My own tried-and-true recipes for home cooks.
Pull-Apart Challah
Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti
Picture this: a cozy winter evening, a steaming cup of your favorite coffee or tea, and a plate of these heavenly biscotti by your side. The air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of ginger and cocoa, setting the perfect scene for a moment of pure bliss. Whether you're a seasoned baker looking for a new recipe or a dessert enthusiast eager to embark on a flavorful journey, this Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti recipe is sure to become a staple in your repertoire.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
From ChatGPT: Embrace the essence of autumn with these Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins. These heavenly morsels are a celebration of the season's bounty, blending the earthy warmth of pumpkin with the creamy decadence of cream cheese. Baking a batch of these aromatic muffins fills your home with a symphony of autumnal scents, inviting loved ones to gather around and savor the flavors of fall. With a tender crumb and a luscious core of cream cheese, these muffins are the epitome of comfort and indulgence.
Pumpkin Butter Swirl Cookies
Adapted from Eric Kim at the New York Times’ “Gochujang Caramel Cookies”, these cookies are a great autumn version of a classic sugar or snickerdoodle cookie.
Beet Hummus with Olive Oil Pine Nuts
Beets are so freaking cool; I love them. They turn anything the most brilliant shade of magenta, and I still can’t get over that. They’re also the quintessential “earthy” vegetable, which can be a little much on their own. But when blended into, let’s say, some chickpeas, their intense flavor becomes more mild. Beet hummus is nothing new, so I make mine with a delectable pine nut topping. It’s the added bit of richness and toastiness that makes this dip a showstopper—and the fact that it’s purple.
Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Salad
Don’t get me wrong, I love cauliflower. But it’s a little one-dimensional on its own. So I paired it up with carrots, a similarly classic dinner vegetable that defies seasonality. The two work magic together, bouncing off of the coriander and cumin like a Mediterranean dream. The fresh torn mint adds a needy and necessary punch of brightness. And the best part—the warmed dates that make the salad “a little naughty”—must not be omitted, of course.
Smashed Potatoes
Each member of my family has a different ideal potato. My mom enjoys the spartan baked potato, with a pad of butter and some salt. My brother opts for potato skins, with a pad of butter and some salt. My dad is an oddball and probably likes to “micro-mince” his potatoes and serve them inedibly to the rest of the family. I, on the other, superior hand, prefer my potatoes smashed—but smashed just enough so that there’s both fluffiness and crispiness, and flavored like a barbeque Lays potato chip. This recipe is, of course, the latter version, since this is my website and alter-ego after all.
15-Minute Chickpeas
Chickpeas are iconic at this point. So why should they be fussy? I made these chickpeas during (yes, during) Zoom class one night and was shocked at how flavorful these chickpeas were while being so easy to make. If you need something cheap, satisfying, delicious, and decidedly unfussy, these chickpeas are an excellent main dish or a great side.