Good + Good for You in Santa Fe, New Mexico
It’s not often that I am caught with my culinary pants down. But that’s exactly what happened last week when I was asked to host our book club gathering at the last minute when the intended host got sick. The truth is, living alone over the last three months has challenged my cooking skills. I…
If I have learned anything in my five-plus decades of life, it’s that what you want to happen and what often happens, aren’t always the same. Life is about change and adapting to these inevitable changes is imperative. Adapting is my claim to fame. Change is the Only Constant This is how this bread recipe…
Summertime is when we refuse to turn on the oven and instead turn our focus to cold foods that require little effort but deliver big flavors. Salads, slaws and cold soups fit the bill. After making this recipe three times over the last few weeks, now you, too, can savor the long summer days and…
There are cookies and there are cookies. Some get the job done, while others soar high above the traditional cookie. These cookies are the latter. And I have my favorite neighbor to thank for this glorious recipe. We have both been making these cookies over and over and now it’s time to spread the cookie…
Now that spring is here, we can turn up the volume on our favorite salads. While a lettuce salad can be super satisfying (like this one), what I really dig is a “salad” that kicks lettuce to the curb and incorporates other ingredients. Creating this kind of “salad” calls on what you have on hand…
There’s something seductive about the words “slow-roasted.” I love roasting vegetables, but I usually crank up the heat to 425 degrees. Therefore, the idea of slow-roasting something at a low temperature caught my attention years ago when Deb Perelman of the Smitten Kitchen first shared this recipe in 2018. Slow Roasted Sweet Potatoes These slow-roasted…
With two spring holidays–Passover and Easter–coming into focus, it’s time to think about menu planning. And with the two celebrations just two days apart this year, I have the perfect recipe that can serve both occasions. Coconut macaroons. Being a coconut macaroon lover, I have made dozens of different recipes over the last 10 years…
Sometimes, I am like the Cookie Monster with potatoes. Potatoes! Spuds have been one of my favorite foods for as long as I can remember. I mean, what’s not to love about a starchy root vegetable that is inherently diverse, delicious and decadent?! From rich and creamy potato soup to buttery mashed potatoes to crispy…
Growing up, tuna salad was one of our go-to’s when we needed a quick meal. My mother loved Miracle Whip and my father preferred Hellman’s. This was why she made two different batches. Because I was not into sweet mayo, I shared my father’s batch. Honestly, I think my mother was grateful because she could…
Santa Fe’s winter has been tepid this year and, much to my dismay, it felt like spring was already springing. And this is why we should never give up hope. It has snowed three times in the last two weeks and more snow is expected tonight. Even a thin blanket of snow is welcome as…
Cooking is my salvation. During good times and bad times and everything in between, the kitchen is where I find solace. But it’s been a while since I’ve cooked, so rather than dive in, I’m taking baby steps. And because chocolate always makes everything better, this two-ingredient chocolate pudding from Elana’s Pantry seems to be…
For the second time in two decades, we went out for Thanksgiving this year. Considering it’s our favorite holiday with “must-have” dishes, we decided to make a reservation instead and it was lovely. We’ve had a pretty hectic schedule lately so we took the easy road. This meant I was free from the chains of…
Cooler fall temperatures put our beloved oven back in the limelight. After months of avoidance, we opted instead for gazpacho and grilled foods. But the oven is the kitchen’s most fierce workhorse and I’m ready to put it to work again. Roasted vegetables are a fall and winter staple in my house. From Brussels sprouts…
Yes, you read that right. Banana bread brownies. If you love banana bread and brownies, this creative and good + good for you combination is going to rock your world. The recipe swept into my life a few weeks ago and I thought, “I need to try that.” It’s a Giada de Laurentiis recipe and…
When summer tomatoes are at their peak, and super ripe and juicy, sometimes all that’s needed is a generous sprinkle of good-quality salt. But magic happens when you chop four ripe tomatoes, add the required salt, chopped garlic, basil, olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and red chile flakes. And then let all of these…
Coffee ice cream has been my go-to number one ice cream flavor since I was a kid. It was my grandmother’s favorite ice cream and it soon became my favorite as well. Haagen-Dazs and Blue Bell were the gold standards back then, but there’s not a lot of viable dairy-free coffee ice cream options today….
Fried seafood makes for a perfect summer meal. Fried fish, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried scallops. And French fries. Having heard David’s stories of traveling the New England coast to eat at the most iconic seafood shacks, I can almost taste it now. Though lobster rolls tend to be the preferred northeastern summer dish, fried…
With vaccinations on the rise and life slowly returning to some semblance of normalcy, we are once again gathering and it feels good. Coffee dates, lunch meetings and after-hours events are picking up. But percolating summer temps means it’s time to replace our go-to hot cup of coffee with its chill cousin. Lattes are good…
As a born and raised Texan, some version of bean salsa is a staple at every party, event and gathering. Known as Texas caviar, it usually features black-eyed peas, black beans and corn. It was never my thing, but it was standard buffet fare in the Lone Star State. Fast forward to Memorial Day 2021…
It was one of the top-selling soups at our Puerto Mio resort in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It surprised me as well. Hot soup on a hot beach? But soups are a big thing in Mexico. Hot or cold, they are part of the dining experience–in restaurants and in homes. And sopa de tortilla is one of…
Ever since nailing our first Chinese dish at home last year–thank you pork and asparagus stir-fry–our cravings for homemade Asian dishes have not waned. In fact, with our collective boost in confidence that we can make successful Asian recipes, our interest has swooned. Perhaps this is why the bok choy with brown sauce and crispy…
There is inherent joy in discovering something new. The thrill of finding a new restaurant, making a new friend or being introduced to a new artist. It feeds our curiosity, nourishes us and compels us to keep looking for the next new thing that speaks to us. This exercise can be particularly delicious when discovering…
When the last of the winter snow has melted and the birds begin to chirp in the morning, spring is on the way. This is affirmed by a few baby green leaves bursting up from the ground as the plants wake from their seasonal slumber. And the sight of asparagus is another tell-tale sign that…
Winter is the time to celebrate citrus as these brightly colored, juicy fruits are at their peak of flavor. Start the day with half of a ruby red grapefruit or a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. You’ll feel cheerful and get a dose of vitamin C. Add orange or grapefruit segments to enhance a hearty…
January is the month when we wipe the slate clean and start fresh. With a new beginning comes new hopes and intentions. New ideas and plans. Less sugar, more protein. Or perhaps you are taking the dry pledge this month and eschewing alcohol as your first month of the year resolution. As good as our…
As we turn the last page to the 2020 book we wish had never been written, “soup for the soul” sounds like an elixir we need. After such a wretched year, I think we could all use something soothing, healing and wholesomely satisfying. Something that goes down and makes us feel good. Whenever I’m in…
Because Thanksgiving is going to be different this year, why not embrace it and celebrate with a new and totally different recipe? Rather than stick with the tried and true traditional Thanksgiving menu, perhaps this is the year we all need to introduce one new dish? One dish that makes the holiday a tad sweeter….
As we roll into shorter days and longer, dark and cool nights, this seasonal change brings with it an appetite for warm and cozy foods. Dishes that warm you from the inside out. There’s nothing more simple or satisfying than a pot of soup. One that takes a bit of chopping and stirring and then…
Fall’s arrival and pumpkin season go hand-in-hand. Though I don’t crave pumpkin spice lattes, I am a serious pumpkin fan. But not the canned variety. My pumpkin only comes in its natural state–a smaller, spherical-shaped gourd, called a sugar pie pumpkin, grown specifically for baking. To entice you to love pumpkin as much as I…
In good times or bad, baking seems to soothe our soul. I learned this coping mechanism when I spent weekends with my grandmother and great-grandmother cooking, baking and baking some more for the family. Every meal had at least two pies, but it was more likely an assortment of sweet offerings. Oma wanted everyone to…
As our summer of confinement–aka the summer that never was–comes to a close this weekend with the Labor Day holiday, I seek to find the good in these bizarre months. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been fruitful. And, like so many of you, I have been making lemonade with these lemons. Lots and…
