Beggar's Purses

I grew up eating my mother's amazing Middle Eastern Food every day, and frequently use spices such as curry and "baharat" in my own cooking like I do in these spectacular Beggar's Purses. I came up with this appetizer five years ago when I needed a starter for a Middle Eastern dinner I was hosting. They are a take on the Chaldean meat pie. I made them only once, but five years later my family is still talking about them so last night I thought I would make a batch as a special treat. Let's just say there were a lot of expletives being thrown around, and very loudly I might add from the kitchen as my husband gobbled them up..."holy $@#%... these are so &^%#$%^ good!!!!! Well, what better endorsement is there?

Almond Berry Cake

I can't think of a better dessert to serve to guests than this pretty Almond Berry Cake, or to bake on a Sunday afternoon to have with a cup of coffee. It's simple, yet delicious and the moist, dense crumb combined with the dark, crispy, chewy, almond flavored crust is a spectacular combination. 

Rigatoni with Turkey Sausage and Peas in Creamy Tomato Sauce

For twenty years I've been going to Bar Pitti in NYC and ordering the Rigatoni Pitti, their signature Rigatoni with Turkey Sausage and Peas in Creamy Tomato Sauce. Only once did I venture out and try something new – the whole branzino – and okay, it was certainly very, very good (as is everything on the menu except for the country paté on crostini which looked like a thick serving of cat food piled high on a perfectly good crostini... why my body was strangely craving liver I do not know and why I continued to eat it until it was gone was also a mystery), but I will never waiver in my loyalty again. It is most definitely the dish I would request for my last meal!

Maple Kettle Corn

Recently at a local festival, a Maple Kettle Corn stand with its tempting, sweet aroma kept calling my name. My husband and I made the decision to be strong and just walk away, and as we turned our backs towards it I was proud of the willpower we both demonstrated.

At some point I noticed that I was walking by myself, and when I turned around to look for my husband he was of course first in line at the kettle corn stand! To heck with willpower! I ran to catch up and grabbed a handful out of his bag. It was warm, sweet, crunchy and salty all at the same time. It was heavenly! Within seconds the whole family was grabbing handfuls practically inhaling the stuff. Luckily, I wore a cowl neck t-shirt which caught all my droppings (my family was mortified) and nothing was wasted. I'm not proud.

The Perfect Lemon Bars Recipe

I've been working on how to make The Perfect Lemon Bars Recipe for a while now... but you see, it's not that easy. The crust should be tender and buttery without being too gritty, crumbly, or worse... soggy. The filling should be a perfect balance between tart and sweet, but not too tart and it should complement and not overtake the buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread. Hungry?

Roasted Soy Ginger Salmon

You know a fish recipe is good when your kid requests it for dinner every week! Roasted Soy Ginger Salmon couldn't be healthier, especially when served with sautéed Asian mushrooms or broccoli and brown rice  – and luckily it adheres to my "five ingredients or less" rule!

Green Juice Fast

Needless to say, after a week at Universal Studios in Orlando I needed to cleanse! I've discovered that a Green Juice Fast doesn't have to be painful. To my surprise, it's actually been quite pleasurable and I really look forward to drinking my favorite green juice! I know there are a lot of green juice recipes out there, but this one is so good that everyone I make it for asks for the recipe. So here it is. Let me know how it works for you.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I think the best combination in the world is chocolate and peanut butter. I put my two favorites together to come up with this fabulous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe, which makes dark, rich, crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside cookies with creamy peanut butter that melts in your mouth. They remind me of the amazing, oversized, dark chocolate peanut butter cookies my friend Jen brought me back from Levain's in New York City. I've never forgotten them, and since I don't get to the upper west side too often, I decided to make my own!

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

I just can't contain my excitement over these Spicy Roasted Chickpeas. I mean they are just so good and on top of it, they are a great healthier snack option. Just about every nutritionist these days says we should eat beans daily. Yawn. Beans bore me. I can potentially get excited about chickpeas though, and these spicy roasted chickpeas are great to eat warm right out of the oven when your watching Justified or Downton Abby – or whatever show it is that you can't seem to watch without snacking.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

These Baked Turkey Meatballs in marinara sauce are so moist and flavorful, you won't miss the beef at all. In fact, they're so amazing my family prefers the turkey which is a good thing since turkey is lower in fat.

Individual Beef Wellington

If you are looking for dinner ideas for Valentine's Day, look no further. These Individual Beef Wellington are so special and so good, you will be making them over and over again due to popular demand. My family expects them every Christmas Eve as well. I once heard about a chicken soup recipe that is supposed to guarantee a girl a marriage proposal. Nonsense. No soup will do that... but these mini beef wellingtons will! Yes, they are that spectacular.

Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A few days ago I was really in the mood for dessert, but being January and still on my best behavior as far as eating healthier foods, I set out to create a virtuous cookie. These Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside and have that warm browned butter flavor and nuttiness going on that makes a freshly baked oatmeal cookie so irresistible. My husband ate so many he lost count and my daughter grabbed one and yelled "these cookies are amazing"! The batch was gone before I could reach for my second cookie.

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes Recipe With Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I seriously cannot imagine a better breakfast than this fluffy blueberry pancakes recipe with homemade breakfast sausage, and while you might be thinking this is the kind of breakfast you can only get in a great restaurant, think again.