An elegant and delicious treat to enjoy during the Christmas season. Â Alternatively, use natural green food coloring and dip the chocolate in crushed green candy canes. Â These beautiful and yummy meringues are guaranteed to impress your family and friends! … Continue reading →
Southern-style Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
Green beans, depending on how they're prepared, can be either just "tolerable" or they can be something that are actually enjoyable to eat. Â This recipe makes eating green beans a pleasure. Â You won't find yourself gulping them down just so you can clear your plate and pat … Continue reading →
Jalapeno Apple Pie
Not your grandmothers apple pie. Laced with traditional cinnamon and sugar and punctuated by spicy hot jalapeno, this is all-American apple pie with a KICK! … Continue reading →
Cranberry (or Cherry) Almond Streusel Cake
Cranberries, another highly nutritious "superfruit", are nestled in this moist butter and sour cream-based streusel cake along with ground almonds and a hint of orange. Â This cake was no sooner placed on the cake platter than it was stampeded by the clatter of eager forks … Continue reading →
Perfect Indian Naan Bread
A traditional flatbread that commonly accompanies Indian dishes, this recipe yields deliciously soft, moist, and tender Naan Bread. … Continue reading →
Ultimate Pumpkin Bread (+ a Tour Through Goblin Valley!)
Halloween is approaching and while I didn't bake or cook anything "scary", I thought I'd share something with you that's nonetheless fitting for the season: Â Ultimate Pumpkin Bread! Â Whether you like or dislike pumpkin bread or may think you already have the best recipe for … Continue reading →
Mega Healthy Pancakes
The next installment to my Mega Healthy food series!  Ever since experimenting with my Mega Healthy Honey Olive Quinoa Cake, quinoa has become a baking favorite. Quinoa is ideal because it cooks up especially soft and blends in well with whatever it's baked in.  These … Continue reading →
Easy Weeknight Jambalaya
Thank you to Pollinate Media Group and Hillshire Brand Company for sponsoring this post. As much as I love to cook, it can be challenging to find the time to do it.  I know you can relate.  I've found that to be especially true now that I have two toddlers.  And so … Continue reading →
Buttery Sautéed Leek with Bacon
Something simple. Â Something good. Â A quick and easy side dish to enjoy with virtually any meal. Simple enough to serve with good ol' comfort food while elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. Regardless where or how it's served, anything with butter and bacon is … Continue reading →
Chanterelle Mushroom & Goat Cheese Crostini
Thank you to Honest Cooking for sponsoring this post.  I am thrilled to be partnering with Honest Cooking to promote the first ever North Nordic Food Festival being held the first week of October in New York City!  This 7-day extravaganza will feature the cuisines of … Continue reading →
French Almond Cake with Lavender Lemon Glaze {Appreciation Post}
Another Daring Gourmet original to enjoy before the Summer is through. This cake is special. Â The smell of it baking, its magnificent flavor, its delicate texture and graceful appearance...this cake is absolutely delightful. … Continue reading →
Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish
Nothing fancy, just a humble homemade sweet pickle relish. Â But it's downright good. Â In fact, it's the best I've ever had. Â It adds a wonderful dimension to your sandwiches, hot dogs, pasta and potato salads. Â So easy to make with instructions for canning so you can enjoy … Continue reading →
Indian Red Lentil Dip
If you think this sounds and looks familiar, you're right! Â A while back I posted my recipe for Masoor Dal, an Indian red lentil soup. Â It's my favorite Indian soup and I've discovered that the way I enjoy eating it best is as a dip. Â This is a thicker version of Masoor Dal … Continue reading →
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
  Thanks to Green Giantâ„¢ Veggie Snack Chips for sponsoring this post! Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread.  Clearly I was experiencing some flavor combination cravings that wouldn't be satisfied until I unleashed my experimental powers in the kitchen.  And fortunately … Continue reading →
DG’s Steak Sauce
Whether you're partial to Heinz 57 or are an A1 Sauce loyalist, you're going to love this homemade steak sauce! Â With a deeply robust, sweet-spicy, and smoky flavor, this sauce will enliven anything you put it on - and you may never buy store-bought again! … Continue reading →
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon custards, puddings and pies have been made and enjoyed since the Middle Ages. Meringue came on board some time during the 1600's and then, in the 1800's, Swiss baker Alexander Frehse came up with the brilliant idea of combining the two - lemon and meringue - to make … Continue reading →
Pakistani Chickpea & Pistachio Fudge (Besan Ki Barfi)
Besan Ki what?? Â The name, yes the name. Â And it's precisely the name that drew my attention to it in the first place and intrigued me enough to give this traditional Pakistani treat a try. Â If you had come across a sweet called "barfi", wouldn't you have wanted to try it … Continue reading →
Bobotie (South African Meatloaf Casserole)
One of the most flavorful and delicious casseroles you will ever try, Bobotie is an absolute feast for the taste buds! The national dish of South Africa, Bobotie features meat, fruit, nuts, curry, and a host of other spices and ingredients that combine to create the most … Continue reading →
Cheese Lovers Unite – Castello Moments Ultimate Recipe Roundup
Thank you to Honest Cooking and Castello for sponsoring this post. Remember that German Picnic Salad I shared with you a couple of weeks ago? Â Yep, that's the one. In it I sang the praises of good cheese and divulged my latest love affair - Castello's Alps … Continue reading →
Shanghai Burgers
Sometimes there just are no words. Like this time. Yum. Aw, I can do better than that. Â Let's try this again... Scrumptiously, delectably, exquisitely, deliciously, lusciously, scandalously, daringly, tantalizingly ...YUM! There, that's better. We all have … Continue reading →
Bananas Foster Popovers
Thank you to Pollinate Media Group and Huggies for sponsoring this post. Sponsored post A few months ago when I was trying to think of ideas to use up a large batch of fresh strawberries, the idea of using popovers in place of traditional shortcake came to mind. … Continue reading →
Red Robin Banzai Burger Copycat Recipe
To quote a friend, "Sometimes you just need a great burger." Â I couldn't agree more. … Continue reading →
German Picnic Salad
Thank you to Honest Cooking and Castello for sponsoring this post! Though I do try to exercise self-control, I'm a bit of a cheese addict. Â Growing up in Europe with regular access to the world's best cheeses rendered me into something of a cheese snob. Â I can't help it. … Continue reading →
Ginger Scallion Noodles
Ginger Scallion Noodles. Â Ready in less than 15 minutes + can be made ahead of time + tastes delicious = Yes, please! … Continue reading →
Spaghetti with Roasted Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes
The weather has been gorgeous here. Â My appetite for large meals often wanes on hot days and I find myself craving something lighter and fresher. Â Something more "seasonal." Â What could be more synonymous with Summer than fresh garden herbs, tomatoes, and sweet corn on the … Continue reading →
Grilled Chicken and Roasted Cherry Tomato Salad with Herbed Champagne Dijon Vinaigrette
This past Friday was the first official day of Summer! Â Salads are one of my favorite things to eat on hot days. Â Not that the weather's been hot here in WA, in fact right now it's pouring rain, but it was a beautiful weekend for the most part and that called for a yummy … Continue reading →
Herbed Champagne Dijon Vinaigrette
Everyone needs a good vinaigrette recipe on hand. Â This one is it. Â Robust enough to dress up a main dish salad, yet delicate enough to accentuate any accompanying flavors. If you haven't tried champagne vinegar before, you really need to. Â Preferred by many chefs, … Continue reading →
Ultimate Chicken Chow Mein
Good food is therapeutic. Â It adds spice to life, offers comfort for the "blah's", provides warmth on a cold evening, coolth on a hot day...and helps unravel and unfrazzle you after having spent two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the cursed I-5 headed south of Seattle … Continue reading →
Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Two years ago CNN conducted a poll among 35,000 individuals to determine the world's 50 most beloved foods.  The results were unexpected.  Guess what ranked #2?  You got it, Nasi Goreng! Nasi Goreng, the national dish of Indonesia, translates as "fried rice."  A few weeks … Continue reading →
Curried Hash Brown Scramble
I made potato salad this past Saturday to take on a family picnic. Â I ended up boiling more potatoes than I needed, so I put the leftovers in the refrigerator for another use. Â The potatoes ended up coming in handy for a quick meal on a time crunch. I love potatoes. Â Made … Continue reading →
Caramel Banana Upside Down Bread
I couldn't take it anymore. Â After two carb-free days to lose the 2 pounds I had gained after an indulgent week, I had to have CARBS. Â A few days ago I was back down to my desired weight and I approached the day with a smile on my face. Â An almost intoxicated giddiness set … Continue reading →
Honey Mustard Dilly Cheese Chops
Sometimes in life good things happen by what seems like a sheer stroke of luck. Â Like spontaneously throwing together a recipe without any pre-meditation and having it turn out perfectly. Â Like this pork chop recipe. I didn't know what to make for dinner last night. Â And … Continue reading →
Chicken Teriyaki Noodles
In the mood for Asian? Â Not in the mood to cook, or at least nothing that's going to take more than 15 minutes? Â Well you've come to the right place! Â This meets all your criteria for quick, Asian, and delicious! Remember that luscious Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe I … Continue reading →
Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
I purchased some marvelous hazelnut oil from an international grocery store in Seattle a week ago. I finally opened it and inhaled...deeply.  The aroma, oh my, the aroma!  I bought it with the intention of using it as a finishing oil, primarily for salads and vegetables. … Continue reading →
Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Pasta is often my go-to food when I'm in a hurry and need to churn out something quickly. Â Like "10-15 minutes" quickly. Â Pasta is one of those things that requires very little effort to make taste good. Â Take my Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Scampi, for example. Â Within 10 minutes … Continue reading →
Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
I had a huge organic sweet potato left over from making baby food for my daughter. Â I also had some sweet onions and an opened package of bacon that needed to be used. Â I'm not sure what the mental process was that ultimately led me to the idea of incorporating these items … Continue reading →
Porcini Mushroom Linguine with Chicken, Shiitakes and Gorgonzola
I received some pasta from Pappardelle's for review. Â All opinions are entirely my own. In general, I've become pretty tired of store-bought pasta. Â Do you feel the same? Â Just a little bit jaded? Â Even the "flavored" ones lack flavor. Â Either they don't add enough of … Continue reading →
Strawberries and Cream Popovers
Quick to make, easy to assemble, and visually appealing. Â A lovely, original alternative to traditional strawberry shortcake. Â You can substitute any berry of your choice. The idea for these came on whim as I was making popovers to go with a stew. Â While handling and … Continue reading →
French Almond Cake with Green Tea Honey Glaze
Oh. Â My. Â Golly. Â Goodness. Don't let the simple appearance of this cake fool you - there's nothing simple about the flavor. Â Almonds, vanilla, green tea and honey combine to make this a truly remarkable cake. Â Light and airy, layers of flavor, and the perfect touch of … Continue reading →
Mexican Grillades and Grits
Served at home, at weddings and parties, and even at classy debutante balls, Grillades and Grits is a traditional brunch from Louisiana. This recipe is an original spin on this classic dish. Â Grillades and Grits "Mexican Style"! I recently made the classic New Orleans … Continue reading →