TIP OF THE DAY: Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Pumpkin pasta sauce for fall: Buy it or make it! Photo courtesy Cucina Antica.   Here’s a two-fer for National Pasta Month and Halloween: Tuscany Pumpkin pasta sauce from Cucina Antica. You can buy it, or make your own. The sauce can also be used to top other foods including sautéed or roasted vegetables, and…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Pumpkin Pasta Sauce”

TIP OF THE DAY: Cheesecake Crust Variations

We look forward to pumpkin cheesecake each fall. Photo courtesy Marisa Churchill.   The most interesting news in cheesecake these days is not the flavor. You need only head to the Cheesecake Factory for a slice of Lemon Meringue Cheesecake. If that sounds too simple, there’s this Balsamic Strawberry, Basil & Black Pepper Cheesecake. Or…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Cheesecake Crust Variations”

TIP OF THE DAY: Honey Dessert Sauce

A chocolate tart, drizzled with orange blossom honey. To the right of the tart: chocolate biscotti pieces. Photo courtesy Bestia | LA.   Caramel to crème anglaise, hard sauce to sabayon: For many centuries, good cooks have known how to garnish a dessert with a sauce. Even if the dessert tastes delicious as is, a…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Honey Dessert Sauce”

TIP OF THE DAY: 20 Uses For Pumpkin Seeds (And Other Winter Squash Seeds)

If you’re carving a jack-o-lantern, you may elect to discard everything inside. Separating the pumpkin seeds (pepitas in Spanish) from the sticky fibers may seem more trouble than it’s worth. In our childhood, we could spend an hour meticulously separating those seeds from the jumbo pumpkin, just for the joy of making homemade pumpkin seeds…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: 20 Uses For Pumpkin Seeds (And Other Winter Squash Seeds)”

TRAVEL: Destination Dining In The Dominican Republic

Ask a room full of people what they think a vacation at a Caribbean luxury resort might be like, and you’d probably hear comments about lying under a palapa all day with waiters bringing endless glasses of Champagne, or having a personal genie who caters to their every wish. How about consulting a pillow menu…
Continue reading “TRAVEL: Destination Dining In The Dominican Republic”