Search Results for: All Recipes

Peas and Prosperity for the New Year!

Posted on Dec 31, 2019 by Peggy

Wishing you all a potful of good health, prosperity and happiness in the New Year! Family tradition insists I hedge the monetary odds by eating a dish of Hoppin’ John, a black-eyed pea dish typically served in the American South on New Year’s Day. (Mama told me her mama said it’s a holdout from the depression … Full recipe post »

Good Gnocchi Caring!

Posted on Dec 4, 2019 by Peggy

I’m blessed to have a friend who has always seen a better version of me than I see in myself. It’s said that we are the mistresses of our misery, and through the years, I’ve tried to live up to the standards of the woman she thinks I am, usually missing the mark.  This special friend, however, has always helped … Full recipe post »

Musings on Twice-Baked Potatoes, Books, and Restorative Acts of Kindness

Posted on Nov 12, 2019 by Peggy

Saturday night I was part of a band of merry revelers who joined forces to throw our friend a potluck birthday party. I was charged with making the birthday girl’s favorite side, Twice-Stuffed Potatoes––a classic. This path of aging has its drawbacks but it carries with it a suitcase filled with wisdom. I’m at a stage where life is about surrounding myself with people I … Full recipe post »

The Ruby of the Sea

Posted on Oct 15, 2019 by Peggy

Today I’m revealing the title and cover of my third novel, THE RUBY OF THE SEA. Perhaps not as food-centric as THE PROMISE KITCHEN or THE WELCOME HOME DINER, food lovers will not be disappointed. Especially if you enjoy a bit of Cuban heat in your recipe repertoire. The novel is about the indelible bond … Full recipe post »

Farmer’s Market Succotash

Posted on Sep 13, 2019 by Peggy

In my part of the world, September welcomes an excess of riches at Farmers Markets across the state. Whenever I see lima beans, I’m reminded of a traditional stew of the Indian-Americans made from corn kernels, lima beans, and tomatoes. Living in the wintry climate of Ann Arbor, it’s a luxury using all fresh vegetables … Full recipe post »

The Down and Dirty of Putting Up Pesto (a no-recipe recipe)

Posted on Aug 31, 2019 by Peggy

Every year I make a big batch of pesto and freeze it.  I’ve just come down from an agonizing month of final run edits for my 3rd novel, and don’t have it in me to measure ingredients. And I sure as hell won’t go the traditional way of concocting this herbaceous bliss by blending my ingredients in a mortar and … Full recipe post »

Apple-Hickory Smoked Chicken

Posted on Jul 2, 2019 by Peggy

This morning I woke up from a nightmare. I was the cooking wench for the House of Stark in their ancestral castle of Winterfell, located in Westeros, the northernmost province of the Seven Kingdoms. I had just pulled these birds from the pit as winter fell, promising to linger for many, many years. Yes, indeed. The weather is a … Full recipe post »

Brooklyn & Manhattan: A Savory Rendezvous!

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Peggy

Last week, I was hosting a discussion in a chat room—Blue Sky Book Chat––about friendships and communities formed on-line. This was in the wake of a four-day food and book mash-up in Manhattan and Brooklyn with my son, Zan, and friend, Alison Ragsdale. I met Alison–a Scot’s lass who has written several books set in … Full recipe post »

Culinary Kenya!

Posted on Mar 13, 2019 by Peggy

The first thing my son asked me and Richard upon our return from Africa was, “What did you eat?” Not, “Did you see all of ‘The Big Five’ animals?“, or “Could you sleep knowing that lions were outside your tent?” No, nothing so pedestrian. He was curious about our culinary options while we were on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. … Full recipe post »

Beautiful Soups!

Posted on Jan 17, 2019 by Peggy
Scarola e Faciole: White Bean and Escarole Soup with Pancetta

Hunkering down into the folds of winter, my body begs a slowing down, a turning inward, a  respite from the frantic pace of December. The seasonal change also brings a change in what I’m craving–– at the moment, soul-nurturing meal-in-a-pot soups. Below, I’ve mapped together some of my well-tested global favorites. (For dozens more, check out the drop … Full recipe post »

She’s No Angel: Holiday Musings on Victuals and Vice.

Posted on Dec 4, 2018 by Peggy

Like a thunder of army boots marching into town, I dread the inevitable scourge of New Year’s insight promoting radical behavioral shifts sure to trample me next month. December offers us carte blanche; Eat, Drink and Be Merry. But January draws nigh, when some of us find ourselves hamsters on a double wheel of  guilt trips, agonizing over the previous year’s excess of food and … Full recipe post »

Pintxos––The Backbone of San Sebastian’s Culinary Landscape

Posted on Nov 10, 2018 by Peggy

Just returned from a journey that I cobbled together with a close friend. Like myself, she’s a food and travel-junky. We meandered through the Basque region of Spain and France, finishing the trip in Fes, the heart and gastronomic capital of Morocco. I’ll let the pictures do the talking in San Sebastian, Spain, sharing with you … Full recipe post »

Turmeric Pasta with a Roasted Cauliflower-Lentil Ragu

Posted on Oct 12, 2018 by Peggy

Must pasta insist we default to basil and oregano when seasoning the accompanying sauce? Does Indian cuisine demand we pay homage to  proteins with basmati rice, potatoes or Naan? Break free the chains! Particularly now since Al Dente’s latest line of Piccola Pastas have hit market shelves to switch things up. My last post, Pastazanella, was  inspired by … Full recipe post »

Pasta Salad Preview: Pastazanella (First in a 3-part series)

Posted on Aug 22, 2018 by Peggy

You’ve heard of panzanella, right? That oh so delicious  salad celebrating tomatoes when they’re bursting on the vines–even more handy to have in your recipe repertoire  when you’ve a loaf of slightly stale Artisan bread that’s begging to be utilized? But what about Pastazanella? I just made a big batch, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never heard of that. Pastazanella … Full recipe post »

My Secret Weapon Flavor Bomb for Savory, Summery Vinaigrettes

Posted on Jul 2, 2018 by Peggy

Last night we had friends over for a Fourth of July warm-up dinner party. The hyper-local menu–Grilled Sumac Lamb Chops, Cherry Couscous Salad and Asparagus–was created with the bulk of ingredients sourced in a one-mile radius; easy to pull off at this time of the year in the orchards and farmlands of Northern Michigan. The day before … Full recipe post »