Guava Ricotta Hors D’oeuvres

My cheese hookup came through again… this time with the creamiest, most incredible ricotta I have ever eaten! I just happened to have made guava jam using guavas gifted to me by my neighbors (I feel so lucky to have friends who like to give me food!), and it occurred to me that I could…

Guava Jam

My neighbors gave me some wonderfully ripe guavas fresh from their tree. I love the taste of guava, but I hate the multitude of seeds. I know that some people eat the seeds, but I find them unpleasantly hard. These guavas were so fragrant that I even tried eating one, but the seeds distracted from…

Saltado de Vegetales

I introduced my boyfriend to Peruvian food and he became obsessed with Saltado de Vegetales, begging me to figure out how to make it at home. The waiter at my favorite Peruvian restaurant informed me that the key is aji amarillo paste. So I acquired some aji amarillo paste and got to work. My boyfriend…

Coconut Mango Dessert Soup

I know a dessert soup sounds weird and maybe not that appetizing, but that’s probably because it has a better name that I don’t know. I once had something like this at a Chinese banquet dinner and loved it so much that I went around to all the people who looked like they weren’t eating…

Iced Coffee

My dad told me he had been adding cinnamon to his coffee grounds when he makes coffee, and it opened my eyes to the wonders of flavoring coffee before you brew it rather than just adding the flavoring afterward. It better infuses the flavor, plus you don’t get the grittiness of the spices floating around…

Kabocha Squash with Ground Pork

I love the taste of squash, but it can be hard work to cut, remove the seeds, and peel. Kabocha is one of my favorite squashes because the skin is edible. It’s so much less work when you don’t have to worry about removing the skin, and it makes a hearty and delicious stir-fry with…

Cheese-Swirled Bread

When I make this bread, my boyfriend will eat the whole loaf in one day. The bread is soft and fluffy on the inside, with a crispy cheese crust on top, and delish herb cheese swirling through the middle. I have tried every combination of cheese and herbs – my favorite is cheddar with green…

Hummus Honey Salad Dressing

I was at a friend’s for dinner and she made a salad with a really tasty dressing. When I asked her about the dressing, she said it was mostly hummus with a little honey, apple cider vinegar, and some other seasonings. I kept thinking about that dressing for weeks after the dinner, so decided I…

Mozzarella and Crispy Salami Focaccia Sandwich

I was looking for more ways to use up that delish fresh mozzarella from my friend, and came up with this mozzarella and crispy salami focaccia sandwich that used up all kinds of leftovers from pizza night (including this Pizza Dough Focaccia). I see a lot of these sandwiches in my future. Guessipe focaccia olive…

Pizza Dough Focaccia

Did you know that you can make focaccia using pizza dough? We’ve been doing a lot of pizza parties, but often we end up with leftover dough. It’s a snap to turn that dough into a very snackable rosemary focaccia. Guessipe pizza dough olive oil flaky sea salt rosemary Generously oil a baking pan. Coat…

Fresh Mozzarella Plate

My friend’s cheese company supplies restaurants, so when he brings me cheese the quantities are laughably large for a home cook. And of course with my aversion to wasting food, I have to use it all up before it goes bad. Not that I’m complaining about having to figure out what to do with massive…

Caprese

More hookups from my friend at the cheese company! This time he gifted me fresh mozzarella! Of course the first thing that popped into my mind was caprese – the combination of mozzarella, tomato, and basil dressed with olive oil, balsamic, and salt is so simple yet so scrumptious that it’s no wonder it’s on…