How to Make Chocolate Shards

Thumbnail image for How to Make Chocolate Shards December 12, 2014

The original reason for making these chocolate shards was to embellish the top of the Grasshopper Cream Cheese Pie that I was planning on making. I wanted something on that pie that was sort of a show stopper and really photogenic. My fantasies were just pie in the sky, you might say.

5 comments Read the full article →

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Thumbnail image for Chocolate Wafer Cookies November 29, 2014

As part of my holiday baking this year, I decided to make a pie with a chocolate wafer crumb crust. The kind where you crush the wafers, add melted butter and press them into the pie plate. The pie was a Grasshopper Cream Cheese Pie and I was really excited to make it. I went […]

9 comments Read the full article →

Cheddar Garlic Crackers with Parsley & Pecans

Thumbnail image for Cheddar Garlic Crackers with Parsley & Pecans November 22, 2014

One of the great things about the holidays is family, friends and neighbors come to visit. Not all are coming to dinner, maybe just an afternoon visit. These Cheddar Garlic Crackers are such a great idea for noshing, especially since you can make them ahead of time and just whip them out of the fridge […]

4 comments Read the full article →

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Avocado & Pecans

Thumbnail image for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Avocado & Pecans November 15, 2014

As Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, I am finalizing my chosen side dishes and making my shopping list. I decided on this brussels sprouts dish, because I thought it would be a nice color contrast to the Roasted Carrots & Parsnips I will also be serving. I discovered this dish in a Food & Wine magazine […]

2 comments Read the full article →

Roasted Carrots & Parsnips

Thumbnail image for Roasted Carrots & Parsnips November 7, 2014

Thanksgiving is almost here! Thanksgiving is almost here! Yeaaaaa! If you’re like me, this is your most favorite meal of the year. That may be intensified by the fact that we only eat it once a year, and the build-up and anticipation add to its wonder and perfection. For me, I could go with just […]

5 comments Read the full article →

Gamjatang ~ Korean Pork Bone & Potato Soup

Thumbnail image for Gamjatang ~ Korean Pork Bone & Potato Soup October 29, 2014

I have really been enjoying cooking and eating Korean food lately. I am totally smitten with the red pepper powder (gochugaru) and red pepper paste (gochujang), and Dak Galbi is one of my most favorite recipes of all time. Recently I decided to make my Dak Galbi even more authentic by adding Perilla leaves; however, […]

2 comments Read the full article →

Chocolate Brownie Toasted Pecan Cookies

Thumbnail image for Chocolate Brownie Toasted Pecan Cookies October 17, 2014

Have you ever eaten an extremely satisfying meal, feel totally full and replete, and then get hit with a unrelenting need for something sweet. It just hits you. You prowl around your house looking for the little Snickers bar or Snickerdoodle. Anything to satisfy your junkie craving. You may have to resort to a spoonful […]

13 comments Read the full article →

Ricotta Parmesan Gnocchi & Brown Butter Broccoli

Thumbnail image for Ricotta Parmesan Gnocchi & Brown Butter Broccoli October 10, 2014

Oh, Ricotta Parmesan Gnocchi, how I do love thee. Cheezy little pillows. Melt in the mouth dumplings. Soft buttery morsels. Ok, you get the idea. These are so good, it’s hard to find the right words to describe them. And when they’re browned a little in butter, becoming crispy in places, they are perfect in […]

6 comments Read the full article →

Orange Marmalade Cake with Currants

Thumbnail image for Orange Marmalade Cake with Currants September 26, 2014

I do believe this is the orange-y-est cake you will ever eat. If you like the flavor of orange, this Orange Marmalade Cake will send you into absolute orange bliss. It contains not only orange juice, but orange liqueur, orange zest, orange marmalade and orange syrup. Plus there is a dollop of marmalade on top. […]

8 comments Read the full article →

Fennel Romano Coins & Salad Greens with Buttermilk Sriracha Dressing

Thumbnail image for Fennel Romano Coins & Salad Greens with Buttermilk Sriracha Dressing September 19, 2014

Did you know that September 7th was Grandparents Day? Yes, I’m sure you all did. But here I am, a grandmother 3 times, and I’m without a clue. As usual. But the wonderful thing was, it coincided with me meeting my new granddaughter, Coralina (Coco for short), for the first time. She was born March […]

5 comments Read the full article →

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes from Chef Mary Ellen Rae at Personal Touch Gourmet

Thumbnail image for Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes from Chef Mary Ellen Rae at Personal Touch Gourmet August 30, 2014

I went to my first cooking class taught by Chef Mary Ellen Rae in April of 2010. My photos of her delicious recipes have been pinned and stumbled thousands of times, especially the Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Wrapped in Filo. So when Chef Mary Ellen recently invited me to a class she was teaching, […]

8 comments Read the full article →

Korean Dak Galbi ~ Chicken Stir-Fry in Spicy Red Pepper Sauce with Gochugaru and Gochujang

Thumbnail image for Korean Dak Galbi ~ Chicken Stir-Fry in Spicy Red Pepper Sauce with Gochugaru and Gochujang August 18, 2014

Before we jump into the recipe in this post, I have some fist-pumping news. My little blog, Cook & Be Merry, launched in January of 2010, recently hit one million pageviews. That’s 1,000,000. If you had told me when I first started that I would hit that number in my lifetime, I would have fallen […]

8 comments Read the full article →

NY Black & White Cookies

Thumbnail image for NY Black & White Cookies August 1, 2014

The other day I met a friend of mine for tea and we were talking about our upcoming blog posts. I asked her if she had ever heard of Black and White Cookies and she replied, “Are you kidding, I’m from New York! You can buy them everywhere, wrapped up in cellophane. Just make sure […]

5 comments Read the full article →

Chipotle Swai Fillet with Rainier Cherry Salsa

Thumbnail image for Chipotle Swai Fillet with Rainier Cherry Salsa July 22, 2014

I grew up in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. My father was an avid fisherman, and my brother and I were included in many fishing trips from the time we were old enough. We fished from shore on little lakes, from fishing boats on big lakes, in an ice house in the dead of […]

3 comments Read the full article →

Thai Beef Salad from Patricia Rose at Fresh Food in a Flash Cooking Class

Thumbnail image for Thai Beef Salad from Patricia Rose at Fresh Food in a Flash Cooking Class July 14, 2014

I am a cooking class junky. I love going to cooking classes. So imagine my happiness when I was recently invited to the Main Dish Salads Cooking Class by Patricia Rose of Fresh Food in a Flash. Her classes are hands-on and it is so fun to watch her students preparing her recipes, cutting and […]

3 comments Read the full article →