Category Archives: Recipes

Hearty Winter Soup

Here’s a recipe I made up for one of my clients recently, working with fresh produce in season (sweet potatoes and kale) and Italian chicken sausage. She is working on losing some weight, so my goal was to create a healthy, satisfying, nutrient-rich soup. Continue reading

Cake – Delicious and Gluten-free

I have mentioned this recipe to several celiac friends of mine. My mom found the original version in the Bon Appétit cookbook Taste of the World published in 1996—and I found a link to the recipe from a 1995 edition of Bon Appétit.

My mother enjoys trying new recipes, and this certainly was a winner. The original recipe calls for grated lemon peel, but I like to make it with orange zest. Most recently, I made this cake to finish off a Moroccan-themed dinner party. If you’re staying in for dinner instead of going out this evening, this is easy to make and makes a nice, light dessert, which also happens to be gluten-free. Continue reading

Sweets for Your Sweetheart

A client asked me to make some yummy pecan shortbread cookies for a cocktail party recently, and I knew just the recipe I was going to use as a starting point.

In December 2011, I made the Ginger Oat Cookies from The Grand Central Baking Book for another client and discovered the deliciousness of these shortbread cookies. Continue reading

Cheese Dip for Beer Lovers

If you’re having friends over–or attending a gathering–this weekend to watch the Super Bowl, here’s a great idea for a snack to serve to a crowd. My mother shared this recipe with me (I included a copy of her hand-written recipe below), but it is originally from the old Rainier Beer Company.

Serve it with a sliced baguette or a dark bread such as pumpernickel or rye. And serve it with beer, of course. Continue reading

Super Bowl Brisket

Here’s a great dish to prepare for an early February party–perhaps a Super Bowl gathering, February 5.

This recipe just takes a little planning but very little work. It will take two days total, so plan accordingly. Marinate the meat for 24 hours to get the best flavor, and allow 8 hours to cook the meat. The recipe calls for cooking it in the oven, but I am sure the brisket could be cooked on low in a slow cooker or crock pot for the same amount of time. (I don’t own one, so I’ve never tried it.) Continue reading

Going Retro

I was first introduced to this dish in the mid-2000s by a client who requested it for a dinner party. At first I was skeptical–as are most people who are unfamiliar with the dish, I’ve learned–but once I tried it, I was amazed at the flavor.

Without adding any additional liquid, the rice becomes tender simply by absorbing the moisture from the sweet onions. Continue reading

Easy Being Green

This is one of my most popular recipes and several of my regular clients often request that I make it for them. It was one of my aunt’s favorites back in the 1960s, and it recently has seen a resurgence in popularity. Continue reading

A Winter Salad

I apologize for taking so long between posts. I was incredibly busy with parties and family events over the holidays, and the beginning of the new year has been a time for catching up on paperwork, my marathon training (I’ll tell you more about that later), and projects around the house.

But now that I’ve got a snow day–if you don’t live in Seattle, you probably can’t imagine what it’s like here whenever a few flakes fall–I’m catching up with some recipes and blog posts.

Here’s a salad that I prepared for one of my December parties Continue reading

New Year’s Brunch Strata

Last winter, when I had invited several friends over for brunch, I wanted to serve something that could be prepared ahead so I would have as much time as possible to spend with my guests. A strata–a layered, bread pudding-like dish made with bread and eggs–seemed like the perfect solution.

If you’ve got guests coming over for New Year’s Day–or just want to be able to enjoy as much time as possible with your family–I recommend making this dish. Continue reading

Ring in the New Year

Our house in Seattle sits on a hill that overlooks downtown, so we often have friends over on New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks that are set off at midnight from the top of the Space Needle.

Here’s an appetizer I plan to serve to my guests. It’s a relatively easy recipe to follow, so you can make it for your party guests too—or take with you if you are invited to a friend’s house for the celebration. Continue reading