Halva Meringues

In general, I was not allowed to eat sugar when I was little.  There were a few exceptions. My grandparents took care of me on weekends and gleefully fed me as much homemade pie and cake as they could while mother was not looking. On each visit to the health food store, my mother would…

Slow Roasted Salmon with Citrus, Fennel and Green Olives

I fell in love with a photo of this dish that I saw on Pinterest. The photo filled me with an instant and overwhelming salmon craving.  I made it once according to the directions in Bon Appétit .  I usually cook salmon quickly on high heat À la Ieva or Marinated in Spiced Yogurt with Rhubarb Chutney.  This…

Kabocha Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup with Chorizo

For the last 12 years , I have had an on again off again job, for just one day a week,  in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan.  I don’t actually work in Manhattan much, except when I am performing in a show.  My everyday teaching work is overwhelmingly based in Brooklyn, Queens and occasionally…

Walnut, Lemon and Cardamom Cake (gluten-free)

  I think that I am supposed to be sharing healthful recipes for foods that will assuage the guilt of the holidays.  But I am not feeling particularly guilty about having eaten well over the last few weeks, so I’m sharing a cake recipe instead.  However, as an afterthought, I can say that this recipe…

Black Sesame and Ginger Poached Pear Tart (Gluten-free)

This tart would be good as part of a fancy tea menu, although I mostly packed it for lunch and ate it along with cold soup.  Are you noticing the packed lunch theme across the recent posts here?  That is because I have been working very long days for the last two months teaching, rehearsing…

Tea Time in Taipei/ Black Sesame and Lemon Tea Cake (gluten-free)

This October, my husband and I returned to Taiwan for two weeks.   This is our third time traveling to Taiwan, and we love it more each time we visit!  Last year, we were teaching a puppetry workshop for the Close to You Puppet Festival (You can see last year’s post about traveling in Taiwan here)….

Mystery Squash Gratin/ Nolichuckey Bluffs B and B

I mentioned in the Succotash post, that my husband and I visited family and went camping in Eastern Tennessee recently.  Well, we also stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast.  Our camping trip was followed directly by a visit to my husband’s Uncle in Johnson City.  I feel comfortable with my in-laws, but not comfortable…

Chilled Avocado Soup/ Last Minute Cold Soup Roundup

The weather has been a weirdly beautiful this  August in NYC.  We only had a few weeks of unbearable heat and humidity (back in July).  August has been sunny and not too hot and only occasionally a little bit muggy.   It has not been the kind of weather that demands cold soup    I…