Author: icookueataz

BEEF and POTATO EMPANADAS

I don’t get why empanadas aren’t more popular in the US. Meat and vegetables in a pastry shell – it’s a meal in an edible container. And then there are fruit-filled ones for dessert. The fillings are endless. Plus, you can eat them out of your hand, no utensils needed, which makes them great for …

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CARROT CAKE MOON PIES

Sometimes I wonder how it went down. Did an old lady walk into a bakery one day and ask the baker, “Hey, can you make me a vegetable and cheese dessert?” And the baker was like, “Sure, I got these carrots, and some cream cheese…” And the old lady was like, “Perfect.” Whatever the case, …

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GARNACHA SANGRIA

I’m not sure what I like more about sangria, drinking it or picking out all the wine-soaked fruit pieces and eating them. Try making this sangria with a bottle of garnacha, a Spanish wine, whose fruity flavors complement the sangria well. RECIPE makes 1 pitcher 1 bottle red wine (garnacha) 1 orange, sliced into thin …

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PARSLEY PESTO

Parsley pesto is just one variation of traditional pesto – you know the one with basil and pine nuts. Experiment with different herbs. If you have some extra cilantro lying around, turn it into a cilantro pesto. Mint, mint pesto. Chives, maybe make something different… but you never know… For the cilantro pesto, sub in …

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BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI with SAGE and WALNUTS

This is my favorite pasta dish to prepare in the fall. I’ll make it with pumpkin in October when fresh pumpkins are being sold all over the place. Italians actually call squash and pumpkin by the same name, “zucca,” which confused me the first time going to the market in Italy. First make the FILLING… …

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SOPHIA’S GRANOLA

When you make granola for the first time, you’ll realize just how stale the stuff is you buy at the store. And because it’s so simple, you might never buy packaged granola again. Granola is an easy formula to riff on. You can play around with different dried fruits, nuts, spices, and sweeteners. Try dried …

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STRAWBERRY RHUBARB and FRESH MINT SMOOTHIE

That’s the whole recipe in the glass on the left. It’s what smoothies looked like before blenders. I’ve always wondered what it would look like if you put all the ingredients that they list on the back of a Naked juice into a glass before mixing it, like 3 1/4 apples, 27 blueberries, 1 banana… …

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GRILLED SALMON with BALSAMIC REDUCTION and MASHED POTATOES

Balsamic Reduction RECIPE 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar 2 T honey 1 T lemon juice Optional: 1 clove of garlic, smashed (remove at the end) 1/4 tsp chili paste Every balsamic is different, so you’ll have to taste for sweetness. Combine all ingredients and reduce over moderate/low heat until it coats the back of a spoon. …

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HOMEMADE PASTA

RECIPE 1/2 c semolina flour 1 c all purpose flour 3 eggs, 1 whole and 2 yolks (you can use 2 more yolks and little or no water for a richer, yellower pasta) 2 T olive oil 1-3 T water Dash of salt The amount of water you use will vary. It’s mainly used to …

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