Recipes & Blog

It is that time of year again. Gardens are bursting forth with zucchini. If you are searching for a new recipe we have one that might just become a new favorite. Previously I wrote a blog post about the National Day called "Leave Your Zucchini on your Neighbors Porch". It's a fun quick read with a delicious blueberry lemon zucchini recipe attached. The recipe today is a side dish. It can be made with all zucchini or all summer squash (I like the look of both). It you don't do dairy, leave out the sour cream. If you don't like...

There are many kitchen gadgets out there. No shortage of pans, pots, slicers, dicers, and the like which promise to cut time in the kitchen with easy clean up or some other shortcut to culinary success. Over the years I have found what one needs to be successful and efficient when cooking or baking are simple and low-cost kitchen tools.  Whether you are a novice in the kitchen or a well-seasoned home chef, you will find this list of twelve low-cost kitchen tools helpful. Number one being, if just starting out, getting the right tools right away will create good culinary...

Top Ten Summer Books for Food and Cooking Lovers  Are you looking for a good book, or two or three for the beach, boat, or campsite this summer? We have compiled a list of our top ten (there are really twelve), food and cooking books for those of us that love food, cooking, and a good story. All these books are non-fiction. Whether entwined with history, rich characters that are hard to believe are real, or a life story that is worthy of being told, all these books offer page turning interest. One can read the entire list of Top...

How did a little place at the very tip of a peninsula in Massachusetts become so well-known and come to possess such a vibrant community filled with art, beauty, and friendly people? It certainly wasn’t because of the Pilgrims. Yes, the Pilgrims. That passionately religious group who set sail from England searching for a new home so to be free of religious persecution, first landed in Provincetown’s harbor in 1620. They didn’t stay long. After not getting along with the Nauset tribe of Native Americans, five weeks after landing they pulled up anchor and sailed further north to spread their...

My husband Matthew and I are each half Polish and grew up eating lots of stuffed cabbage and pierogis for sure. My great grandparents came over from Poland as did Matt’s grandparents. He is only one generation removed from the old country food and traditions and grew up with them. His dad and mom shared them over the years with Matt and his four siblings. Whereas my mom and grandmother simply cooked the food, Matt’s family was following the traditional Polish Christmas Eve Wigilia and getting baskets blessed at Church during Easter. Even though today we don’t always practice the...

Anybody following my blog/recipes over the years, is probably aware of my love of Middle Eastern food. As my familiarity and interest with Middle Eastern cuisine is due to my Lebanese husband and his family, I have over the past 33 years enjoyed eating, cooking and sharing this food with family, friends and the O’Live A Little community. Turkish, Lebanese, and Persian food although different from each other, all share similarities that seem to be exotic compared to the basic American dinner of burgers and potatoes. Meat or tomatoes with mint and cinnamon, use of coriander, fenugreek, sumac and more,...