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Small Plates
Aubergine Caviar – French Eggplant Dip
I first had this tasty appetizer in a French restaurant in Los Angeles, California. They called it Aubergine Caviar, which I learned is an eggplant dip from the Mediterranean region of France. It's packed with flavor, but the recipe is very simple. Here is a fun fact...
Russian Dressing
Flavorful Russian dressing can be used on salads or as a condiment on sandwiches. You may recognize it as the spread used on Reuben sandwiches. Despite its name, it is actually an American concoction. According to lore, the original recipe contained caviar, which is...
Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is a condiment made of mayonnaise, pickles, and a few other ingredients. I like to make my tartar sauce with sweet pickle relish. But you can also use dill pickles and capers in you prefer. This sauce is a perfect complement to fish dishes. You’ll often...
Tortellini Antipasto Salad
This Tortellini Antipasto Salad is inspired by one created by Laura Vitale on her YouTube channel, Laura in the Kitchen. You can watch her video here. I didn't follow her instructions to a tee, but as she says in her video, experiment and use whatever ingredients and...
Dandelion Pistachio Pesto Sauce
Spring has sprung, and our local farm market is stocked with the fruits and vegetables of the season, including beautiful dandelion greens. We decided to make a dandelion pistachio pesto for spring. Classic pesto is usually made with basil and pine nuts. But you can...
Salad With Apples, White Beans, and Mackerel
We're dreaming of Spring and experimenting with salads. When building a salad we like to have a lettuce base, some vegetables or fruit, a protein source, and added flavors. This salad with apples, white beans, and mackerel was made from ingredients we had on hand. We...
Waldorf Chicken Salad
This chicken salad recipe was inspired by the Waldorf Salad from the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The original Waldorf Salad was a simple recipe of chopped apples and celery dressed in mayonnaise. It was created by Oscar Tschirky, the maître d'hôtel of the Waldorf...
Vegetable Tartlets – Like Little Flowers
I was inspired to make these vegetable tartlets after making a ratatouille. They are not exactly the same, but share some similar techniques and ingredients. These vegetable tartlets came out so beautiful, like little flowers. They are perfect for a holiday or special...
Smoked Salmon Dip
On holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, my family usually eats dinner in the afternoon. This gives us plenty of time to digest so we can have coffee and dessert in the evening. We usually serve some type of dip before dinner while we are all catching up and...
Black Beans With Cherry Tomatoes
This is a super easy recipe for when you want to get a healthy side dish on the table in just a few minutes. My Black Beans with Cherry Tomatoes recipe takes about 15 minutes tops. Black beans are one of the healthiest beans you can eat. They are high in fiber,...
Italian Sushi Using Leftover Risotto
People often wonder what to do with leftover risotto. I'll write a post in the future outlining all of my ideas for leftover risotto. This one is too good to wait. I love to stuff vegetables with rice, beans, pasta, etc. I had the idea to create a fun, appetizer that...
Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Sandwich
As the weather is turning cooler, I wanted a warm, toasty sandwich. I had some late summer vegetables: a small eggplant and a zucchini. To that I added some jarred roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella. It resulted in this Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Sandwich....
Olive Oil Dipping Sauce
One of my favorite treats is to dip Italian bread into an olive oil dipping sauce. This is my go-to snack when I want something quick and comforting. It only takes a few minutes to make. Olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, is full of antioxidants that...
Easy Baked Hash Brown Potatoes
One of the things I miss most during this time of quarantine, is going out to eat. I enjoy cooking, but I especially miss the convenience and comfort of diners. I love a good diner breakfast. They usually serve potatoes with breakfast, which I don't always take the...
Gazpacho, a Cool Summer Soup
Gazpacho is a cool soup made with tomatoes and other raw vegetables. It originated in the Andalusian region of southern Spain, and is now very popular all over Spain, Portugal, and in my house. It’ll be on your list of favorites, too, once you taste it. You can add...
About Us
The Mediterranean diet is all about gorgeous, seasonal food shared with family and friends. As Federico Fellini once said, “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” So come join us for a little magic and lots of pasta.