In Good Taste

DIY Snack: Parmesan Almonds

Once upon a time, I was in an airport. I was hungry in said airport (why? because I'm ALWAYS hungry, that's why). So, I stopped in a charming little Hudson News boutique planning to buy a Luna bar.

"Planning to" are the operative words here because when I approached the checkout counter the clerk informed me that the bar was $3.95. Yes, four dollars for a granola bar. Honestly, does anyone like Luna bars that much?

Perfect Guacamole Recipe

I went through a phase where I would only make guacamole in the summer. Don't ask me why - I'm far from a locavore - but for some reason guacamole just didn't seem like winter fare.

Fast forward three years and I could not only eat guacamole winter, spring, summer or fall -- but I could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Homemade Holiday Spirit and Homemade Peppermint Patties

Holiday spirit is a relative term, isn't it? In my family, the holidays aren't really a big deal but I've always done my best to convince myself otherwise. When my brother and I were kids, we celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah in big ways but as we grew up, I think my parents lost interest in the celebratory nature of holidays.

Somewhere down the line we stopped acknowledging Hanukkah altogether and Christmas became another day on the calendar - a day when grocery stores are closed and you don't have to go to work.

Not just yet: Recipe for Peach Crumb Bars

Everywhere you look, from the candy aisle at CVS to...well, anything else that tends to overtly display seasonal affection in a commercial manner, you'll see Fall, Fall and more Fall. Now, this bodes well for me. I like to sleep with my windows open and I glean just enough joy out of a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks for it to be an appropriate small delight as opposed to a pathetic fixation.

This also bodes well for the farmers markets and pumpkin farms - everyone is all about apples, squash and gourds from now until Thanksgiving. Finally, it also bodes well for the dental industry (because between caramel apples, maple-flavored everything and pumpkin spice donuts...stop looking at me like that...sweets are abundant and good dental hygiene? Priceless this time of year).

I digress.

A Summer Party Dish: Corn Dip with Tomatoes and Basil

When I make snack foods for parties I'm always torn between trying new recipes that I know people will gobble up like candied yams on Thanksgiving Day and experimenting with no recipe: just me, my kitchen and the inventory in my pantry.

I usually have a few standbys up my sleeve: guacamole, baked brie en croute and spinach artichoke dip very rarely yield leftovers but when I'm cooking for the same friends often, even I start to get bored with same old, same old.