Cook & Be Merry —

Moroccan Fish Tagine with Ginger & Saffron

July 2, 2015

What is a tagine, anyway? Well, it’s a Moroccan cooking pot, the ones you’ve seen with the conical tops, and it’s also the dish that is cooked in said pot. However, you can also cook a tagine in a covered casserole, a Dutch oven or a crockpot. It’s a long braise over low heat, […]

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Three Bean Salad

June 17, 2015

I think this is one of the best picnic and BBQ party salads of all time. It is one of those dishes that once you start eating it, you can’t stop, because there is something about that sweet vinegary garlicy flavor that is just addicting. It has soft beans, crunchy beans, celery and onions, plus […]

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Panuchos ~ Tortillas filled with Black Beans topped with Achiote Chicken, Avocado & Habanero Salsa

June 9, 2015

These Panuchos have been on my bucket list of recipes for over three years. They were on the cover of the March 2012 issue of Sunset Magazine, and the minute I saw those beautiful colors, I was hooked. The Yucatan-style tostadas are the specialty of Chef Gilberto Cetina at his L.A. restaurant Chichen Itza and […]

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Thumbprint Cookies with Pecans & Raspberry Jam

May 26, 2015

Hi everyone! I have just been through a harrowing 2 weeks, which had nothing to do with food, cooking or my blog. But I thought you might be interested in knowing why I haven’t been posting for such a long time. My car was stolen! From right in front of my house!

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Shrimp & Cheesy Grits with Bacon & Tomatoes

April 29, 2015

It was once again time to go through the pantry and check all the expiration dates, resulting in a number of Bob’s Red Mill grains that I need to use up pretty soon. White rice flour, spelt berries, semolina flour, wheat germ and corn grits. Don’t you just love Bob’s Red Mill products? I decided […]

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Pecorino Potato Pops with Smokey Chipotle Sauce

April 19, 2015

This recipe has been a total inspiration for me. It’s little Duchesse potato bites with the spicy smokey dipping sauce would make a yummy hors d’oeuvre, but the flavor notes of Pecorino Romano cheese and smoky paprika would suggest a French or Italian menu to follow. So then I started imagining the dinner party these […]

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Thai Curry Beef Stew

April 5, 2015

If you had to guess how much liquid is in a spoonful of soup, what would you say? A teaspoon? Tablespoon? Well, when I eat this Thai Curry Beef Stew, I ask myself, how can so much flavor be contained in one little spoonful. How can there be such depth and complexity in that small […]

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Red Lentil, Carrot & Avocado Salad

March 17, 2015

Do you ever go through your pantry and check all the expiration dates to see what you need to use up? Well, that’s how I happened to be making a red lentil salad. The weather was hot and I didn’t feel like soup, so salad it was. For me, there are three nice things about […]

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Picadillo with Green Olives and Raisins

March 3, 2015

The first time I ate Picadillo was in 1972. I had some neighbors from Costa Rica who invited me over for dinner, and served a diced potato and minced steak picadillo, sort of like hash. I didn’t know much about cooking back in those days, so my memory of dinner isn’t crystal clear. It was […]

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Arepas ~ Venezuelan Corn Flour Flatbreads

February 13, 2015

All of us, at one time or another, have had food made from ground corn, be it cornbread, corn tortillas, tortilla chips, tamales or polenta. In my pantry there is a new kid on the block called pre-cooked white maize meal or “harina de maiz blanco precocida”, which is what I used to make my […]

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Waldorf Turkey Salad

February 4, 2015

Following Thanksgiving I had some great turkey leftovers. After the obligatory turkey, butter, salt and sourdough sandwich, which I look forward to every year, I needed to find something new and different to use them up. I also had a lot of celery left from making the stuffing. I had apples and pecans on hand. […]

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Almond Fantasy Bar Cookies

January 24, 2015

If you love almonds, these bars are going to light your fire. Seriously. They have the most saturated almond flavor of any food item I have ever encountered. That is why I called them Almond Fantasy, because they are beyond reality, beyond any other everyday almond flavored thing you have ever eaten. They are made […]

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Arañitas con Mojo de Ajo ~ Shredded Green Plantain Fritters with Garlic Onion Sauce

January 10, 2015

When green plantains started showing up at my grocery store about 10 years ago, I was totally fascinated. I had no idea what they were, except they looked a lot like green bananas. Then I happened to eat dinner in my local Cuban restaurant, and fried plantains were part of the accompaniment for the pork […]

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Top 10 Recipes of 2014 ~ Reader’s Choice Awards

January 2, 2015

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2014 was as great a year for you as it was for me and Cook & Be Merry. For everyone who visited my blog, Thank You. And to all my great commenters, you are the absolute best! You make my day and make my blog so much more interesting. […]

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Grasshopper Cream Cheese Pie

December 21, 2014

Happy Holidays everyone! Thank you so much for all your visits and comments over the past year. They have meant so much to me. You are the best! I hope you have great times with your family and friends this coming week, and of course, wonderful food. That’s what life is all about, right? Delicious […]

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