip has changed my life for the better!). My daughter discovered that if you pop it under the broiler quickly after it bakes, you get this beautiful cheesy top. This is totally an old-school dip- it's best served with sturdy, sensible Triscuits which can stand up to the fatty, creamy, decadent dip.  1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (you don't have to use anything fancy here) 1/2 cup mayo 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded* 1/4 t garlic salt 1/4 t garlic powder Mix everything together and bake at 350º for 30 minutes; pop under the broiler for a few seconds to get the brown bubbly top pictured above.  * As with any recipe, I think it will always taste best if you grate your own cheese (with the exception of the Parmesan); they put cellulose into those bags of pre-grated cheese to keep it from stick...

I don't have any idea what Old Bay is made from but I'm in love with the stuff- it's magical. I'm not usually a huge fan of chicken wings but these are crazy good! The baking time can vary and I don't really have any explanation of why this happens-- you will have to keep an eye on them and if they don't look good and brown, simply bake them longer before tossing them with the sauce. Adapted from Food and Wine. 2 lbs chicken wings 2 T flour 1 T Old Bay seasoning 1 t salt 3 T Frank's Red Hot sauce 2 T unsalted butter 2 T Worcestershire sauce Preheat the oven to 500º and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, preferably the non-stick foil but if you are using regular foil, spray it with cooking spray. Combine the flour, Old Bay and salt and toss the chicken wings with the spice mixture. Spread out on the baking sheet and spray the wings with Pam (canola cooking spray). Bake for a total of 45-50 minutes or so turning them wings over at the...

I made these to go with the chicken gumbo from the other day-- they were pure, deep-fried heaven! I made my own aioli to go in the remoulade but it is certainly easier to use Hellman's mayo. Serve with an ice cold beer. 2 T olive oil 1 cup grated zucchini 3/4 cup fresh or frozen, thawed corn kernels 1/4 cup finely chopped onion chopped fresh herbs of your choice (I happened to have chives in the fridge) 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup plus 2 T Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 T sugar 1/2 t kosher salt 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 egg In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the zucchini, corn and onion; sauté for about 5 minutes or so until the zucchini is less watery and the veggies are lightly browned. Whisk milk and egg in a bowl; add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Gently add the zucchini mixture and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes. Pour about 2" of vegetable oil into a heavy pot and heat (the recipe says to heat to 325º; I didn't use a t...

 This is adapted from Food & Wine; you can either make the hummus and pizza dough from scratch or purchase those already prepared. Simple yet delicious. 1 lb pizza dough hummus (about 1 cup) shredded parmesan or ricotta salata for the top (I forgot that...) mixed greens, baby spinach, arugula vinaigrette For the vinaigrette : 3 T Champagne vinegar 1 T Dijon mustard 1/4 cup plus 1 T EVOO Whisk all ingredients and toss the greens with some vinaigrette. Preheat oven to 450º. Divide dough into 2 pieces and stretch out into an oval; bake on parchment paper for about 10-15 minutes until puffed and lightly browned. Spread a layer of hummus on each oval and top with lettuce.

This is adapted from Chrissy Teigen's book  Cravings ; my daughter got me this book for my birthday last year and I really really wanted to hate it!  A Sports Illustrated swimsuit model??? Really??? But I have to admit I love the recipes and she is just a damn hoot! This is delicious- low carb but you don't miss the carbs, I promise! For the Sauce : 3 T Thai sweet chili sauce 3 T hoisin sauce 3 T soy sauce 1-2 T Sriracha (depending how hot you want it) 2 T veg oil 1 t sesame oil 1 1/2 T unseasoned rice vinegar 2 T minced garlic 1 T minced ginger (I used the paste in a tube from Trader Joe's- awesome invention BTW) Combine ingredients. For the Filling : 2 lbs ground chicken 3 T veg oil 1 bunch scallions, white and green separated 1 T minced garlic 1 T minced ginger (again, I used the paste) 1/2 cup finely diced water chestnuts 1 sweet red pepper, finely diced Heat the oil in a skillet; add the white part of the green onion, the garlic and red peppe...

This recipe comes from my neighbor Jen; they are guaranteed to be a HUGE hit with everyone. I served them several times over the holidays and people couldn't get enough of them. You could fancy them up a little by putting a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on top. 1 lb ground pork, browned and drained 1 fresno pepper, very small diced small can of chopped black olives 1/2 package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 oz.) buttermilk ranch dressing  Tostitos scoops Mix all ingredients, using enough buttermilk ranch dressing to moisten the mixture. Scoop the sausage mixture into to the tortilla scoops and bake in a 375º oven for 8 minutes.

These meatballs, adapted from Bon Appétit, are SO light and tender; they go well in spaghetti sauce or served with a little marinara sauce on the side as an appetizer. 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1/4 c milk 1 T chopped parsley 1/2 t garlic powder 1 t salt 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes 1 egg 1/3 cup parmesan 1 lb ground beef  Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and pour the milk over. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and work together with your hands gently- don't overwork this. Form into meatballs, the size of your choice and fry them in a large non-stick skillet. If you are using them for a sauce, just brown them but if you are going to have them as an appetizer, cook them through.

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with deviled eggs- every once in a blue moon I get a yen for them but I can only eat them if I make them myself. I don't know why but they sort of gross me out otherwise... it probably has something to do with my aversion towards mayo. I buy a really small jar just for the occasion and that way I know it hasn't been sitting around the fridge indefinitely or else I make my own aioli. At any rate, these were delicious. They are adapted from a segment in Fine Cooking on variations of deviled eggs. 4 peeled hard cooked eggs, cut in half lengthwise 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo (or up to 2 T if you must) 1/2 t Dijon mustard a dash of Tabasco salt and pepper 1 T finely chopped parsley 2 slices chopped, cooked bacon smoked paprika Mash the 4 yolks with the back of a fork; add the mayo, parsley and hot sauce and mash until smooth. Add the bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika.

This recipe is slightly adapted from a long-ago issue of Midwest Living magazine; I used tomatoes from my parents' garden-- you can see the vibrant color and the taste of a home grown tomato is unparalleled. My brother recently told me that the most awesome (and truly foolproof) pie crust he has ever made came from Cook's Illustrated so I decided to try it out. He was totally right! CI has one of these irritating web sites where they actually expect you to PAY in order to use it!!! The nerve! Here is a link to the pie crust recipe ; you won't get the lengthy scientific explanation with the free version but you can trust that they've spent countless hours building humidity chambers to get this recipe right. 1 unbaked pie crust (1/2 recipe for a 9" pie)-- be sure to leave out the sugar for a savory tart; needless to say, I have a spare pie crust in the fridge because I didn't think of that the first time around..... 6 oz. shredded provolone or mozzarella c...

I absolutely LOVE green zebra tomatoes- the chipmunks seem to prefer my red tomatoes so I've had an abundance of these green ones. Normally I would put a bit of basil leaf between the slices but there was a monsoon-like rain yesterday so I skipped going outside to pick basil. tomatoes of different colors (definitely include the green zebra) sliced fresh mozzarella, preferably buffalo top quality extra-virgin olive oil fresh pepper Maldon sea salt Layer and drizzle.

This is another variation in the caprese salad series; it's a great starter and I feel could be eaten as a meal itself with a nice crusty bread. Very delicious and very easy. eggplant tomatoes, sliced buffalo mozzarella (available at Costco or use regular fresh mozzarella), sliced extra-virgin olive oil Maldon sea salt Using a paring knife, cut some narrow strips of skin off of the eggplant lenghtwise (to create a striped pattern). Cut into 3/4" slices and brush both sides with EVOO; sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Grill using a grill pan over high heat for about 5 minutes per side. Let cool to room temp.  Layer the eggplant, mozzarella and tomatoes and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

There was a recent Bon Appetit issue that did a page on various "caprese" salads you could make- there are good ideas to get you thinking outside the box. This one was very easy and tasty. red peppers feta cheese extra-virgin olive oil Maldon sea salt Roast the peppers on the grill until charred; put them in a bowl and cover them until they cool. Peel the peppers and layer them on a little plate with feta cheese. Drizzle EVOO over them and some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. A little parsley would be nice on here too- I just happened to run out.

Cream-filled fresh mozzarella??? It's the stuff dreams are made of.... Layer some sliced ripe, delicious and sweet peaches with sliced (as best you can) burrata cheese (available at Trader Joe's). Drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil; sprinkle with Maldon sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a chiffonade of basil. Serve with grilled baguette slices. I had a glass of vinho verde alongside and thought it went nicely.

This is a simple, pretty and refreshing starter; the fresh mint (not normally my favorite) is actually a very good flavor pairing here. Layer some sliced cantaloupe along with thinly sliced scamorza cheese; drizzle with good quality extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Maldon sea salt, freshly ground pepper and thin slivers of fresh mint.

This is such a delightful starter; I think it would go well with a glass of prosecco. The peaches must be ripe and tasty for a good result. The bread should not be too thick- no thicker than 1/2"; I used the large round sliced Turano Italian bread, which is excellent for crostini and panini as well. I am not giving specific amounts- just make how much you need. sliced Italian bread EVOO for brushing the bread and for drizzling 1 peach, sliced very thinly (one peach goes a long way) prosciutto or serrano ham, very thinly sliced fresh ricotta honey for drizzling flaked salt (such as Maldon) freshly ground pepper Brush the bread slices with EVOO and either grill them until nicely crisp or use a panini maker to grill them. Let them cool for a bit; spread each slice with some ricotta cheese then drape a bit of prosciutto over the cheese. Put a couple thin slices of peach and drizzle the whole thing with some good quality extra-virgin olive oil and a little honey. Sprinkl...

This is a very simple and delicious starter. I happen to have this brand of balsamic vinegar called Napa Valley Harvest that is very thick- more like a syrup and it's perfect here; I find it regularly at T.J. Maxx.  I like to serve this with good baguette or ciabatta slices. burrata cheese strawberries, quartered good quality extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle chiffonade of basil balsamic vinegar to drizzle (preferably syrupy like) Maldon sea salt

It's empanada season again! These were adapted from Food & Wine magazine. Crazy good! We made both small ones and large and doubled the recipe; there was a bit of filling left over (which we just ate). Serve with Malbec or beer. Dough : 2 eggs, beaten lightly 1 t white vinegar 1/4 cup dry white wine 2 cups flour 1 t salt 1 T sugar 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, diced  In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt and butter until it looks like coarse meal. Combine the eggs, vinegar and wine and drizzle over the flour mixture; pulse until just combined; knead the dough a couple of times just to get it to come together- don't manhandle it!  Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Filling : 1/2 lb ground beef 1 T veg oil 1/2 onion, diced 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 red pepper, small diced 1 medium plum tomato, diced 1 T tomato paste 2 T white wine 1 t ground annatto (achiote) 1 packet Goya Sazón con Cilantro y Achiote (i...

The photo looks rather garish but trust me when I say they were awesome tasting! I love these little peppers because they are sweet and just a little spicy. You could stuff them with softened goat cheese rather than cream cheese if you prefer. peppadew peppers (as many as you want to make) cream cheese, softened thin sliced bacon, cut in half Drain the peppers (I buy these at the olive bar in the grocery store; I think they also come in jars but can't vouch for their taste). Fill the peppers with cream cheese (they are already hollowed out). Wrap each pepper with 1/2 slice bacon and bake at 400º for about 30-35 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. I did turn them over about halfway through in order to crisp them better (a small amount of cream cheese may leak out of some of them). Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving so that your guests don't get 3rd degree burns from the cream cheese.

This recipe comes from Food and Wine; it's called a Dumpling Pancake because it's supposed to flip out like one big pancake, but as you can see mine didn't quite work out that way. They were especially delicious even so! I was lucky to find some fabulous homemade round dumpling wrappers at our local ethnic grocery market-- if you can find them, use them. The cornstarch slurry stuff was very puzzling and slightly disturbing to me but alas, it all worked out. Dipping Sauce : 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 T white vinegar 1/2 T Korean chile powder 1 T sesame seeds 1 T sugar Dumplings : 16 oz. ground chicken 2 scallions, chopped fine 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup finely chopped, drained kimchi 1 T minced ginger 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 T soy sauce 1/2 t kosher salt 1 package round wonton wrappers 1 1/2 T cornstarch plus 1 cup water, mixed together to form a slurry canola oil for frying Mix all the ingredients up to the wonton wrappers with a fork. Keeping the won...

This recipe comes from my friend April who made it for Bunco at her house; I modified it slightly by adding pesto to the oil.  These are so easy to make and are always quite a hit. You can and should make these earlier in the day (even the day before if it isn't humid); they will crisp up as they cool. 1 package wonton wrappers (available in the produce section of the grocery) extra-virgin olive oil for brushing (around 1/2 cup but don't hold me to that figure- add more as needed) 2 heaping teaspoons pesto mixed into the olive oil shredded parmesan cheese garlic salt Preheat oven to 400º; brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with the EVOO/pesto mixture. Cut the wonton skins diagonally to form triangles. Lay the triangles on the baking sheets (try to fit as many as you can by reforming them into squares with just a little gap between). Brush them with the EVOO and pesto mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Bake these for 5-7 minutes; I did 7 minutes exactly...