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Author Archives: Alessandria Masi

Weekly Roundup: Rich and Creamy Risotto

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

This week we’re rounding up our favorite picks for the richest and creamiest risotto recipes. This Italian dish of rice that’s slow cooked in broth until creamy can be mixed with almost anything to create a meal-in-a-bowl that will warm you from the inside out.

Seafood is paired with the season’s star produce in Spoon Fork Bacon‘s Pumpkin Risotto with Seared Scallops (pictured above).
For a dish that tastes as good as it looks, try Wholesome Cook‘s Beetroot and Pine Nut Risotto.
If your crowd is adults-only, wow them with Beer Risotto with Chanterelles and Bacon by No Onion Please.
Eat, Little Bird bakes their Tomato and Rosemary Risotto with Meatballs to cut down on cooking time without compromising on taste.
Risotto is so versatile it can jump from a main course to a dessert in no time when you try Things We Make‘s Sweet Coconut Milk Risotto.
Cara’s Cravings’ makes mealtime a breeze with her quick and healthy Slow Cooker Shrimp and Artichoke Barley Risotto.
Food and the Fabulous find every reason to celebrate with Mushroom and Champagne Risotto.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged barley, pumpkin, Risotto, risotto recipes, scallop | 1 Comment

Image of the Day: Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Now you can dig in to slice after slice of homemade pie sans the side of guilt with The Healthy Foodie‘s Grilled Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza. The seasonal pie features a whole-wheat crust baked to crispy perfection and then topped with hearty chunks of butternut squash, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and fresh sage.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged Butternut Squash, healthy, image of the day, Onions, pizza | 1 Comment

Weekly Roundup: Halloween Snacks

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Photo: Chris Gentile

There will be tricks and treats this year for Halloween with these deceptively delicious snacks. From Cheesecake Brownie Tombstones to a cup of Witches Brew, celebrate the spookiest day of the year with our picks for the perfect party fare.

The Peach Kitchen uses hot dogs, ketchup and tortillas to make Severed Fingers, the perfect Halloween party snack.
Delicieux’s Cheesecake Brownie Tombstones won’t make anyone roll in their graves.
Make your own Witches Brew with Very Culinary’s recipe for a mocktail or rum-spiked cocktail.
The Secret Life of a Chef’s Wife shares her tips and tricks for the perfect Ghost Meringue Cookies.
Gourmand’s Witch Hat Cookies look so real they’ll bewitch you into forgetting they’re made with ice cream cones and Oreos.
Decorate your daring desserts with Bakingdom’s Dead Man’s Toe, a toe complete with white chocolate bones, skin made of cake, and candy nails.
A healthier Halloween is in your cards with The Bakery Spot’s Frankenfeet ham and cheese sandwiches.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged cookies, desserts, halloween | 2 Comments

Image of the Day: Thenkuzhal Murukku

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights,” is an important celebration in Hinduism where families and friends celebrate all that is good by lighting lamps and candles to fend off evil and darkness. This year, celebrate Diwali with Rak’s Kitchen‘s version of Thenkuzhal Murukku, a crunchy teatime snack made with rice flour, urad flour, and sesame seeds. These treats may seem daunting to make at first look, but Rak’s Kitchen provides step-by-step instructions and photos for simplifying this age-old recipe.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged Diwali, Murukku, Snack | 1 Comment

What We’re Cooking: Pesto

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Photo: Romulo Yanes

With fall in full swing, it’s time to take one last look at the garden before the oncoming frost. Crushing garlic, basil, and pine nuts and blending the trio with pecorino, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and olive oil will give you a basic pesto sauce perfect for drizzling over your favorite pasta.

If you’re a pesto fanatic and want to add the fresh herb sauce to more than just pasta and pizza, opt for Shirred Eggs with Pesto, a dish that’s easy enough for weekday mornings and delicious enough for weekend brunch. If fall weather keeps you inside and you have a little more time, try our Pesto, Olive, Roasted Pepper Goat Cheese Torta as the ultimate appetizer or vegetarian-friendly main dish.

Where are your favorite ways to use pesto?

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged Goat Cheese, olive, pesto, shirred eggs, torta, what we're cooking | 1 Comment

Weekly Roundup: Sensational Sauces and Spreads

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Dress up any autumnal meal with our top picks for sauces and spreads, from Pumpkin Butter to Boozy Bacon Jam. Get cooking for your holiday meal or bottle up a batch for the ultimate homemade gift.

Café Sucré Farine transforms a classic dessert into a spreadable jam by combining carrots, apples, pineapples, and pecans for Carrot Cake Jam (pictured above).
La Kocinera’s version of hummus substitutes traditional chickpeas for black beans and tops off the mix with jalapeños for a spicy Black Bean Hummus.
Keep a Sunday afternoon free this fall to try Mmm…Is for Mommy’s Sunday Gravy, which becomes a meal in and of itself with the addition of Italian sausage, flank steak, and pork ribs.
Torview spices up Sweet Mango Chutney with subtle hints of chili powder and ginger.
Give your breakfast sandwiches a double-dose of bacon with Spoon Fork Bacon’s Boozy Bacon Jam.
Share My Kitchen’s Pesto Rosso kicks up the traditional sauce with the addition of tangy tomatoes.
Go gluten-free and vegan with Life Tastes Like Food‘s Pumpkin Butter, which is perfect for slathering on French toast, bagels, or crispy crostini.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged chutney, Hummus, jam, pesto, pumpkin butter, sauces, spreads | 1 Comment

Image of the Day: Pumpkin Pie Pots

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Why wait for Thanksgiving to start baking pumpkin pies? Take the mess out of baking with Back to her Roots’ portable version of this delicious fall dessert that you can cook directly in its serving jar. These Pumpkin Pie Pots use a thick, crumbly graham cracker crust in place of the traditional flaky bottom. Top the creamy confections with homemade maple whipped cream and cinnamon-flavored graham cracker sticks.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged dessert, image of the day, maple, pumpkin pie | 1 Comment

Weekly Roundup: Soups and Stews

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

From traditional Japanese Nikujaga to flavorful Pho Bo, it’s time to cozy up to a hearty bowl of the season’s best soups and stews. Take advantage of the ingredients already in your fridge or pantry, or experiment with a variety of global tastes from this week’s roundup.

Cioppino is believed to have started out as an Italian stew with chopped fish, but TasteFood puts a Greek spin on her version, adding a shot of ouzo to the stew stock (pictured).
Put your fall and winter kale to use with Never Enough Thyme’s Sausage and Kale Soup.
Cooking. Eating. Carousing. details a simple way to make the soy sauce and honey-seasoned Japanese beef and potato stew Nikujaga.
Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen shares her version of the Spanish soup Cocido, which is a chickpea-based soup made with the protein-packed trio of chicken, beef, and pork.
Described as “liquid gold comfort food,” Elise’s Kitchen’s Curried Butternut Soup has a spicy kick that can’t be missed.
Indonesia Eats’ Pho Bo is a Vietnamese beef rice noodle soup filled fresh ginger, coriander, garlic, and fennel.
You can’t go wrong with Elly Says Opa’s classic take on French Onion Soup.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged cioppino, kale, soup, Stews | 4 Comments

Image of the Day: Sausage-Stuffed Squash

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Winter squash is the perfect way to give your next fall meal a hearty upgrade. The best part about this autumn gourd is that you can eat the whole thing (save for the stem of course), and its thick skin gives it a sturdy shape making it ultra-versatile. Gen Y Foodie stuffs her sweet dumpling squash with chicken sausage sautéed with carrots, celery, and onions, and mixed with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. This meal-in-a-bowl is as delicious as it is colorful.

Posted in Image of the Week | Tagged image of the day, produce, sausage, squash, stuffed squash | 4 Comments

Weekly Roundup: Dumplings in Demand

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

From Italian gnocchi to Portuguese pierogies, few foods are as widely embraced as the dumpling. Turkey serves their dumplings (known as manti) with a creamy yogurt dip, while China dishes out their sweet and savory dumplings with a variety of vinegar, soy, and chili-based sauces. Celebrate this stuffed food’s versatility with a roundup dedicated to all things dumplings.

Dash of East‘s Lemon Blueberry Pierogi with Spiced Sour Cream fill traditional Portuguese half-moon dumplings with blueberries and lemon zest (pictured above).
Kurryleaves gives exotic dessert dumplings a try with her Gulab Jamun (deep-fried milk powder and yogurt served in a pool of cardamom and saffron-flavored sugar syrup).
Gnocchi are traditionally made with potatoes, but Dishing the Divine puts a cheesy change on her recipe making them them with flour and ricotta. She boils and fries her Ricotta Gnocchi leaving them pillowy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
Smoky Wok simplifies the once intimidating Chinese Red Bean Steamed Buns so that you can make this sweet component of dim sum from your own kitchen.
Each tiny pyramid-shaped dumpling in What You Give Away You Keep‘s Turkish Manti Dumplings are stuffed with spiced ground lamb and topped with a garlic yogurt sauce.
For comfort food from sown south, try The Cooking Bride’s Mamaw’s Chicken and Dumplings.
A sugar cube is stuffed inside a whole apricot wrapped in a potato dumpling in Cooking Weekend‘s version of Austrian Apricot Dumplings.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged Dumplings, Gnocchi, Manti, Pierogis, weekly roundup | 2 Comments

Image of the Day: Jack-o-Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwich

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwich

October has rolled in and so have the pumpkins. This year, don’t limit yourself to pies and soups with this plump fall vegetable; have it for breakfast! Healthy. Happy. Life.‘s Jack-O-Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwich gives fall breakfasts a brand-new bend spreading homemade maple pumpkin butter on both sides of a whole wheat English muffin before topping it with a vegan sausage patty, grilled mushrooms and Monterey Jack cheese. This pumpkin prize will have you jumping out of bed before the alarm on those dark autumn mornings.

Posted in Image of the Week | Tagged breakfast sandwich, pumpkin recipes, pumpkin sandwich | 1 Comment

What We’re Cooking: Sheep’s Milk Cheese

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Photo: Romulo Yanes

I love cheese. There is no better way to put it. Thankfully, autumn has arrived, bringing with it a myriad of sheep’s milk varieties like ricotta, pecorino, halloumi, feta, and manchego that will satisfy even the most refined cheese lover’s palate.

Among their many mouth watering qualities, the best part about sheep’s milk cheeses are their versatility. I love eating pecorino with a drizzle of hazelnut honey and a piece of warm bread as a mid-afternoon snack (and sometimes I eat enough to make it a full meal). When you are in need of a quick healthy meal Whole-Wheat Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper will do the trick, but next on my list is the tangy deep-fried delight of Citrus Arancine with Pecorino Cheese.

What are your favorite ways to use sheep’s milk cheese?

Posted in News & Events | Tagged peconio, recipes, sheep's milk cheese | 4 Comments

Weekly Roundup: Cold Weather Cocktails

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Kick up your cocktail combinations this fall with creative twists on your classic favorites. From homemade bacon-infused vodka to a Pumpkin Cheesecaketini, you’ll be sipping and savoring your way through the cold fall nights.

Snappy Gourmet‘s Pumpkin Cheesecaketini combines pumpkin, cinnamon, caramel and cream in a graham cracker-rimmed martini glass (pictured above).
Spice up the season with cinnamon, honey, vanilla, and rum like Wishful Chef did in Rum Hot Chocolate with Honey.
Serious Eats’ Sweet Pick-Me-Up infuses the rich flavor of red wine with the electrifying taste of coffee and Aztec chocolate bitters.
Chai tea gets a twist with My Life as a Mrs’ Vanilla Vodka Chai Tea swirled with a cinnamon stick.
The Slow Roasted Italian also uses vodka in his fall cocktail, but mixes it with apple cider and amaretto in Heidi’s Comet Cocktail.
Fig makes a comeback this fall paired with honey mint syrup and Shiraz in 12 Bottle Bar’s Honey Fig Redemption.
Jammy Chicken steeps thick applewood smoked bacon and Tellicherry Indian peppercorns for three days in a glass of vodka to make his very own Bacon Vodka.

Posted in Cocktails, Wine & Beer | Tagged drinks, fall cocktails, flavored vodka | 3 Comments

Image of the Day: Murgh Tikka (Spiced Skewered Chicken)

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Traditional tikka is made in a tandoori clay oven, but eCurry‘s version of the colorful Murgh Tikka can be cooked in a conventional oven. Pieces of chicken rubbed in garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, and lime juice are spiced with yogurt, mustard oil, Garam Masala, and methi (a type of seed), transporting you across the world from your own kitchen.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged chicken, Garam Masala, image of the day, indian food | 3 Comments

Weekly Roundup: Tailgating Favorites

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Tailgating season is here, but this year there’s no reason to settle for sub-par snacks. From Coconut Shrimp and Cheddar Beer Biscuits to Pretzel Rolo Turtles and Mini Corn Dogs, dig in to these sweet and savory pre-game treats and see if you ever make it into the stadium.

Put your grill to good use before summer ends with Two Peas and Their Pod‘s Bacon Wrapped Bratwurst that is sure to keep you full until the last quarter (pictured above).
Sweet Pea’s Kitchen’s Mini Corn Dogs are the perfect snack-size version of a tailgate staple.
If you’re looking for a sophisticated, tropical twist for your tailgate, try Pinch My Salt’s Coconut Shrimp Poppers with Chili Mango Cream.
The Hungry Housewife sweetens your pre-game spread with fun-sized Pretzel Rolo Turtles.
Wheat beer and white cheddar make an appearance in Domestic Fits’ tailgate morning must: Cheddar Beer Biscuits.
Choux pastry gets a savory twist with Gourmand Recipe’s Bacon and Cheese Puffs.
“Healthy” and “tailgate” are two words you rarely see together, but Handlebar Magazines’s Famished Gentlemen’s Classic Oatmeal Cookie is sure to indulge you without the tailgate binge guilt.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged bratwurst, recipes, tailgating, weekly roundup | 1 Comment

Image of the Day: Strawberry Mooncakes

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Sugar & Everything Nice commemorates last week’s Mid-Autumn Festival with her sweet Strawberry Mooncakes. Celebrate this festival of lunar worship and moon watching by biting into a taste of tradition served with a cup of Chinese tea.

Posted in Image of the Week | Tagged image of the day, Mooncake, Strawberry | 2 Comments

Growing Up Gourmands

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

The full-length feature version of Growing up Gourmands by Kelly Senyei appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.

Photo: Jason Knauer

Many children consider dining out a welcome break from Mom’s home cooking, but for 10-year-old Eli Knauer, it’s all part of the job. As creator of the Baltimore-based blog Adventures of a Koodie, Knauer reviews local restaurants and awards them one to five stars for their kid-friendliness and food quality. “I look for the juiciness in meat, the gooeyness in cheese, and the sweetness in dessert,” he says. “But the first thing I look at is the surroundings. Is it a clean place? Is it a kid-friendly place?”

Gourmet Live‘s Kelly Senyei caught up with the youngest crop of culinary stars-in-training. Download the free Gourmet Live app to meet five 9- to 19-year-olds who are making waves in the world of food.

Posted in New on the Gourmet Live App | Tagged kid stars, young chefs, your culinary stars | 1 Comment

Weekly Roundup: Apple-Inspired Desserts

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

Apples take leave of the tree in this week’s roundup and it’s a sweet world beyond the branch. From Baked Apple Pancakes with Bourbon Caramel Sauce to Cheddar-Crust Apple Pie, each one is guaranteed to satisfy your dessert cravings.

Give your day an instant sugar rush with Gluten Free Canteen’s Apple Butter Maple Syrup Donuts (pictured above).
Skinnytaste’s Autumn Apple and Grape Medley is a no-bake recipe that will quench your apple thirst when you’re in a hurry.
Apple crumble gets a fresh spin with Cooking in Sens’ Peachy Pecan Apple Crumble.
Yummy Mummy helps start the day off on the right bite with her Apple Oat Breakfast Cookies.
Impress your friends by turning apples into art with Novelbite’s Not Your Ordinary Apple Pie.
Extra Happy Theory wedges her apples into fluffy egg white pancakes and drenches them with thick bourbon caramel sauce in Baked Apple Pancake with Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
If you’re approaching a sugar coma, Gastronome Tart’s Cheddar-Crust Apple Pie adds sharpness to her apples by baking them in a cheddar-infused pie crust.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged Apple Crumble, Apples, Donut, Gluten-Free, Pancake, weekly roundup |

Image of the Day: Fresh Corn Cakes with Avocado and Goat Cheese Salsa

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Alessandria Masi

We’re hanging on to every last bite of summer, which includes indulging in every last kernel of fresh corn. Take advantage of this seasonal staple with Love and Olive Oil‘s Fresh Corn Cakes with Avocado and Goat Cheese Salsa that stacks a savory combination of avocado, cilantro, lime, and goat cheese atop a leaning tower of sand dollar-size corn cakes.

Posted in Image of the Week | Tagged avocado, Corn Cakes, Goat Cheese, image of the day, salsa |