Tea

April 7, 2010

Lemon Meringue Pots

Ok, before we even start this post, I have to ask.  Does anyone else see a baboon in the picture of the lemon meringue above?  Or perhaps Simba from the Lion King? It is kind of like a sighting of the Virgin Mary, but without any religious implications or unexpected media attention. But perhaps this is a forewarning of one, truly wild dessert…so with that in mind, off we go. For the Mom’s birthday dinner menu, I was given three simple, low sodium requests: (1) risotto cupcakes, (2) juicy lamb, and her ultimate, favorite dessert, (3) lemon meringue pie. As […]

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February 10, 2010

Custard’s Last Stand

Although this may be a shock, there are some people in this world who do not like chocolate.  No, no.  I don’t mean myself.  Trust me, I’m on a steady diet of the dark stuff for breakfast every morning.  It’s good for your health, right?  But there are people out there (hey Dad) who, for some reason, do not taste the bitter sweet, buttery flavors that we find so decadent.  So for those folk, I wanted to offer up a Valentine’s Day treat that is not dipped, coated, or sprinkled with any form of cacao: A Simple Vanilla Custard. This […]

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January 25, 2010

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, the Lunch Edition

Last week, I played caterer to a very special guest.  Apron tied on tight, prep bowls aplenty, and a glass of white wine to keep me cool under pressure, I served a three course meal that was light, bright, and of course, low in sodium.  While my companion’s identity will remain anonymous – sorry, I’m keeping this one to myself – I will share with you the secrets that made this mid-afternoon feast  an easy success. I went simple, choosing recipes that I could make the evening before, that required minimal attention, and that, well, honestly, had a lot of margin […]

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January 8, 2010

Dream a Little Dream Bar

This recipe for Dream Bars is care of my wonderful Nana, who I am sure pick-pocketed it from someone else, but for the sake of legacy and honor, we will just go ahead and give her full credit. The brookies (brownie cookies) make the most of baking’s basic ingredients and the extra flare of sugar-soaked coconut will transport your taste buds to a magical, tropical island in the dead of winter.  They are perfectly chewy and hold up well when given a deep dunk in a glass of coconut milk.  You will use one bowl, one pan, and only 40 […]

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December 1, 2009

Cookie Hang

Oh me oh my – it’s the holidays. 96.5 has been blasting Christmas carols since the middle of November, store-front windows are sporting a menagerie of lights and pine needles, and people are gathering regularly for exchanges of gifts, goodies, and sweet treats. Last night my book club traded in well-read pages for a cookie hang which, for those of you who do not craft on a regular basis or own an absurd amount of tupperware, is an event in where people gather with enough baked goods for everyone to share. There are oohs and ahhs, a lot of munching, […]

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November 20, 2009

Check Out My Cheese

Usually I try to come up with a somewhat intriguing title. But this time, the subject was so exciting that I had to rush past the presentation and skip to the good stuff. I made cheese. No seriously, I did. All by myself. Most amazingly, it was really easy. And most surprisingly, people who usually eat salt, lots of it, liked it. So the scenario goes like this: like I said in my last post, I signed up to attend the Jam It session at 18 reasons on Thursday night at which jamming, pickling, and DIY-fooding enthusiasts and professionals gathered […]

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July 6, 2009

Pea Soup

My mom, boy’s mom, and I decided to meet for lunch one beautifully sunny afternoon and I wanted to treat them both to something light, bright, and delicious. I was aiming to fix a meal that was quick to make, full of flavor, and of course, sodium-free. So, I settled on curried egg salad sandwiches and some cold pea soup – my cup of soup, of course, is the one topped with hot red chili flakes – it may have been chilled, but I am always hankering for some heat. The recipes are simple and the tastes are just complex […]

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