How do you do it?  How is it possible to interweave a recipe about duck with the horrors of cancer? I’ve lost loved ones to the disease and nearly everyone has or will at some point.  I was recently asked to join several other bloggers this week in an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer.  My mind immediately went to two strong women who lost their battles; a coworker and a good friend.  In 2006, my friend died from Leukemia, a form of blood cancer.  She was 24 years old.  Is her story even appropriate this week? There is no such thing actually is a Leukemia Awareness Month but it gets no publicity.  I think every story is worth telling, whether it’s breast cancer, lung cancer or leukemia.

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I like to think this recipe is a perfect romantic dinner for New Years Eve.  It was inspired by my recent visit to Bryan Voltaggio’s TABLE 21 at Volt Restaurant.  The meal consisted of 21 small, intricate plates prepared directly in front of us.  Everything was delicious and beautifully presented.  I’m not sure my description would do it justice but I did find this wonderful blog entry about the experience, with photos.   The menu changes daily so my meal was slightly different, but this will give you an idea about what dinner is like at Table 21.  One of the mini entrees we were served was Maine lobster with steel-cut oats, honeycap mushrooms, kombu, and fresh yeast.  My recipe doesn’t have nearly that much excitement, but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless.

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It has been awhile since I’ve gone nuts over a recipe.  These bars are AMAZING.  I had some dried apricots in the pantry and was trying to decide what to do with them when I came across a unique looking recipe for baked apricot bars, courtesy of David Lebowitz and Baked.  I think I died and went to heaven when I first took a bite.  These bars have a layer of rosemary shortbread on the bottom, brandy-infused apricot paste in the center, and a brown sugar pecan crumble on top.  Put all your other recipes aside and make these right now!

I made a few modifications to the original recipe.  I didn’t have California dried apricots, which are less sweet, so I added 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice to the apricot filling.  I made a few other minor changes to the filling and crumb topping.  The results were stunning.

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My first week of culinary school was both exhilarating and overwhelming.  I learned so much and also accepted that this will be one of the most challenging experiences of my life.  We arrive every day at around 6:30am, lecture begins promptly at 7. At 9 we move into the kitchen and cook until 11:30, when our kitchen must be spotless and set up for lunch (which is whatever we happened to be cooking that morning).  After eating we all have chores and then our afternoon lecture begins at 12:30pm.  Our final 2 hours are either lecture or lecture/cooking.  Dismissed at 2:30pm.

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Happy New Year!  2009 was such an amazing year for me.  I took a trip to Japan where I spend almost 3 weeks exploring new sights and tastes.  I made the decision to leave my job and attend culinary school, which begins in just a few short days.  I cannot wait to see what this new year will bring.

I’m not usually big on New Years resolutions but this year I’m aiming to eat healthier.  My cooking relies on quite a lot of butter and oil.  And I assume the use of fats will only become greater as I venture forward with my culinary training.  I’m thinking I’ll need to supplement my diet with healthier meals whenever possible.

Therefore, I’ve complied a list of healthy recipes offered by my fellow food bloggers.  Enjoy the list, and please take a moment to visit their blogs!

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