Cookbook Club – Appetites: A Cookbook This year we lost a titan of the food world, so in Anthony Bourdain’s memory we used his Appetites: A Cookbook for our October Cookbook Club. Anthony Bourdain captivated so many people with his fearless travels, so it’s no surprise that this book of his personal favorites includes recipes…
Tag: Basil
Tomato Salad
Good tomatoes don’t need much to become a bright and fresh summer salad. Tomato salad may be one of those salads that actually gets better over time, as the juices release from the tomatoes and all the flavors meld. The liquid that is leftover after you’ve eaten all the tomato is so good that I’ll…
Creamy Feta Red Pepper Vodka Pasta
Did you know there’s such a thing as creamy feta? I didn’t. But I bought it accidentally once, and have been a fan ever since. I happened to have some creamy feta when I got in the mood for vodka pasta, and decided to see if I could use it instead of cream, which I…
Avocado Pasta
Did you know that Compton used to be a giant avocado grove? I didn’t. My friend lives there, and she has one of the remaining avocado trees. It is the most epic avocado tree I have ever seen. Huge, with giant incredibly delicious avocados to match. Every year around avocado season, I try to make…
Spicy Sausage & Mushroom Tomato Sauce Pasta
I adored this spicy sausage and mushroom tomato sauce pasta when I was a kid. My mom always made it with spaghetti noodles, and half the fun was watching my brother eat it. He would suck each individual noodle through his lips, and then eat the sausage and mushrooms later. By the end of the…
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Whenever I go out for Vietnamese food, I like to start my meal with Vietnamese Spring Rolls. They are fresh and crunchy, and a great vehicle for yummy dipping sauce. I learned from a Vietnamese friend that they’re actually pretty straightforward to make. The hardest part is getting the hang of working with the moistened…
Pesto
Pesto is ideal for a Guessipe, because it’s pretty flexible. While pesto is traditionally made with basil, you can substitute with parsley, cilantro, carrot greens, radish greens, beet greens, and probably others! You can also use walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, or pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. In this Guessipe I used walnuts and…