Delightful! The Turkish Delight Martini

April 25, 2014

Turkish Delight Martini

There’s something fun and exotic about a cocktail with rose petals floating in it. Rose water was a bit of an acquired taste for me, but after I decided I liked it, it’s opened up a whole new world of interesting drinks and tipples. Then there’s the name of this cocktail. Inspired by Turkish delight, which I’m sure many of you, like me, will identify with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, just makes this drink all the better. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Turkish delight, beyond the book, it’s a sweet candy which comes in many flavors, but one of the more popular is rose water, and it is dusted with powdered sugar. While this may not be exactly like biting into a piece of the candy, you’ll definitely pick up the sweet hints and the subtle rose flavor that are the hallmarks of Turkish delight. (more…)

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Apples & cinnamon oatmeal gets a grown up makeover

April 17, 2014

Grown up apples-n-cinnamon oatmeal

I’m sure you all remember the little Quaker oatmeal packets we’d have for breakfast back in the day (or, maybe you still stock your pantry with these guys). Undoubtedly you’d be somewhere, and instead of just having a box of your favorite flavor, they’d have the dreaded flavor variety box. And you were left hoping your favorite flavor was there. Or at least, there would be a flavor you could at least stomach. My favorite flavor was Apples & Cinnamon, and everything else was just a huge disappointment or downright inedible. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had Apples & Cinnamon oatmeal, but a couple of weeks ago I happened to have a plethora of apples and decided that was exactly what I was going to make.

I call this version grown up, because not only does it have huge chunks of apples and nuts in it, but I came up with this recipe while my husband and I were doing an elimination diet. That seems like something only a crazy grown up would do (more…)

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Italian-herbed focaccia

April 14, 2014

Italian Herbed Foccaccia

This focaccia is the perfect complement for yesterday’s veal meatballs. If you use happen to have a bread maker to do the heavy lifting on the mixing and kneading, you’ll spend no time at all (okay, well, mere minutes) getting this bread on the table. The bread will be soft, just the right amount of chewy, just the right amount of crispy, with a little bit of spice from the red pepper flakes. If you manage to have any leftover, it makes a great match with my eggs baked in prosciutto the next morning. (more…)

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Sunday suppers: Veal meatballs with artichokes & carrots

April 13, 2014

Veal Meatballs with Artichoke and Carrot

When I saw this recipe, it just screamed “Spring!!!” at me. Fresh artichokes, veal, carrots, citrus, and a bit of cream. Just heavy enough to break the chill of a spring evening, but light enough to not weigh you down as you’re moving into the warmer months. With Easter just around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect time to post this special meal that takes a little bit of time, but shines so beautifully on the dinner table and is the perfect meal to serve family style that it is worth it! (more…)

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Lamb Merguez & Strawberry Salad

April 2, 2014

Lamb Merguez & Strawberry Salad

Around the change of seasons, when the flowering trees start to shoot out their buds and bushes start show that bright green new growth, the farmer’s market becomes so overwhelmed with fresh strawberries that it becomes impossible for me to walk by stall after stall and not come home with a couple of quarts of them. And that’s how this recipe was born – a trip to my local farmer’s market, too many strawberries, and an adventurous “why not?” purchase of lamb merguez sausage.

Merguez sausage is usually made from lamb, spiced with the North African flavors of cumin and harissa. It has a very rich flavor and often a little kick from the harissa. While it is amazing wrapped in a pita, with my plethora of strawberries I decided to go a slightly different route. (more…)

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