Coconut & Lime

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
3/4 lb dried pasta
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon olive oil
5 anchovy filets
5 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Five minutes before it is finished, add the cauliflower to the pasta and allow to steam for the remaining of the cooking time. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, heat the oil. Add garlic and anchovies, stir until the garlic is soft and the anchovies have melted. Add red pepper flakes, stir. Add broth and heat through. Toss with cheese and drained pasta/cauliflower and serve.

My thoughts:

Another 10 minute meal. Super quick, tasty and a good way to get up your veggie intake without a lot of fuss.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour or use a baking spray 1 bundt or tube pan. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, butter, vanilla and sugar until well mixed. Slowly add in yogurt. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and a dash of salt. Slowly incorporate into the yogurt batter. Mix thoroughly. It might not look like you have enough batter to fill the pan, but you do. It is not a super tall cake, but it will rise and have a great texture, I promise. Spoon 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth with the back of a spatula. Carefully spoon the cranberry sauce to form a ring around the middle of the pan, without touching the middle or sides. Top with the remaining batter and smooth with the back of a spatula. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan about 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack. Slice and eat.

I have been wanting to come up with something that used leftover cranberry sauce for years and every year, I end up either eating or throwing out any leftovers I have. This year I swore I'd actually do it. I had several ideas (cranberry swirl ice cream? some sort of cranberry fudge?) but ended up making this truly addictive cake. At first I had planned to make my recipe for sour cream cake and swirl some cranberry sauce through, but we only had a tiny dab of sour cream so I had to come up with something totally new. I am so glad I did! The yogurt gives it a light tang and and the cranberry sauce formed a beautiful red ribbon of tart flavor. It is so so good: moist, tender, and slightly tart. I am eating a piece and swooning as I type. I am swooning, people! Swooning! If you have any cranberry sauce left in the fridge go and make this cake right now. Go! Bake!

Filling Ingredients:
2 cups turkey, dark meat
2 cups broth
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 small punch of parsley (not cut up)
1 dried arbol chili pepper (or any other dried large black chile pepper)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce (it comes in a can)
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (see above)
4 tomatoes (canned)
2 teaspoons of tomato paste
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine broth, turkey, the dried chili paper, the parsley, 2 cloves of the garlic, smashed, 1 of the onions (cut roughly into 8 pieces), the salt and oregano. Bring to a boil and cook over a medium-low heat, partly covered, for 20-25 minutes until the meat can easily be separated out with a fork. Strain and reserve the broth then remove the parsley and chili pepper and shred the chicken mixture with a fork. Slice the other onion, chop the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and saute in the olive oil in a medium saucepan until soft about 5 minutes. Put 3/4 cup of the broth back in the saucepan with the tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce and cook for about 15 minutes until the mixture is quite thick. Stir into turkey.

Sauce Ingredients:

1 small can of tomatillo-based green chili sauce (8-10 oz)
3 Tablespoons Sour Cream
habanero sauce to taste (green, if you can find it)

Directions:

Whisk together sauces and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Other ingredients needed for enchiladas:
8 corn tortillas
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed (to remove excess water)

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 375. Warm tortillas in the microwave or steamer for 1 minute or until they are pliable. For each enchilada, dip a tortilla in green sauce on both sides, place 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down the middle adding one tablespoon of the spinach and a little sprinkling of cheese. Fold one side of the tortilla over the mixture and then the other side and place folded side down in a rectangular baking pan. Repeat with each of the tortillas. Pour the remaining green sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Serving suggestion: serve with rice and seasoned beans.

This very long (but easy! I promise!) recipe was what my husband came up with when I asked him to create a new recipe that utilized leftover turkey. It was amazing! Spicy and juicy. We rarely have eaten enchiladas before much less made them, but now I feel sudden a urge to experiment with more varieties. Maybe a red sauce? I only wish we had leftovers.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup apple cider
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Madeira
2 cinnamon sticks

Directions:
Place the cranberries, apple cider, sugar and cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan and, stirring occasionally, cook for 20 minutes over medium high heat to reduce and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the Madeira. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve.

My thoughts:

We created this cranberry sauce recipe to reflect the other flavors in the food we were serving: the apple cider and Madeira were also present in the turkey, and the gravy. This created a sort of flow of flavors in the meal. Even though each dish had very different tastes, they all had similar notes of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 16 lb turkey*
1 cup apple cider
½ cup Madeira
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces
1 bunch parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Combine the broth, Madeira, apple cider and pour on the bottom of the roasting pan. Scatter the onion chunks on top of the broth/cider mixture. Meanwhile, rinse the turkey off with cold water. Place on the rack and position in the roasting pan. You can rub the turkey with a tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper if you desire. Stick the bunch of parsley inside the empty cavity of the turkey. Roast at 450 for ½ an hour then reduce heat to 325 and continue to roast for about 2 ½ hours, basting with juices from the pan every ½ hour, or until the juices run clear and the leg is easily moved. You may choose to tent the breast of the turkey about ½ an hour in for tender meat. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before carving. Remove stuffing balls if necessary and reserve juices to make gravy.

*you could use this same recipe using a chicken, just reduce the cooking time accordingly.

My thoughts:

This recipe not only produces a moist and flavorful turkey with beautiful brown skin, but its drippings produce moist stuffing and an excellent base for homemade gravy. It also roasts for only about 3 hours, not bad for a 16 lb turkey.

Ingredients:
Juices from the turkey*, strained for lumps
¼ cup flour
½ cup Madeira
1 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken or turkey stock

Directions:
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, whisk together the juices, cider, Madeira, and stock. Whisk in flour then bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened. If it is overly thick, you can thin it out with a bit more stock.

*You could, of course, follow the same instructions with a chicken to make chicken gravy.

My thoughts:

We created this gravy to accentuate the flavors we roasted the turkey with and we were rewarded with a very rich and surprisingly savory gravy. Yummy over turkey, stuffing or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups chopped onions
1 ½ cups chopped celery
½ cup parsley
¼ cup pecans, chopped
about 25 slices bread, torn
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ cup chicken or turkey stock

Directions:

In a large pan, sauté celery and onions in the butter until translucent. Do not brown. Add to bread cubes in bowl and add sage, celery seed, poultry season, parsley and pecans. Combine with egg and broth and form medium sized balls. Place balls in the bottom of the roasting pan underneath the chicken/turkey and on the rack for about the last ½ hour of baking and cook until cooked through.

My thoughts:

This year we went to my mom’s house for Thanksgiving, that’s nice, but we missed the opportunity to make our own food. So we bought a turkey and spent the day recreating Thanksgiving. I made this stuffing that is similar to what my mom traditionally makes. In my family, we don’t stuff the turkey or bake dressing in a dish. We made little balls of stuffing and arrange them around the turkey towards the end of the cooking time. You get the flavor of the bird without the risks of stuffing or the tendency towards dryness of dressing. Plus they are already in individual serving sizes, so it makes serving a breeze.

Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled, boiled and mashed
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pecan halves for decoration

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine sweet potato, ginger, sugar, vanilla, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, condensed milk and butter until will mixed. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Stir in egg. Pour into prepare pie shell, it is excellent with pecan pastry pie crust. Smooth surface with the back of a spoon or spatula and decorate with pecan halves. Bake 20 minutes.

I personally don't care for sweet side dishes and thus rarely serve sweet potatoes in any form. In this pie, however, the sweetness makes more sense and is tempered by the spice of the ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. It is also a wonderful alternative to pumpkin pie around the holidays.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup crushed pecans
1/4 cup ice water
8 tablespoons butter, cold
4 tablespoons shortening, cold
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Place flour, sugar, salt and pecans in a food processor and pulse once or twice to mix. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until it forms pebble-sized clumps. Add the cold water and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Remove to a pie pan, and spread, using your fingertips, evenly across the bottom and up the sides. The dough will feel more like a thick paste than pie dough. Prick the bottom thoroughly with a fork and bake for 10 minutes then check on the crust. Prick again if it is rising very high and continue to bake an additional 10 minutes.

My thoughts:

A tasty alternative to traditional pie crust. Great with Ginger Spiced Sweet Potato Pie.

Ingredients:
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups Arborio rice
2 cups hot water
2/3 cup parmesan
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, minced

Directions:
In a medium bowl, soak the porcini mushrooms in the hot water. After 30 minutes, strain the porcini mushrooms into a small bowl, reserving liquid. Wash and chop the porcini mushrooms and return them to the mushroom liquid and set aside. In a saucepan bring the chicken broth to a boil then reduce heat and continue to simmer. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan sauté the shallot and sliced mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter. Sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid and add shrimp. Cook until the shrimp is pink, then transfer the sliced mushrooms and the shrimp to a clean bowl and cover. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan that just held the sliced mushrooms and shrimp. Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring continually. Add 1/2 of the reserved mushroom liquid, turn the heat up to high and stir continuously until liquid is absorbed. Add the remainder of the mushroom liquid, and stir continuously until the liquid is absorbed. Add the broth a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, and waiting until the liquid is absorbed before each addition. This will take about 20 minutes total. When the risotto is cream and the rice is al dente, add the shrimp and sliced mushrooms and stir until absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan.

My thoughts:

The great thing about making risotto is that while it is a bit tedious, is it is impressive, delicious and can be ready in about 30 minutes. This particular risotto is both comforting and very flavorful-the two types of mushrooms give depth of flavor while the addition of the shrimp keeps it from being too heavy.

Ingredients:
2 cups cranberries
2 1/2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 oz unflavored gelatin


Directions:

In a saucepan simmer the cranberries, 2 cups cranberry juice, and sugar for about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally, or until all of the cranberries have popped and left empty skins behind. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cranberry juice to soften in a small bowl. Whisk the gelatin mixture into the cranberry berry mixture. Strain this into a bowl or pitcher, mashing the pulp with the back of the spoon to release all of the juice and bits. Discard the leftover pulp/skins. Pour into a gelatin mold or cupcake pan for individual servings.* Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, unmold** and serve*** as a side dish or a light dessert.



* If you are worried about your mold or pan sticking or if you have the type of mold that doesn't open on both sides, you might want to lightly spray with cooking oil.

**run under warm water for a couple of seconds if doesn't release right away.
***You could also make this the night before you are going to serve it.

As result of many family Thanksgivings where it was served, I do have a secret fondness for the sort of cranberry sauce that comes out of the jar with the little can ridges intact. Embarrassing, I know. So to regain some credibility, I came up with this homemade version. It's slightly tart and has little bits of seeds and cranberry pulp suspended in intensely cranberry flavored gelatin. Much tastier than the canned stuff while still retaining that sort of retro feel. I actually have
individual-sized Tupperware Jell-O molds so I used them. They are awesome because they have two seals: a star design seal on the top and a larger seal for the whole bottom. When you open one, then the other, the suction breaks and the gelatin slides right out. It would also work well in a standard sized mold or cupcake pan. Fear the jellied cranberry sauce no more.

These are all actual questions from readers of this blog. I am always happy to answer any questions individually; however, here are some of the most common ones.

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions you do not see listed here. I try to answer each e-mail with in 24 hours but due to volume that is not always possible. Please wait a few days before e-mailing me again for a response.

The basics:

Unless otherwise noted, I always use:
unbleached all purpose flour
kosher salt
2% milk
large eggs
full fat yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese
unsalted butter
Hellman's Canola Oil Mayonnaise
Peanut Butter & Co Smooth Operator peanut butter (their other flavors are good too)


Cooking and/or Ingredient related questions:

Should I use salted or unsalted butter in your recipes?
I always use unsalted butter. You can always add salt, but you can't take it out. I find that recipes made with salted butter are often too salty for my taste.

Can I use low fat milk in your recipes? What about low fat cream cheese, sour cream or yogurt?
I rarely use anything other than 2% milk when I cook and if I do, I note it in the recipe. If the recipe specifically calls for whole milk, use whole milk for best results. I also generally use lowfat or fat free yogurt in recipes that call for yogurt. Cream cheese should always be full fat unless otherwise noted. Low fat cream cheese (or a similar product often called neufchâtel in the US, which is different than the French cheese of the same name) does not heat well. You should also only use the brick form of cream cheese. The "whipped" and the "spreadable" varieties of cream cheese sold in many grocery stores in tubs have ingredients in them (to make them fluffy or spreadable) do not work well in recipes. Sour cream is always full fat unless otherwise noted. I often use low fat sour cream as a garnish or topping, but low fat sour cream does not always hold up well to heat.

Many brands of natural peanut butter have a tendency to separate while baking. The trick is finding a brand that tastes good and can hold up to high heat situations. On the rare occasions I use peanut butter, it is generally Peanut Butter & Co.'s Smooth Operator, which is a natural peanut butter and things turn out fine. Creamy Peter Pan peanut butter is my favorite for baking amoung the non-natural peanut butters. Of course, you can substitute your favorite brand but I can not predict what the results will be.

What brand of marshmallows did you say was the best?
I swear by Campfire Marshmallows. They don't have that gritty mouthfeel I often find in other commercial marshmallows, they melt wonderfully and have a nice vanilla aroma. They are a little harder to find then say, Jet-Puffed but are a thousand times better. When ever I come across them, I stock up. Of course, you can always make your own.


Is it okay to use microwave popcorn in your popcorn recipes?
I haven't, but I can't see why plain microwave popped popcorn can't be used, as long as it doesn't have any sort of "butter" flavoring. Personally, I like to use air popped popcorn in recipes. My husband thinks popcorn tastes better when you pop it on the stove in some oil, which does help spices adhere, but can make foods like popcorn balls greasy if you are even a little heavy handed with the oil.



Where can I find peppermint sticks to make the lemon sticks recipe?
This is one of my most frequently asked questions. I had no idea that peppermint sticks were so elusive! The variety typically used in lemon sticks is the soft type peppermint sticks, not the hard kind similar to candy canes. They are often labeled "old-fashioned" or "pure cane sugar" peppermint stick. I like Bob's brand mint sticks. I have found them for sale here online or look at the candy isle of your local grocery store.

I also want to make clear that the juice will never will never gush through the peppermint stick like it would from an actual straw so if that is your expectation, you will be disappointed. People have a tendency to squeeze the lemon as they eat so they get more juice. It is a treat, not a new way to consume fruit juice.

If you want to learn more about lemon sticks and other fair food, I wrote an article about them for the online food magazine, Culinate that you can read here.


Is the apple cider you use in your recipes "hard" cider?
No, it is not. Most apple cider sold in the US is nonalcoholic. However, it is a entirely different beverage than apple juice.


I am trying to make the jelly candies. Where can I find fruit pectin? I have seen it in most regular grocery stores but some times it can be tricky to find. Fruit pectin is used in making jams and jellies. During the warmer months it is often stored near canning supplies. In the winter, my store moves it to the baking isle, near the sugar, on a very high shelf. If you can't find it, ask for it. If it is during the cold months, they may have packed it away somewhere as it is no longer prime canning season.

Some of your vegan recipes call for oyster sauce. Is oyster sauce really vegan?
Not all oyster sauce is vegan, but there are several brands out there that are. I found a reasonably priced bottle for sale here.

Is the flour you use all purpose or self rising?
All recipes call for all purpose flour (I generally used unbleached) unless they specify something different. An easy way to tell if the flour is supposed to be all purpose or self rising is to check and see if the recipe calls for any other sort of leavening agent. If it calls for baking soda or baking powder, you need to use all purpose. Self rising flour is basically regular flour that has baking soda and salt added to it. Most American recipes call for all purpose flour and a separate leavening agent.

Can I substitute corn syrup or honey for golden syrup in your recipes?
I wouldn't substitute honey because it reacts to heat differently than golden syrup and has a much more pronounced flavor. Of course, you can try and see if it turns out, it might work fine, depending on the recipe. Light corn syrup is a much closer substitute, but it has a different flavor. While golden syrup is more popular in European and Australian cooking and baking than it is here in the US, most grocery stores stock it (near baking, near maple syrup or in the "British foods" section); King's Golden Syrup is an American mid-Atlantic brand, developed right here in Baltimore, and Lyle's is a popular imported brand.

What is vanilla paste?
Vanilla paste is a concentrated vanilla extract that has flecks of vanilla bean seeds. It is thick and can be used in recipes where you don't want to add extra liquid or where you want to see vanilla bean flecks without using a whole bean.


Can I use strained, regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt in your recipes?

You are welcome to try, but unless I have stated otherwise in the recipe, I have only tested it using Greek yogurt. Also: a couple of people have emailed me to say that straining the yogurt is cheaper than buying Greek yogurt. I am not entirely convinced that it is cheaper to strain your own. I bought (store brand) Greek-style yogurt for $3 for 16 oz, so I spent $6 for 32 oz. A 32 oz container of regular plain (store brand) yogurt was on sale for $3.50. Since you'd have to buy twice the amount of regular yogurt to make faux Greek-style yogurt, your total would be $7, and since it is not an exact science, you might end up with less than 32 oz after straining. This means that straining the yogurt yourself is both more expensive and more work. I'd only substitute strained yogurt if I could no longer find the Greek-style. Of course, prices and availability might vary depending where you live, so you have the make the best choice for you.


Can I use ground up green tea leaves instead of matcha (green tea powder) in your recipes? What about using green tea drink mix?
Matcha really doesn't have a substitute. If you can't find it, I wouldn't recommend using any recipes that call for it. Tea leaves have a completely different texture (even when hand ground) than matcha and they suck the moisture out of baked goods. Powdered green tea drink mixes have a lot of other ingredients (dried milk, preservatives) that will work against you when making the recipe.


Why do you use frozen spinach instead of fresh in some of your recipes? Isn't fresh better?
I don't agree that fresh is automatically better when it comes to spinach. If you need the crispness or look of raw leaf spinach, then clearly you need to use fresh, but if you are cooking the spinach for any length of time, it is a waste of both time and money to use fresh. The cost of frozen spinach is many, many times less than that of fresh and the difference in taste (trust me, I've done the blind taste tests) between the two after cooking is negligible. Generally the leaf is frozen at the height of freshness, which allows it to "lock in" nutrients and the texture of defrosted frozen spinach is near identical to that of wilted fresh. I have similar feeling about peas-they start to lose flavor and nutrients the second they leave the vine and can be frozen quicker than they can make their way to my local farmer's market. Beyond peas and spinach, I prefer fresh vegetables.


Can I use dried fruit instead of fresh in your recipes?
What about fresh instead of dried?
What about frozen instead of fresh?
Feel free to experiment but I can't predict how it will turn out. I do not make every possible variation of every recipe so I don't know how a lot of the possible substitutions would turn out. There are a lot of variables that go into changing a recipe. Are you subbing something sweet for something tart? You might want to cut down on the sugar. Is the dried fruit really dried out? You might need to add more liquid. You might not need to use as many dried berries as you would fresh. Experiment, but know the recipe will only turn out as pictured if you use the ingredients and techniques listed.

I never use commercially frozen berries and the only berries I freeze myself are blueberries and cranberries (which you can use exactly as you would fresh-without thawing) so I have no idea how most frozen fruit or berries would work in any recipe.


I don't eat meat. Can I substitute fake meat for the meat in this recipe?
I don't eat dairy. Can I substitute soy milk for regular milk or buttermilk?
I am allergic to --insert food here-- can I leave it out? What can I use as a substitute?

Every once in a while I get a wave of food substitution questions. All I can do is suggest that you substitute whatever you normally use for the ingredients you don't want/can't eat. I do not have the resources to test each recipe in every possible configuration so it is up to you as the consumer to test the recipe using any substitutions that you might require. Frankly, if you do have a limited diet due to vegetarian or veganism, allergies or personal choice it is really in your best interest to figure out what food substitutions work best for you or to simply stick to foods that do not contain the ingredients you can not eat.

While I do prepare and post a substantial amount of vegan and vegetarian dishes (especially for an omnivore) I personally chose not to use products like margarine, soy milk, textured soy protein, veggie ground, egg replacer etc because I do not feel the need to recreate a food that is on the "forbidden" list. Instead, I make the most of what is naturally vegan/vegetarian i.e. olive oils, flours, fruits, vegetables, pastas etc. I know that many people do not feel this way and have wholeheartedly embraced foods that mimic meat, dairy, eggs etc and that is fine, but since I do not cook or develop recipes using these ingredients, I am not the best judge of which of these products is the best substitution for the real thing.

How do you know when the oven has finished preheating, i.e., has reached the prescribed temperature?

That's easy. First, most modern ovens have a automatic timer that goes off when the oven has finished preheating to the correct temperature. Secondly, you can use an oven thermometer and check it to see if the proper temperature has been reached. Thirdly, most ovens preheat in about 15 minutes, so you can just time it that way. If it is not quite up to temperature, the worst that can happen is that you will have to bake the food a bit longer. I always just start preheating when I go to mix up the ingredients and figure that by the time I am finished, the oven has preheated.

Recipe related questions:

Why are some ingredients in cups and others in ounces?

Sometimes, even in the same recipe, I will post some measurements by volume (in cups) and some by weight (ounces). While it is most common in the US to measure ingredients by volume there are a few instances when listing by weight makes more sense and can help standardize the recipe so it can be successfully reproduced. For example, I use beans that come in a 12 oz can and while I might just use one can, it wouldn't be accurate to say to use "one can of beans" because another person's standard can of beans might be 16 oz. Secondly, bulky items like chocolate chips, blocks of chocolate, pasta, marshmallows etc are hard to measure by volume. For example, when you are measuring chips, the amount that fits into a measuring cup can vary depending on what measuring cup you have or the size of the chip. My more rounded 1/4 cup measuring cup holds more chips (by weight) than my squared off 1/4 cup measuring cup. This difference can effect the end result.

Measuring by weight is actually a more accurate all around way to measure, just not a very common one in the US.


If you would like to convert cups and tablespoons into ounces this measurement calculator can be a big help.

I made your recipe and it turned out differently than I expected. What happened?
The best way to make the recipe turn out the way that you expect is to follow the instructions carefully as possible. Even what seems like a small change can have disastrous results. In all honesty, I very rarely receive emails about recipes not turning out or that yield unexpected results. I make a real effort to create recipes that can be replicated with great success in your kitchen. However, as with any recipe, there are a number of variables beyond my control that come into play when you recreate my recipes at home, such as the freshness or brand of the ingredients you used, your technique, how closely you followed the directions, your oven temperature, even the weather can have an effect on the outcome.

If the recipe calls for a specific product or ingredient and you substitute something else, it may not turn out. When I follow up with someone who had some troubles with a recipe, 99% of the time the person has either substituted something else for either a large number of ingredients, changed a key ingredient, didn't follow the instructions or made some other major changes that rendered my original recipe virtually unrecognizable. I certainly don't discourage anyone from experimenting in the kitchen but if you make changes to the recipe or do not follow the instructions, I can't guarantee or predict the outcome.

I made your recipe exactly and I don't like it. What happened?
First, make sure you did follow the recipe exactly. You would not believe the number of emails I get from people who claim they followed the recipe exactly but really didn't. For example they would say the food was too salty and it turns out they used 1/4 cup of salt instead of the 1/4 teaspoon the recipe actually called for. Secondly, the recipes I create are for foods I personally eat and enjoy. I don't know your personal taste so, just as might occur using a recipe from a cookbook, you might make something correctly and just not like it. That is not a recipe issue, that is a personal taste issue. Use common sense and adjust the seasonings. If you don't like spicy foods, maybe you don't want to add as many chiles or pepper as the recipe calls for. It might not be exactly as the recipe intended or how I'd like it, but you might like it and the change probably wouldn't make the recipe "fail" completely. I've had people tell me they don't like blueberries and then were surprised when they didn't like the blueberry muffin recipe I posted. Again, that's a personal taste issue. If you don't like blueberries, then maybe a recipe that calls for 2 cups of blueberries is not your best bet. You could swap out the berries or try a different muffin.

While I do advise that large scale recipe changing can ruin the intended outcome and taking all of the spices out of chili will render it pretty bland, you are the one who has to eat it not me. If tweaking the spices a bit or using one berry in place of another helps you enjoy the food more, do it.

Why don't you list your ingredients in order of use?
I decided years ago to list ingredients in order by size and I have no interest in changing it. I also try to "chunk" the ingredients when possible in complicated, multiple step recipes (example) rather than leaving it in one long list for ease of use.

I have received one or two emails or comments over the years from people who claim that this method is difficult for them to follow. I personally do not see how ingredient order matters as virtually no recipe gives amounts in the directions. Every cook has to look at the ingredient list to find out what they need and in what amounts, so the order issue is rather trivial.

In addition, many ingredients call for some work even before you begin cooking-chopping vegetables, softening butter etc. I suggest that you read all recipes carefully and measure out all of your ingredients before cooking so they are ready for use when you need them. It really does make cooking easier and you are less likely to forget to add an ingredient if it is sitting right out in front of you.

Alternately, you can take a minute to rearrange the ingredient list into whatever order you prefer when you go to make the recipe.

Questions about my other food writing:

Would you be interested in contributing a recipe or writing an article for my magazine, newspaper, website, blog, or local cookbook? What about creating a recipe for my product?
I am always interested in hearing about new opportunities. Please e-mail me with all of the details.

Where else can I find examples of your your writing?
Click here for a list of where to find my writing online and in print.

Questions about product reviews:

Can I send you a product to review?
Check out my product review policy for more information.

Where do I send a product for you to test, use or review on your site?
If you would like to to send me something to test or review please e-mail me and I will e-mail you my address.
What do you get out of sending me your products to review?
Exposure to tens of thousands of consumers between the ages of 18-50 who are predisposed to cook, buy new products and who love food.
Why do you accept items for use or review on your site?
As someone with a strong interest in food, I appreciate the opportunity to try new products. I only accept products of personal interest to me, that I think would be of interest to my readers and which are relevant to the site.

Questions about site sponsorship and advertising:

How can I buy an ad on your site?
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How can I get my product exposure on your site?
Another way to get exposure on my site is to send me your product to try (details here). If I use it while cooking, I will mention it in the recipe. My acceptance of a product does not guarantee that it will appear on the site or a positive response.

Why do you have advertising on your site?
I resisted advertising for many years. However, developing and testing new recipes for this blog takes up many hours of my day, every day. Advertising helps offset some of the expenses involved in maintaining the site, my equipment and purchasing ingredients. All ad proceeds go back into creating new recipes to share with my readers.




Questions about permissions:

Your site says that I can not post or publish your recipes without your permission. Does this mean I can not print them out at home to use when I cook?
Of course you can print them out for home use. What I don't want is for you to do is include them in a cookbook (including private or community publications) or post them on your blog without linking to me or asking for permission. I create this recipes myself and deserve credit if they are used. Use of those recipes are for personal and non-profit use only. Please contact me regarding licensing fees for any for-profit use.


I made your recipe and want to post it to my blog. What should I do?

Please credit me and give a direct link to my site and the original recipes. Make make it clear that any changes you made were your own. Please do not "hot link" my photographs.



Questions about the site and what I do:

How do you decide what to make?
I like to use local and seasonal ingredients as much as possible, so I might post several recipes that have, for example, cranberries, in a short period of time while they are in season. I also hate to waste food so some times I will come up with a new recipe to use up ingredients leftover from the last. Since we cook all of our meals from scratch, with very few "convenience foods" beyond canned beans or tomatoes, we have a constant influx of new, fresh and exciting ingredients into the kitchen that I need to use before they spoil. Having the blog helps too, I can't keep making the same dish the same way each time or I'd have nothing to post. My husband Matt is a help too, you'll see recipes he created pop up from time to time.

How do you come up with so many different recipes every week?

For me deciding what to make is generally is a combination of necessity (hey that bok choy is looking a little limp!), satisfying a craving and bringing to fruition a vague food related thought I had. If I want to make something that is "postable" I try to think of either something I've never made and/or posted before or a new variation of an old favorite (think new flavor of cupcake). I then head to the kitchen and get started, taking notes as I go.

While I like to make the distinction that I cook for me but I write for an audience, i.e. I don't make things I don't want to eat just to have something to post but I do write the recipes so people can recreate them at home. I so take note of what recipes are reader favorites and what foods I thought were great but maybe didn't go over as well. I might make those foods or some variation there of again but if no one is interested in say, gravy, I might not post another recipe for it unless it was particularly good. Of course, sometimes it is hard to tell when something is going to be a hit. Occasionally I make something that I personally enjoyed but that I am not sure if other people would be interested in (the no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies comes to mind) and then it goes on to be a top ranking post and I get literally hundreds of people sending me emails thanking me for the recipe, many of whom told me how they made the cookies the same day I posted the recipe. So you never know.

Do you really make up all of the recipes you post? Even the baked goods?
I really do. Of course, I can't claim to have invented a classic like chocolate chip cookies but the recipe I post is of my own creation. Once you understand the ratios needed to make certain things like bread or cake it is smooth sailing. I am also lucky that I have only had a handful recipes not turn out well enough to post the last 4 years or so. If I had more cooking disasters I might be discouraged! Of course, I do read cookbooks and lots of food related literature to get inspired or learn new techniques but I don't follow other people's recipes when I cook food that is going to be posted to the blog.


How do you create the actual recipes?
I try to write the at least a rough recipe before I start cooking, but often a recipe begins with me in front of the fridge trying to think of what to make and continues with me scribbling notes along the way. Then I "clean" it up and post it to the blog. I also have a few recipes (mostly for baked goods) that I created and love that I use as a base to build new recipes from.


Are there any foods that you make and don't post about?
Not many. I like to post often so if I am making something, I like it to be something I can post. I do shy away from posting recipes that use a really specific ingredient that might be hard to find, like one brand's premixed spice packet or some ethnic ingredients. I want people to be able to reproduce the recipes at home without too much a struggle.

Why don't you post other people's recipes or recipes you get out of cookbooks?
There are several reasons why I made the decision back when I started Coconut and Lime in 2004 that I would only post my original recipes. One of the reasons was that I didn't want to run into any copyright issues; an easy way to avoid that is to only post my own creations! The other major reason is that started the blog to have an excuse to be more creative in my cooking and to explore cooking at home some of the more exotic or ethnic foods that I'd only had at restaurants. I didn't feel every creative when I was just cooking straight from a book!

The more I cooked, the more I found it easier to create a recipe around what I want to eat rather than trying find a existing recipe that was exactly what I wanted. Figuring things out on my own has made me a better home cook than I would have been otherwise. I really understand how different flavors and techniques work now. I am not a afraid to just start cooking and see where it takes me.

However, I don't think there is anything wrong with bloggers posting recipes that are not their own creation (and crediting the source, of course!), it just isn't for me.

Who takes the pictures on your site?
Coconut & Lime is a one woman operation. I create the recipes, I make the food and I take all of the pictures. I also crop and edit them as needed.

Questions about Comments and E-mails:

I left a comment and now it is gone. What happened?
I generally don't delete comments. However, if it is spam, not relevant to the post, abusive, or if it appears to be in duplicate or made in error, it may be deleted. Private or off topic questions are best e-mailed to me directly. I also have comment moderation enabled, your comment will only be posted after approval so there might be some delay between when you post the comment and when I get a chance to approve it.

Please note: the comments section of a recipe are not the place to lecture me or my readers on fitness, nutrition, or health issues. Please keep comments as positive and relevant as possible. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but sometimes someone else's blog isn't the best place to express it.

Why do you have comment moderation?
Because I allow anonymous comments to encourage nonbloggers to comment, I was over run with spam comments. I was averaging about 50 a day and would have to manual delete them. It is much easier (and quicker!) to approve the comments as they come in rather than go back and delete spam from individual posts. I am not “screening” my comments per say, I am just trying to cut down on spam and unrelated comments from showing up on the blog.

I e-mailed you and didn't get a response. What happened?
I try really hard to reply to every email within 24 hours. However, I often get upwards of a hundred blog related e-mails a day and it can be difficult to keep up. If a number of days have gone by and you still haven't received a response, feel free to e-mail me again, I might not have received it or it might have been accidentally filtered out as spam. Also: Google is your friend! A lot of the more general questions I get (what's the address of that store you mentioned, what are goji berries) can be answered via a quick Google search. I don't mind answering these questions, but if you are in a hurry, it might be quicker to look for the answer yourself.




Questions about me:

Why don't you ever post about yourself? It's all about the food! Not me. I do post a little bit more about myself and places I go on Food Maven, but really I like to keep the focus on the food. So much so that for the first year or so on Coconut & Lime I just posted recipes with no commentary! Now I try to include some comments that let you see a little bit of my thought process behind the recipe or how the food tastes.

Are there any foods you don't like or won't make?
While I do post recipes to share and try to create recipes that are clearly written and easy to reproduce in your kitchen, I am making foods that I personally would enjoy eating, not writing to an audience. So, you won't find foods that I don't like on this blog. I hate ketchup, pumpkin pie and cantaloupe. The smell alone of those foods makes me gag. I am also not too fond of pistachios, over ripe bananas or raisins. I don't tend to bake a lot with nuts, we never did when I was growing up, so I never got in the habit.


What do you do with all of the food you make?
This is a question I have about food bloggers as well. I live in a household of just two but some times it feels like I cook for twelve. We give away a lot of the baked goods to friends, neighbors and family members. We freeze some things (muffins, stews, some meat dishes like the pulled pork and we ate turkey gumbo for months) and we often save dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. I also try to create recipes that don't yield an absurd amount of servings.

Who are your inspirations? What is your favorite cooking show? Who is your favorite celebrity chef?
I get most of my inspiration from the food itself. I like looking at an ingredient and thinking about all of the things I could make with it. I get inspired by grocery stores. I love recreating foods I've had in restaurants or read about in novels in my own home. I find cooking and creating new recipes and trying new things inspiring. I also like to read culinary memoirs to get tips and ideas for new foods to try, especially memoirs of people who grew up in a different culture than my own. In addition, I do a lot of research into native cooking techniques and ingredients which can be quite inspiring. Since I don’t post other people’s recipes, I am not a big cookbook follower.

I am not a follower of celebrity chefs mostly because we don't have cable so I haven’t seen most of the food programming that is out there. I also do not subscribe to any food related magazines.

Technical questions:

How do you take pictures of food without getting a glare?

I don't claim to be the best food photographer out there, but I can give a few tips. Don't use flash, try to find enough natural light to take the shot. We have a very dark kitchen so sometimes my neighbors can spot me taking pictures of my food outside or on the porch, especially during the winter when it gets dark early. The best tip: always take tons of pictures of each food, you might take 20 but only 2 might look good. It is also easier to take pictures when the food is at room temperature (no steam) or when you are not waiting to eat it. It is hard to be careful and take lots of pictures when your dinner is getting cold!

Ingredients:
1 cup cubed ham
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, sliced into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
½ cup parsley, minced
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cup green onions, chopped
6 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon hot paprika


Directions:
In a large, oven safe skillet, heat oil. When hot, sauté, onions (not green onions), garlic, mushrooms and ham about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the onions are translucent. Add parsley and peas, stir. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together eggs, paprika, cheddar, salt, pepper and green onion. Add butter to the skillet and stir. Pour egg mixture over the skillet. Tilt the skillet slightly and turn to coat the ingredients in the skillet with the egg mixture. Keep on medium heat and cook about 15 minutes or just almost set-the top should still look “loose” and uncooked. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes or until the top is just beginning to brown. Remove from pan and slice.

My thoughts:

This is so good. We took advantage of holiday sales and bought a ton of eggs and a boneless ham. We had barely made it in the door when I forced my husband to make me this frittata. Luckily he agreed, and the results were amazing. Our best frittata yet.

Ingredients:
5 cups Cheerios dry cereal
4 cups marshmallows*
1 tablespoon butter
3 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Grease or spray a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large pot, melt butter and marshmallows together, stirring** near continuously. When the marshmallows are almost totally melted, add the chips. Stir once or twice, then stir in the cereal, one cup at a time. Once thoroughly mixed, pour into the prepared pan and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula or spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into bars.




*mini marshmallows melt faster, but the big ones work just as well.
**spray a spatula or spoon with cooking spray to avoid a sticky mess.

My thoughts:

These are a good alternative to Rice Krispy Treats. Slightly hardier, but just as good. And if the Cheerios ads are to be believed, heart-healthy. The tiny bit of chocolate adds a bit of flavor, but could be easily left out if you are a cereal bar purist.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled* and chopped
1/2 lb frozen spinach
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup fresh broccoli
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 onion, sliced
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Grease or spray a 3 quart lidded casserole dish. Bring a large pot of salted water and potatoes to boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter together in a saucepan. When hot, add onion and cook over low heat until golden brown and near caramelized. In a small sauce pan or in a wire basket over the potatoes steam the broccoli, peas and spinach. Drain both the potatoes and the vegetables when ready. In small bowl or measuring cup beat together the egg and milk. Pour over drained potatoes and mash. Gently fold in vegetable mixture and the onions. Spoon into prepared bowl. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese and paprika. Sprinkle evenly over potato mixture. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and slightly bubbly. Serve hot.



*depending on the variety of potato, it may be easier to boil the potato first and then remove the skin.

My thoughts:

This would make a wonderful side dish, but to tell the truth, it was the whole of our dinner tonight. It does create a number of dishes to wash for what is basically a simple dish but it is well worth it. Lots of vegetables, but still homey and comforting. What could be better on a violently rainy day?

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts
6 oz semisweet chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray with baking spray 3 cookie sheets. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the sweetened butter. Once combined, add chips and peanuts and distribute evenly using the mixer on the lowest setting. Form cookies by dropping 1 tablespoon of dough on the sheet two inches apart. Smoosh them down a little then bake until light brown, about 10-12 minutes. They might look a little shiny on top, but that is okay, they will "set" as they cool. Remove to wire rack and cool.
Yields: approx. 30 cookies, depending on size

My thoughts:

It's a three borough day today: we're staying in Staten Island, we are going to visit Matt's grandma in Park Slope, Brooklyn and we are ending up at a friend's house for dinner in Manhattan. We wanted to bring dessert to dinner tonight and wanted it had to be some thing that could withstand travel. Cookies seemed to be the answer and these are amazing! A little salty and sweet and chocolate-y. The peanuts are less on the nose than walnut and something both adults and children would enjoy. I can't imagine why there aren't peanut and chocolate chip cookies in every bakery. Something Slashfood might address on their nut day?They are that good!

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cardamom, crushed
4 teaspoons black leaf tea*
2 teaspoons granular black tea**
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 inch clove of ginger, smashed with a knife
sugar to taste

*green label tea (ask for it at your local Indian grocery)
** red label tea (ask for it at your local Indian grocery)

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring the milk, water, both teas and all of the spices to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the it coats the back of a spoon. Add sugar (traditionally chai is served rather sweet) and stir. Strain into 4 large mugs.

My thoughts:

While I am not a tea fan, my husband and the rest of his family is. We are up in NYC this weekend visiting his parents and sister and he made this for them. His sister is back for a 2 month visit from India, where she has been living the last couple of years. This is as authentic as he can make it- he learned from some Indian coworkers years ago and has been making it ever since! Try and find red and green label tea at your local Indian grocery.

This is also for Ivonne's Dishes of Comfort-it may not be my top comfort food, but it certainly is one of my sister-in-law's favorites.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon on Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
a pinch of salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together vigorously; it should make a nice dark brown emulsion. Add more oil, vinegar, or mustard to taste.

My thoughts:

We make this salad dressing at least once a week, some times more. It also plays a key role in our "need to feed a crowd" or lazy dinner nights: we make a big salad and slice steak or chicken to serve over it. You can also easily double or even triple the recipe and refrigerate the rest.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 egg whites

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, molasses, sugar and egg whites. Add both flours, crystallized ginger, ground ginger, fresh ginger and the baking powder and mix thoroughly. Drop in 1 tablespoon amounts on the prepared pans, leaving at least one inch space between. Bake 15 minutes or until the cookies are no longer shiny and look "set". Yield: about 18-20 cookies.

My thoughts:

I made these cookies last night (continuing my "sweets on Tuesdays" streak) and I think they came out well: very ginger-y, chewy and low fat. I was going to make just basic ginger cookies, but then I noticed I had a knob of fresh ginger and some (probably very elderly) crystallized ginger in the cabinet and decided to make triple ginger cookies instead. I am glad I did, all of that ginger kept me from the "where's the chocolate?" thoughts I usually have with these sorts of cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 head cabbage, shredded
4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced into rings
4 clove garlic, minced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
4 slices of thick cut bacon cut into 1-2 inch strips
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika (preferably the hot Hungarian kind)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown bacon in a large pan or Dutch oven. Scoop out and remove. Saute onions and garlic in drippings on medium high heat until they start to turn brown (about 10 minutes). Add potatoes, turnips and 1/3 cup water and some salt. Cover. Cook for about 30 minutes stirring frequently so it does not burn. Add cabbage, salt, pepper, paprika, caraway seeds, and 1/3 water. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the cabbage is tender.

My thoughts:

My husband, Matt, made this last night at dinner (he also wrote up the recipe for me, so I take no responsibility for its content) in response to my mother dropping off 1/2 a head of cabbage. It is so yummy, but we are a total lost as to what to call it. I thought it felt British (cabbage, parsnips, potatoes, bacon) but Matt insists it is more Eastern European (caraway seeds, cabbage, potatoes). So it has no real name, but it is goodness itself. The flavors compliment each other, and if you are squeamish about cooking in bacon fat, you can drain all or some of it and replace with less heart-stopping olive oil.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cranberries
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour or line 12 wells of a muffin tin. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil and cottage cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, sugar and flour. Mix into the egg mixture alternately with the milk. Mix thoroughly. Fold in cranberries. Fill each well 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the center muffin comes out clean. Remove to wire rack and cool.

My thoughts:

As you can see from all of my recent posts, I took my own advice and stocked up on cranberries while they were on sale. I wasn't planning on doing more baking today, much less with cranberries, but my mom called and asked if she could bring my grandfather over for a short visit. He's in his 90s and has never been to my house before, despite the fact that he and my mom lived on this same block in the 1960s. Anyway, I thought I'd make a little treat to have while he was here and give them some to take home. I wanted to make a recipe that was different than the cranberry bread, so I kept the cranberries whole, added some cottage cheese and used oil instead of butter. This resulted in a light, fairly fluffy muffin.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup halved cranberries
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 egg

Directions:
Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside. Pour the lemon juice and zest over the cranberries. In the medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Slowly whisk in the egg/milk mixture. Add the cranberries and whisk to combine. There should be no pockets of unmixed flour or large lumps. Spray a frying pan or griddle with nonstick spray or melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat the pan so that it feels warm when you hover your hand over it. Add about 1/2 cup of the batter into the middle. Cook until bubbles begin to appear and pop. Flip. Cook for about 2 minutes. Both sides should be golden brown. If not, return it to the stove and continue to cook for 1 minute. Yields about 5-6 mid-sized pancakes.

My thoughts:

Cutting cranberries in half is tedious but necessary for this recipe. They are much denser than most berries and would remain hard after the short cooking time of pancakes. The trick is to cut them using a small knife and resisting the temptation to try and cut more than one at once. If you are too impatient for that, you could also pulse them once in the food processor to chop them up. This pancakes are worth the extra effort, not too tart, not sweet, just perfect. I like mine with butter and King's Syrup (developed right here in Baltimore) and Matt likes his with maple syrup and butter.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cranberries, chopped
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon rosewater

1 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour one large loaf pan or two smaller pans. Beat together the eggs and sugar. Add the rosewater, lemon zest, butter and milk and stir. Slowly stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt,mace and flour. Mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries and pour into prepare pan(s). Bake for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then invert and continue to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is a surprisingly mild cranberry bread, the rosewater and zest sort of even out the tartness without being sweet. Perfect for breakfast.

First, cut the pomegranate in half and lightly score-without piercing-the rest of the skin, in about two places on each half. This will make it easier to turn the skin inside out as you pick out the seeds. Fill a bowl with cool water. I like to use my largest mixing bowl so I have room to work without splashing. Place the pomegranate in the water.

The pomegranate halves will float so you have to to hold them under water while you work.

Carefully pick out each pip (aril) with your fingers while holding the fruit underwater, carefully breaking the white membrane apart as you go. I try to use only my fingertips and not my nails at all, so I don't puncture the pips and release any juice. You also might find that turning the skin inside out (carefully!) will release a lot the seeds without having to pick. Work slowly.

Drain the pips and remove any membrane still attached. You are now ready to enjoy your pomegranate! You can eat them as is (seed and all) or use them in a recipe.

My thoughts:

I love love love pomegranates. They are my favorite fruit by far and even if they are pricey, I like to get them at least once each year. The only drawback to the pomegranate is how messy it can be to get the pips (arils is the technical name) out of the skin. The juice will stain* clothing, cutting boards, tables, anything porous. I used to make such a mess that when I was in high school my mom banned me from peeling them in the house. That was before I figured out the underwater technique. There are many variations on this, some calling for you to remove the crown first, others call for you to quarter or even eighth the fruit, but I find this way to be the most efficient. Plus, the less you cut the fruit, the more whole pips you will end up with. Once you puncture the pip, the wonderful juice drains out, and you don't want that!

I always buy the Pom Wonderful brand pomegranates (even though I think searching out branded fruit is a little odd) because they are always large and juicy. You want a large, heavy pomegranate with an unblemished skin. Pomegranate pips or arils can be frozen for up to a year, and the whole fruit will keep in your refrigerator for a couple of months. Pomegranates are full of antioxidants, and each one has exactly 840 seeds.

*it also turns bright blue when rubbed with Ivory soap, oddly enough.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb egg noodles
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon
salt

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Then add egg noodles and cook about 6 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat the butter and oil. Add the shallot and garlic, saute until soft and translucent but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until coated and cooked through. Drain the egg noodles and toss with parsley and lemon juice. Add the mushroom mixture and a sprinkle of salt and toss again. Serve immediately.

This is a great side dish to fall back on. It requires little effort, is simple and tasty and great with a variety of main dishes. I really don't know why I don't serve it more. I made it for my husband for the first time today and he really enjoyed it. Egg noodles are so plain, it's fun to dress them up a bit.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons capers, with juice

3 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped dill pickle
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate 1/2 hour before serving. Excellent with fried fish.

My thoughts:

If you have only had tartar sauce out of a jar, this is a revelation. I am not a big mayonnaise fan but I love a good, savory tartar sauce. This was amazing with some fried fish. And I know that the picture makes it look like I ate a cereal bowlful, but it's really only about a tablespoon's worth in a tiny soy sauce bowl.