While pasta with basil pesto sauce is pretty much heaven on Earth, pasta with a spinach pesto sauce is a good alternative. Sure, it’s summer, and your basil is growing like a weed, but spinach is available year round so you can make this dish any ti…

The pickled eggs have had enough time in the fridge. It was time to bust them out and try them.Damn, that’s pretty. And tasty. A little sweet, but not too much. A little firmer texture than a regular boiled egg. I’m thinking a devilled version of these…

Sometimes you find things where you least expect them. (Obvious, I know.) Case in point: I had no idea that one of Boston’s oldest Irish bars would also serve one of the city’s tastiest lobster rolls. A close friend and I recently tucked in to The…

Pickled eggs have a horrible reputation, somewhere between pickled pig’s feet and SPAM. They’re not the kind of thing most people will admit to liking … at least not around “foodies”.Well, I guess I’m not a foodie, then. Because I like pickled eggs. …

Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord of the vanilla-flavored blog, Vanilla Garlic as he shares a favorite cupcake. ~Elise

It raises my hackles when someone calls something “plain vanilla.” Plain? Plain?! Are they insane?! There’s nothing plain about vanilla!

Given, I’m a little more passionate about the spice than most (if it wasn’t apparent enough). Heck, I named my blog after the stuff. I have no less than 9 varieties of vanilla beans in my pantry. Not to mention 6 kinds of vanilla extract – three of them homemade. Vanilla oil, vanilla sugar, chopped up vanilla beans. I even keep a dried bean in the filter of my vacuum so the place smells like vanilla when I clean.

Even when we discuss the flavor of vanilla, there’s nothing plain about it. Mexican vanilla has a velvety, sweet and creamy scent that begs to be made into puddings. Tahitian vanilla has a heady aroma of figs, that reminds me of summers eating the sticky fruits stuffed with cheese and honey. The dark and rummy smell of Madagascar beans that hint at a slight, musky nose of tobacco. My favorite, the Tonga vanilla bean which, after deep inhale, will bombard you with images of black cherries.

Continue reading “Double Vanilla Cupcakes” »

My sister is a huge fan of roasted red pepper hummus so she was one inspiration behind me creating my own version at home.  The other inspiration was my fancy new blender that I just knew would create the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever made….

Can you believe I’ve made it through the tenth bread in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge? I was a little surprised to see a quick bread recipe in the book, but I’m really happy that Mr. Reinhart decided to include this corn bread.
It’s s…

Basil is my favourite fresh herb. Apparently, in the Mediterranean it is used to ward off mosquitos. Me, i love the smell, especially when it is unwashed. Pesto is used in many italian dishes or simply as an accompaniment to fresh bread. Simply delicious.

You can make pesto using a pestle and mortar or a food processor. I let you guess which is faster. The choice should depend on your preference of consistancy because the food processor will produce a finer texture pesto than the manual method. This recipe uses a blender, although there is no difference in ingredients and not much difference in method.