Zuppa Toscana is the best soup at Olive Garden. It’s actually the only reason I ever go to Olive Garden. So now that I figured out how to make it at home, I guess I don’t have any reason to go to Olive Garden anymore. The Instant Pot makes this extra quick and easy to…
Category: Guessipes
Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup
Now that I’ve experienced what quick work the Instant Pot can make of cooking beans, I’ve been much more willing to experiment with bean dishes. I ate a white bean and sausage soup years ago that I still remember and think about from time to time, and now finally got around to re-creating. It was…
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
I rarely cook beans, mostly because it takes FOREVER. But not with an Instant Pot! I finally got one and have been experimenting, with varying levels of success. It’s been a process, gradually figuring out cooking times, liquid quantities required, and seasoning when you can’t taste as you go. This was the first Instant Pot…
Guava Cheese Pastries
My favorite Cuban bakery and my favorite Taiwanese bakery both have Guava Cheese Pastries. They are delicious, and similar enough that it got me thinking I could probably make them at home using my guava jam and the amazing ricotta from my cheese hookup. Guava Cheese Pastries are typically made with cream cheese, but I’ve…
Passion Fruit Ricotta Cookies
After the success of the cupcakes made with gluten-free flour, I decided cookies might be another good use for that flour. My cheese buddy suggested ricotta cookies, and the local passion fruit plants are dropping ripe fruits right now… so passion fruit ricotta cookies! This guessipe made over 40 cookies, and they were all consumed…
Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes
I was gifted a bag of gluten-free flour, and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. I happened to see an article that said gluten-free flour is actually better for making cupcakes with a more even crumb, and since I’ve been wanting to figure out uses for my gluten-free flour decided – what…
Passion Fruit Pie with Mascarpone Cream
It’s time again for my favorite holiday… Pi(e) Day! This year I decided to make a Passion Fruit Pie with Mascarpone Cream. I thought the mascarpone would be a nice counterpoint to the tanginess of the passion fruit. And I wanted a crumb crust, but thought that the graham cracker flavor didn’t quite go with…
Warm Cabbage Salad
We tried a new restaurant for my birthday, and the best thing we had was a Warm Cabbage Salad which consisted of a roasted napa cabbage steak topped with green goddess dressing, parmesan, and crispy anchovies. I have been thinking about that salad ever since, so finally decided to try re-creating it at home. My…
Ritz Peanut Chocolate Cookies
When I was a kid, one of my favorite snacks that my dad and I would eat together was peanut butter on Ritz crackers. As an adult, I discovered that I could coat Ritz cracker peanut butter sandwiches in chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt to make a more “elevated” treat. With four ingredients that…
Macau Egg Tarts
When I visited Japan I stumbled upon Lord Stow’s Bakery, which turned out to be famous for its Macau Egg Tarts (also called Portuguese custard tarts or Pastel de Nata). They reminded me of the egg tarts I’d grown up eating at dim sum, only the pastry was flakier and the filling seemed to be…
Bruschetta
I love bruschetta, but can’t bring myself to order it in a restaurant because it is so easy and inexpensive to make at home. The first time I made this bruschetta for my boyfriend he said, “This is the best bruschetta I’ve eaten in my life… and I’ve eaten a lot of bruschetta!”. Guessipe Toss…
No-Knead Crusty Bread
A friend of mine shared this no-knead bread recipe with me a long time ago, and I’d made it a ton because it was so easy and delicious. The original recipe called for bread flour, but noted that you could also use all-purpose flour. I’d made it both ways, until one day I went to…