DIY Root Beer

Step 1: Buy some fancy tea with roots like licorice dandelion, sasparilla and red clover

Step 2: Boil tea for 20 minutes with 1 cup water/1 tbsp tea ration, then let sit for 4 hours

Step 3: Serve over ice with a splash of soda water 

Enjoy with piano Ethiopiques by Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou 

Cranberry Gin - Gin Fizz with Nigerian Vibes

I am not much of a 'mixologist' (yet) but I just so happened to have fresh cranberry juice leftover in my fridge, along with ginger beer. One part gin, two parts juice, a squeeze of half a lime and shake shake shake. Topped it with a splash of ginger beer in a champagne flute and i haven't felt ao fancy on a Wednesday night in awhile. So fancy I felt I was inspired to post here after a four year break, accompanied by my new favorite Nigerian tunes, the Lijadu Sisters, a funky ladies band from the 70s. They're bubbly and bitter, sweet and sour just like my delicious aperitif. Nigeria is the same cool country that brought us Fela and Willian Onyeabor, tha place must have some good people, good vibes, maybe good food too, I dunno! Recently read 'Americanah' now I am definitely intrigued. 

Squash, Sprouts and Symphonies

Accompanying this fall market meal was the sweet and savory serenading of Andrew Bird's latest album's extension, Hands of Glory. The carotene laden roasted sweet butternut squash, savory fennel, red onions and garlic cloves were simply dusted with fresh sprigs of thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil and thrown in the oven at 400 for about 40 minutes. I took brussel sprouts fresh from their thick stalky vine, cut them in half, and sauteed them with garlic and some proscuitto. I added a side of Arborro rice to bulken it up a bit - but honestly the two veggie dishes would have sufficed.

Needless to say, Andrew Bird's poignant layering of violin, voice, and looping symphonics synchronize well with a fall dish such as this - you have savory flavors of the earth soaking up the last of the season's nutrients generating an orchestral foundation for the trusted and sturdy cruciferous vegetables that grace our presence through the Northeast November. Adding to that the reliable flavors and fillers of proscuitto and rice, just as Bird peppers in his whistling, and mostly dependable guitar, you cultivate a rich and layered meal, providing your body, soul and sense with the abundant nourishment of the seasonal transition.

I Can Only Dream of Garnering this Type of Food Passion

Auto-Tune Love: Original:

Javelin & Garlic Scape Pesto Dip

Javelin has sparked creativity in me like no other artist has yet to achieve, and I would like to attribute their poppy but funky, electo-infused harmonies to my innate tendencies to bring together unassuming but workable flavor combinations in food.



This pesto was originally purposed for pasta, but once I tried it, I knew it was a multi-purpose dip. Eat with crackers, spread for sandwiches or use to coat your pasta. Ingredients inclue: garlic scapes (about 8 full scapes), tahini, raw zucchini, and a splash of balsamic vinegar and water to great fluidity.

Purple Carrots, Pink Rutabaga, & the Fruit Bats

This is my first attempt to showcase multi-taste integration through this self-indulgent web platform. For me, cooking is a creative outlet, and in order for the creative juices to flow, I have to pair the food with the proper ambiance: music and lighting. These sensory escapades are a part of my daily life, and to archive them seems a natural outlet, so please enjoy more holistic food experiences to come...

I purchased these lovely purple carrots and pink rutabaga at the market, tossed with olive oil and roasted them with garlic, red onion. I served the roasted vegetables over raw kale with olive oil, some fresh white cheese and balsamic dressing.

To accompany this farmers market bounty, the Fruit Bats folksy, dreamy serenading seemed quite fitting. The earthiness to their sound paired well with the way the carrots crisped up and crunched with the raw kale.

I LOVE ELECTROFUNK

Sharing some of my current favorites.

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

My neighborhood Asian/Hispanic grocery store carries a wide selection of fish at really good prices, but for some reason cooking with fish has always intimidated me (a relic from days as a vegetarian).

Not so practical, I know, so I'm going to start with the cured stuff first and slowly re-integrate these proteins back into my home-cooked cuisine.


I made a smoked salmon pasta salad with a lemon-yogurt-dill sauce, cucumbers, avocado, red onion and capers. Note to self: yum, repeat.