Appetizers
Consider the Artichoke
There was a basket of cute purple and green baby artichokes in the produce section of the market. My intent was to buy the larger globe artichokes for my recipe but these charmed me. I […]
Jackie Alpers
Appetizers
Parmesan Pepperoni Crustless Pizza
If you bake a layer of Parmesan cheese in the oven it will crackle and pop after a while, turning into a crispy, brown cheese cracker that’s much tastier than any pizza crust I’ve encountered. I […]
Chicken
Buffalo Chicken: Tenders & Tacos Recipes
I have an on-going, and pretty much constant craving for buffalo wings. I’d alway thought that buffalo wing sauce was one of those fast food enigmas (like the McRib) that could never be replicated by average people. It’s […]
casserole
Three Ways to Make Johnny Marzetti
I’ve hit a carb overload. The holidays are over, thank god. I’m really ready to get back to eating healthy, but I also want food that carries some weight to it, so I came up […]
Cheese and Dairy
Baked Goods
Chocolate & Coffee Figgy Pudding
I want some figgy pudding! How could I not after hearing that song year after year. So, I came up with this recipe for Chocolate & Coffee Figgy Pudding for my latest article in Broadway+Thresher […]
Celebrations
Pretty in Pink: Candied Lady Apples
These easy candied apples are a healthy, sweet treat that are fun for kids to make. I used Lady Apples, which are stunning, tiny, sweet apples that resemble crab apples. Also called Christmas Apples, they […]
Appetizers
Recipe for Fennel, Blue Cheese & Spanish Chorizo Mini Pizzas
This week I’m a guest writer/photographer for heart-stoppingly beautiful new magazine about rural culture, Broadway+Thresher. Here’s a link to the article, featuring my photos and the recipe I developed for “Fennel, Blue Cheese & Spanish […]
documentary food photography
Eating Los Angeles: Bäco Mercat
Baco Mercat may be the most casual restaurant that my brother in-law has ever worked at, but I think it’s the best. Bon Appetit & Esquire agree with me, naming it to their list of […]
Baked Goods
Northern Style Southern Biscuits
Until recently, the only biscuits I ever made at home came from a Pop n’ Fresh can, so when friends from overseas asked me for a real American biscuit recipe, I scoured every book I […]
documentary food photography
Eating Los Angeles: Canter’s Deli
I love an authentic Jewish deli. Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles is one of the best and most famous. I’m going to bypass the normal deli fare in this post and just share a few […]
eggs
My Angry Birds: Bad Piggies Best Egg Recipes Cookbook Released!
Hooray! I am excited beyond belief! About a year ago, Rovio Entertainment, inventors of the game Angry Birds, asked me to document the food culture of their famously egg hungry pigs. Their talented developers gathered […]
Appetizers
Chicharrones, Cornichons & Chicken Liver Pate Bites
My choice for snack of the day is… Chopped liver paté smeared onto pork rinds and topped with cornichons! This may seem like an unlikely, (and un-kosher) combination at first, but the pork rinds add […]
Dinner
Carne Asada Tacos
Yay! It’s National Taco Day! Here’s a recipe of one of my favorite kinds – Carne Asada, from the book Knack Mexican Cooking by Chelsie Kenyon. Carne Asada Tacos Ingredients 1⁄2 cup chile sauce 2 limes, […]
breakfast
Mexican Shakshuka: Eggs Simmered in Tomato Crema
Breakfast I think it’s interesting how similar variations of dishes develop in different parts of the world. I’d never heard of Shakshuka until recently, but it’s very popular in the Middle East and Israel and […]
casserole
Quick & Easy Recipe for Low Carb Chicken Parmesan in Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce
October 1st I want to eat warm hearty meals in Autumn colors. Casseroles baked in stoneware dishes with rich sauces. Meat, cream, smoked cheeses, tomato sauce, and, I want the recipe to be fast, and […]
Atkins Friendly
Mini Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cheesecakes
Saying that I don’t eat a lot of sweets is perhaps not the best way to start a post about dessert. Cake in general is not really my thing. I prefer fruit, though I do […]
Atkins Friendly
Scrambled Eggs With Gorgonzola & Salsa
This recipe is the result of an early morning haze wherein I emptied random things from the refrigerator into a pan in a blurry attempt to make breakfast. It came out better than I expected, […]
Appetizers
Snack of the Day: Tomatoes with Smoked Mozzarella & Sea Salt
Snack idea of the day! Tomatoes with Smoked Mozzarella & Sea Salt It’s no Caprese salad, it’s just sliced tomatoes with smoked mozzarella and smoked sea salt. A simple, high protein snack idea that you […]
Cheese and Dairy
Red Wine Sausages With Creamy, Cheesy Noodles
It’s the middle of the end of summer and it’s insanely hot. Today it was 112 in the shade (my thermometers under an overhang); and yet, I still felt the urge to cook up this […]
Appetizers
Tiny Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Cheese
Miniature sweet peppers weren’t really sold anywhere a couple of years ago. Suddenly they’re everywhere. They have a little bit more of a bit to them than their name suggests, but they are far from […]
Dinner
Sicilian Shrimp with Hot Peppers and Lots of Garlic
There was a line in front of the fish case at the market today and everyone in front of me was buying the rock shrimp. As soon as I got up to the counter I […]
Comfort Food
Cincinnati Style Turkey Chili
Cincinnati chili does not exist in Arizona, except for in a suspicious canned variety, so I went on quest and figured out how to cook it myself. I made 4-way (spaghetti, beans, onions, cheese) Cincinnati […]
Atkins Friendly
Salsa Chicken Lettuce Tacos
I was very surprised to find that one of my favorite Mexican restaurants now offers their famous tacos nestled in a large lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla. I was even more amazed at how […]
Celebrations
Lavender Limeade
Here’s another idea for an easy summer beverage. Lavender Limeade is super easy and you don’t need to add a bunch of sugar. The lavender flowers add their own sweetness. For one glass, boil 2 […]
Celebrations
The Calypso Cooler
I haven’t had a wine cooler since the 80’s when Bartles & Jaymes were at their heyday. I didn’t even realize they were still being made until I came across a display case stacked with […]
Cheese and Dairy
The Best Fettuccine With Whole Clams
I came up with this recipe because I wanted a more creamy, cheesy sauce than the traditional version. I started with a really basic cream sauce using a combo of milk and some of the […]
Celebrations
The Muddler
I’m a bit muddled thanks to the help of my friends, and it smells a little bit like tequila in here. Lately, people have been sending me wonderful presents and coincidentally two of them were […]
ethnic cuisine
Recipe for Spicy Citrus Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas
When life gives me lemons (and well, shrimp) I make ceviche. Sometimes life, (or a really cool sponsor), gives me something really awesome. This time it was O Clementine Olive Oil… and “O” my gosh […]
Dinner
Red Curry Shrimp With Pineapple from Quick & Easy Thai
I’m a pretty good cook, but there is something about Thai food that’s always seemed complicated and exotic to me. That’s why I LOVE this book : Quick & Easy Thai by Nancie McDermott, (Chronicle Books, […]
Chocolate
A Super Simple Peanut Butter & Chocolate, Salty, Crunchy Snack
This is a great snack when you want something sweet with not a lot of calories. It’s high fiber with balanced protein and very yummy. 4 Triscuits or Woven Wheat Crackers Good peanut butter – […]
Easy
Arizona Lentil Caviar
I have a long-standing distrust of any food that contains lentils. Lentil soup has always been my go-to answer when asked about my most hated food. I first experienced the suspicious discs floating aimlessly among […]
Atkins Friendly
Healthy Lox and Cream Cheese Frittata Recipe
Growing up, in my family we liked our salmon smoked. Preferably on top of a bagel and cream cheese. Well, I haven’t eaten a bagel since I decided that the payoff wasn’t worth the 450 […]
Comfort Food
Sonoran Style Potato Salad with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette and Red Onion
Here in Southern Arizona, our famous Sonoran style Mexican food is often garnished with pickled red onions and Mexican limes. I’ve incorporated those flavors into this spicy potato salad tossed with a chili-lime vinaigrette. Sonoran […]
Appetizers
Grilled Chipotle-Lime Mexican Style Corn
Every year on the 4th of July I make a different version Mexican grilled corn, which along with the Sonoran style hot dog is a popular street food around here. This year I modified a […]
Chicken
“Cake is Not my Downfall” — Jackie Kashian’s Recipe for Paprika Marinated Chicken
I’m a fan of comedian Jackie Kashian. I knew we were kindred spirits when I heard this “Cake and Chicken” bit on her “It’s Never Going to Be Bread” CD: “I was at my first […]
documentary food photography
Eating Los Angeles
I’m going to step away from posting recipes in this post. From taco trucks to Mario Batali, from un-named starlets at Bon Appetit’s top rated boutique coffee shop, to the world famous Chateau Marmont; I […]
Appetizers
Sonoran Style Chunky Guacamole Recipe
Some people avoid avocados because they are higher in calories than other fruit, but they are filled with the good fat, the kind that’s been shown to actually help you lose weight and lower cholesterol […]
breakfast
Rolled & Baked Breakfast Tacos
Rolled & Baked Breakfast Tacos Wake, roll and bake for breakfast. Mexi-breakfast is always the best. Rolled & Baked Breakfast Tacos 2 eggs 1 T. Greek yogurt 2 frozen sausage or veggie sausage patties 6 […]
Fast!
Thai Green Papaya-less Salad Recipe
Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad) is my very favorite Thai dish. It’s crunchy, salty and spicy and I swear that it will cure whatever ails you – known or unknown. Here in Tucson it’s really […]
Cheese and Dairy
Black & White Nachos
This recipe makes a white nacho cheese sauce instead of the traditional yellow. Black beans add contrast, fiber and a bit more protein. There are more colors here than just black and white. but you […]
contains whole grains
Fast, Yet Fancy Looking; Hummus Snack With Baked Pita Chips
My husband arrived home from work and announced a friend of ours was on the way over. I started to make plans to buy beer and make nachos when I was also informed that he […]
documentary food photography
Food at the County Fair
I documented some of the food that I saw people eating this year at the Pima County Fair. It was mesmerizing.
contains whole grains
The Chayote Challenge
Spicy Spanish Rice with Chayote and Black Beans I got a note posted to my wall on Facebook from Kristen who works with my husband saying, “I’m sending this home with Jason tonight. Create something […]
Comfort Food
Quick and Easy; Rotini Pasta with Caviar and Parmesan
I had a lot of left over caviar from my deviled eggs recipe so I boiled up some pasta and mixed it in with a hearty dose of Parmesan cheese. This recipe is super simple […]
Easy
Chipotle Deviled Eggs With or Without Caviar
Thanks to the lovely people working behind the scenes at the Food Network (whose tweets reveal that they are apparently having some kind of office-wide deviled egg challenge), I’ve been having an unyielding urge for […]
Chicken
Tom Kha Gai: Thai Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Coconut Milk Recipe
I believe in the healing power of both chicken soup and Thai food. Combining the two will cure whatever ails you and the spicier you can make it the better. If you are healthy, this […]
Baked Goods
Homemade Thin Crust Pizza
More often than not, Sunday night is Pizza Night at my house. It took me forever to figure out how to make a thin crust pizza at home. I practiced stretching the dough for months. […]
contains whole grains
Easy Pita Sandwich for Lunch
I’ll get on a kick where I’ll have this for lunch almost every day. It’s great when you’re super hungry because it only takes about 5 minutes to make. The hummus and nonfat feta add […]
Atkins Friendly
The Week of Gazpacho
My husband woke up, looked at me in from his side of the bed and declared this the “Week of Gazpacho”. And so, it is. I got a handy little device called Vegetable Chop and […]
Comfort Food
Classic Caesar Salad Recipe and Photo by Jackie Alpers
CAESAR SALAD DAYS This is a story about choices, creativity, personal power, and a salad. Specifically, the Caesar salad from the 1967 Joy of Cooking. My mother made it table side at a dinner party […]
Celebrations
Who Needs Green Beer When There Are Margaritas?
In Arizona we tend to forgo the green beer in favor of a lovely pale green margarita on St. Patrick’s Day. You can make them easily at home without the high-sugar mix. If you use […]
Comfort Food
Onion-Barley Matzoh Ball Soup Recipe
I’m craving soup. Here’s a hearty vegetarian version of traditional matzoh ball soup. I modified it from an onion/mushroom soup recipe that my mother used to make when I was a kid. For the matzoh […]
contains whole grains
Baked Falafel Sandwich Recipe
Ever since I went to yoga (once – last week), I’ve been having a hankering for a falafel sandwich. On the way home from the class I stopped at a middle eastern sandwich shop and […]
Condiments
Bear Canyon Ranch Dressing
Across the creek from my house is a neighborhood called Hidden Valley. The first time I drove through, I noticed a property nestled behind a row of mesquite trees. There was a large hand painted […]
breakfast
Healthy Vanilla-Cinnamon French Toast Recipe
Serves 2 Ingredients: 4 pieces light whole grain bread 1 cup egg substitute 1/4 cup non-fat milk 1 T. pure vanilla extract 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 T. 100% pure maple syrup light butter Instructions: Spray […]
Welcome
Happy, healthy recipes for everyone.
At the urging of my friends and family, I’ve put together a new blog of easy, healthy and hopefully fun recipes that I’ve developed over the years. It’s illustrated with food photos that I took […]