Ward and I are planning on entertaining more regularly, so we’ve been having fun trying out more appetizers and other party-type recipes. We came across a recipe for Poached Shrimp with Spicy Mayo and Garlic Breadcrumbs in the Aug/Sept 2009 issue of Fine Cooking; it was part of a party menu, and we thought we’d [...]

Today I’d like to highlight one of my all-time favorite dishes; it’s a simple and delicious dish that I’ve been making for myself since I was a teenager. It’s also healthy for you, too, which is yet another really good reason to make it.

All you need are:
vegetable oil
1 green pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
salt
And [...]

Honey, Lime and Rum Glazed Shrimp
Ingredients
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup dark rum
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp lime juice
3/4 cup honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. The glaze: Combine [...]

One thing about loving to eat and being married to a man who loves to cook and bake – life takes on this almost magical “my every wish fulfilled” quality.
The other day the latest issue of Gourmet magazine arrived in the mail. My job around here is to look through cookbooks and magazines [...]

Monday night was my birthday, and everyone asked that eternal question: what would you like to do on your birthday? I decided to pick something for everyone, so we went out for an early dinner at East Side Mario’s (it made the kids happy, and I got to have funnel cake with ice cream for [...]

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Garlic Fried Rice (Ninniku Chahan)
Ingredients:
6 – 8 garlic cloves
mixed handful of fresh basil and mint leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups cooked Japanese rice
1 tsp granulated chicken stock
soy sauce to taste
dried bonito flakes (optional)
coarsely ground pepper
Directions:
1. Chop the garlic finely. Cut the basil and mint leaves into 1/3-inch pieces
2. Heat oil in wok and fry the [...]

I love the Italian Wedding Soup they serve at East Side Mario’s, but of course, I’ve always been well-aware that their version is probably nowhere near as good as a homemade version.
So I was thrilled when I recently came across this recipe for Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup) over at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy. [...]

Well, Ward doesn’t know this yet, because I just signed us up, but he’ll enjoy all of the cooking challenges, I know. My friend Brette over at Martha and Me is holding a fun new event called Martha Mondays. Update: to sign up, click here – this will let Brette know you’re interested in playing. [...]

We had shabu shabu tonight, after postponing it yesterday – we got involved in finishing up our living room, which we had just repainted, and Ward was too tired to cook, so we ended up getting take-out.
The shabu shabu was a huge hit, especially with the kids. There’s something about being able to cook your [...]

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Peppers and Crab Mixed Rice
Adapted from Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking, by Harumi Kurihara
Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked rice
4 tsp granulated chicken stock powder or 1 chicken bullion cube
2-1/2 cups water
1 small or medium red pepper
1 small or medium green pepper
12 white button mushrooms
1 cup cooked white crabmeat
2-1/2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Dissolve chicken [...]