Lisa on January 28th, 2011

Like Spanish tapas, the Arabic tradition of mezze involves small dishes that are hugely flavorful.  Most are very simple to prepare — in fact, there are plenty of single-ingredient mezze, like the olives pictured here.  There are also two- and three-ingredient small dishes that just involve a bit of spice or oil added to the [...]

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Lisa on November 26th, 2010

I was lucky — as a kid, I had the pleasure of visiting a local ice cream shop that made (and still makes, as far as I know) its own ice cream.  It was creamier and tastier than anything you could buy in a store.  Although all of their flavors were fantastic, my far-and-away favorite [...]

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Lisa on July 29th, 2008

For the first time in my life, I like coffee.  This is how I made it: Using a French press, add a pinch of cardamom and a bit of allspice to the coffee grounds.  Make coffee as usual.  Fill your coffee cup halfway with coffee and halfway with vanilla-flavored hazelnut milk.  Add a cinnamon stick [...]

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Lisa on July 23rd, 2008

Also known as Jamaican pepper, allspice is the dried berry of the pimenta dioica plant.  It tastes like a combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and juniper–hence, its name “allspice.”  Mayans used allspice to embalm their dead, Aztecs used it as an ingredient in their hot chocolate, and today most Americans use it in sweet baked [...]

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