Parade Magazine

Parade Magazine: Roast Sweet Pepper Pizza

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Roast Red Pepper Pizza

Now that cooler nights are here, I can turn on the oven to it’s highest temperature to make pizza. This pizza has a mild spicy cornmeal crust that most kids will love. It’s topped with homemade roast peppers with a smoky and candy sweet taste sans the spice. The peppers are layered over a herbal ricotta cheese and baby spinach leaves. Balancing the sweetness of the pizza, salty kalamata olives gently top the roast peppers with a handful of shredded parmesan cheese (try it with asiago, too). The result: A pizza that warms your family’s soul into the first few days of autumn.  Read more →

Parade.com: Spinach Fettuccine with Basil Pesto Shrimp

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Spinach Fettuccine with Basil Pesto Shrimp

The weather is cooler, but there’s still plenty of green vegetables everywhere, especially summer squash, arugula and basil. Fresh spinach fettuccine pasta (find it at an Italian store or use dry pasta) is tossed with shaved zucchini, basil pesto shrimp and baby arugula. It’s a pasta dish for enjoying the last of summer’s vibrant vegetables. Read more →

Parade Magazine: Heirloom Tomato and Green Beans with Ginger Vinaigrette

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Heirloom Tomato and Green Beans with Ginger Vinaigrette
Photo by Bill Kontzias at http://www.billkphotography.com

Farmer’s markets have many varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and they’re expensive because of high demand. However, when I see them, they bring memories of tomatoes growing in my father’s backyard. Their irregular, bulbous shape with a fresh cut strong stem indicates a juicy tomato ready for picking. It didn’t matter if they were mild green for frying in cornmeal or fiery red for a garden salad. Today, those same type of tomatoes still grow in my father’s backyard for free. Since, he lives a few states away, I purchase them for too many dollars per pound at fancy markets in New York. Regardless of price, I continue to buy them, because their sweet taste reminds me of home. As a New Yorker, I’m influenced by diverse cultures, including adding tons of ginger, a hint of fresh mint, rice vinegar and a dash of sesame oil to a vinaigrette traditionally made with a no-frill oil, vinegar, salt and black pepper that is tossed with green beans and tomatoes. Since most of the ingredients are in my pantry, the vinaigrette is cheaper to make versus the price of a large heirloom tomato. Only in New York…  Read more →

Parade Magazine: Watermelon and Shrimp Salad with Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Watermelon and Shrimp Salad with Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette

As we’re at the height of Summer’s juicy bounty, we’re also a few weeks away from the start of a crisp autumn. Continue to savor the taste of summer in a leafy salad tossed with juicy cubes of watermelon, sweet shrimp, and creamy feta cheese with a few crunchy pistachios and celery pieces. While you’re at it, drizzle a lovely Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette to bring out summer’s juicy flavors, because autumn is still weeks away.  Read more →