Italian Stew with Winter Squash and Chickpeas

Italian Stew with Winter Squash and Chickpeas

New York City, and the surrounding area are about to get dumped on by a massive snow storm.  People are flocking to the store, raiding the aisles, and stocking up on supplies to last them until Spring. Me? I cooked up this delicious pot of stew, and plan on holing up in my apartment and eating leftovers while the storm blankets the city’s sidewalks with snow.  I can’t think of a better home-cooked meal to welcome the storm than this satisfying and healthy Italian Stew.  Continue reading

French Tomato Tart and my trip to Paris and Provence

Easy Tomato Tart

A few weeks ago, my family and I went on an unbelievable trip to France.  We spent 10 days living the good life  – our time split evenly between Paris, the city of lights, and Provence, the land of olive groves, vineyards and picturesque mountaintop towns. I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. Absolute joie de vivre. 

Paris

Paris Cheese

In Paris, we rented a beautiful apartment in Le Marias, and enjoyed all of the local shops and groceries to every extent we could.  We were lucky enough to be staying just around the corner from a wonderful boulangerie-pâtisserie, and every morning we planned our day over steaming cappuccinos, freshly made baguettes smothered with sea-salt butter,  and flaky, buttery pastries.  Continue reading

Traditional Guacamole

Homemade Guacamole

September flew by, (thanks to a pretty lengthy trip to Europe that I promise to write about soon!), and the cool air, shorter days and falling leaves means that fall is officially upon us. And while I have every intention of writing about my favorite fall flavors here soon – cinnamon, apples, nutmeg, pumpkin, butternut squash, oh my – I thought it was necessary to share one of my other fall favorite recipes: Guacamole.  Continue reading