Author Archives: jessica

Orange Sherbet

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I don’t know why sherbet is spelled like this but pronounced sherbert. I do know that it is different than sorbet because it has dairy in it – in this case, whole milk. I’ve made many different flavors of sorbet before (my favorites being raspberry and cranberry), but I’ve never tried to make sherbet. After buying the citrus juicer for my kitchen aid, I decided I needed to make some recipes with juice, and orange sherbet was the perfect thing to try! I love freshly squeezed orange juice, so combining it with sugar and milk and freezing it must taste good, right?! Continue reading …

Vegetable Soup

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What do you do with all the leftover veggies lying around your fridge? Well, we know one option is to make a pot pie out of them. Or you can always roast them. But it’s cold out, so soup is another option. If you also have some dried beans (or a can) lying around, you can have a healthful lunch or a wonderful side with dinner (or add a crostini or garlic bread to dip into the soup and voila – dinner!). Add your favorite mini pasta and you’ll get a thicker and more hearty soupy meal. Continue reading …

Potato and Mushroom Gratin

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Every month, I’m lucky enough to get the newest Bon Appetit in my mailbox (subscribe here). I always look through it and bookmark all the recipes I want to try. There are way too many, so I like to try at least one recipe from each issue. Back in November, I saw a recipe for a gratin and knew I had to try it. I just didn’t know it would take me MONTHS to actually do it. Not that it was hard or anything, but there are just SO many recipes on my to do list that I don’t always get around to making some until way later than I want. And sometimes when new recipes come along and the ingredients are already in my pantry, older ones just get pushed aside (but never forgotten, because of course I write them down).

Does anyone know a good way to cure myself of this too-many-recipes-on-my-to-do-list syndrome? That doesn’t involve turning off food network or browsing cookbooks. Because otherwise I would be bored. Continue reading …

Passion Tea Lemonade

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Ever been to Starbucks and spend way too much money on a drink? I know I have. And I love their passion tea lemonade. So when I bought Tazo passion tea from the supermarket, I had an idea. Instead of only drinking it hot with a little bit of honey, why not prepare some iced passion tea and drink it just like at Starbucks? I added some homemade lemonade and it was a hit! A little more lemonadey than the Starbucks kind, but that can definitely be tweaked according to taste. I definitely like it that way.

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Lachmagine

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Lachmagine is a classic mazza, a “small bite” Syrian Jews often eat before dinner. It’s kind of like a mini pizza, but instead of sauce and cheese we put tamarind and meat on it. It’s a staple in many homes on Shabbat and holidays.

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Chocolate Souffles

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I decided to be daring and bake souffles – a chocolately, gooey, and rich dessert. I tried this once before, and misplaced the recipe, but luckily The Art and Soul of Baking came to my rescue. Of course. The best part was that this new recipe said you could refrigerate them for a day before baking…I love doing things ahead of time! Continue reading …

Company Pot Roast

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I have seen this episode of Barefoot Contessa many many times. Ina makes this pot roast with some baked potatoes. It’s such an easy recipe, though you do need a whole bunch of ingredients to make it. I finally decided to try it, and it was definitely worth it! The pot roast is soft and flavorful, and the sauce is thick and delicious over rice or couscous. I dipped garlic bread in mine. yum! It’s also a pretty forgiving recipe, so if you don’t have some of the ingredients, don’t fret! Continue reading …

Charred Tomato Soup

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Tomato soup is one of those amazing winter recipes. You can have it with noodles and cheese to make it a one-pot meal on a snowy evening. And it just improves in the fridge, so you can take leftovers for lunch! I had been thinking about making tomato soup with a can of tomatoes I had in my pantry when I watched Alex’s Day off. She combined fresh and canned tomatoes for an even more intense tomato flavor. Sure, her tomatoes looked better than the pinkish ones that I found in the supermarket, but after charring them on the stove and cooking them in wine, they really add some amazing flavor.

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Enormous Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Even though I bake a ton of desserts and experiment with not-so-normal sweets, sometimes I just crave chocolate chip cookies. Baking them, that is. So this time I decided not to make just regular chocolate chip cookies (you know, the kind from the back of a chocolate chip bag), but giant ones with lots of chunks and some sea salt. A grown up version, I guess. Continue reading …

Danishes

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I love making breakfast foods and pastries! You probably knew that already. So what better recipe to make than danishes? The buttery dough and cream-cheesy filling can’t be beat.

Of course you can make something that is sort of similar to danishes using store bought puff pastry (like Ina and Giada do). But it’s NOT the same! So if you have the time, give these a try.

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