This one is a no-brainer, but the picture we took of this is too beautiful not to post. Sometimes the most simple things have the most beautiful presentation, that is the advantage of having fresh fruit. You don’t have to do much to dress it up!
My version is with fresh papaya, blackberries and lime juice served over vanilla bean ice cream!

This page gives you all the essential information for safe food handling and storage. Some foods deteriorate faster than others and it is important to know which things you should use up first when deciding your menus.

TIPS: Fridge and Freezer

• Keep your refrigerator at 40 F and your freezer at 0 F
• Foods thawed and held above 40 F for more than 2 hours should be thrown away
• Never defrost at room temperature
• Divide large amounts of leftovers into small shallow containers
• Cut large pieces of cooked meat into small pieces to cool faster
• Refrigerate home cooked meals in a timely fashion. Foods will keep 3-4 days in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer
• Any bread that contains meat or dairy products must be refrigerated within 2 hours. Same for any cakes with dairy icing or frostings
• Never overload your refrigerator so the air can circulate evenly
• Check sell by and use by dates on packages
• Once you purchase food be sure to take it home immediately. If not transport it in a cooler
• If your power goes off, if the freezer door is kept shut a full freezer will stay fresh for about 2 days, a half freezer about 1 day. Fridge food should be OK for 4 hours
• Safety first – If you feel your food may have been compromised even within these guidelines please discard:
  • Cooked Meats: 3-4 days in fridge; 2-3 months in freezer
  • Cooked Ham: 3-4 days in fridge; 1-2 months in freezer
  • Cooked Poultry: 3-4 days in fridge; 4-6 months in freezer
  • Rotisserie Chicken: 3-4 days in fridge; 4 months in freezer
  • Cooked Fish: 3-4 days in fridge; 1-2 months in freezer
  • Cooked Shellfish: 3-4 days in fridge; 3 months in freezer
  • Smoked Fish: 5-8 days in fridge; 2 months in freezer
  • Juice: 3 weeks in fridge; 8-12 months in freezer
  • Cooked Pasta: 1-2 days in fridge; 2 months in freezer
  • Pesto or Salsa: 3 days in fridge (after opening); 1-2 months in freezer
  • Sour Cream: 2 weeks in fridge; do not freeze
  • Yogurt: 7-14 days in fridge; 1-2 months in freezer
  • Hard cooked Eggs: 1 week in fridge, do not freeze
  • Raw Eggs: 2-4 days in fridge; 12 months in freezer
  • Bread: 1-2 weeks in fridge; 3 months in freezer
  • Cakes: 1 week in fridge; 2-3 months in freezer
  • Pies: 1 week in fridge; 2-3 months in freezer
  • BBQ Sauce: 12 months in pantry (unopened); 4 months in fridge (after opening)
  • Ketchup, Cocktail Sauce: 12 months in pantry (unopened); 6 months in fridge (after opening)
  • Mayo: 2-3 months in pantry (unopened); 12 months in fridge (after opening)
  • Mustard: 12 months in pantry (unopened) and in fridge (after opening)
  • Olives: 12-18 months in pantry (unopened); 2 weeks in fridge (after opening)
  • Pickles: 12 months in pantry (unopened); 2 weeks in fridge (after opening)
  • Salad Dressing: 10-12 months in pantry (unopened); 3 months in fridge (after opening)

If you have further questions regarding this call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800-535-4555

TIPS: Pantry Storage

• Pantry foods should be stored in a clean dry cabinet at below 85 F
• Never purchase cans that are punctured, leaking, rusted or bulging
• Most canned foods can be safely stored for several years, below are some guidelines:
  • Low Acidic Canned Goods: 2-5 years
  • High Acidic Canned Goods: 12-18 months
• Never keep any foods that say “Keep Refrigerated” on the label in the pantry
  Safety first – If you feel your food may have been compromised even within these guidelines please discard:
  • Dried Beans/ Lentils: 12 months
  • Canned Goods (low Acid): 2-5 years in pantry (unopened); 3-4 days in fridge (after opening)
  • Canned Goods (high acid): 12-18 months in pantry (unopened); 5-7 days in fridge (after opening)
  • Dried Fruits: 6 months
  • Dried Herbs: 1-2 years unopened; 12 months after opening
  • Honey: 12 months
  • Jams, Jellies, Preserves: 12 months in pantry (unopened); 6 months in fridge
  • Olive and Veg Oils: 6 months; 1-3 after opening
  • Nuts: 12 months (unopened) 1 months after opening
  • Pasta: 2 years
  • Rice: 1 year
  • Spaghetti Sauce: 18 months in pantry (unopened); 4 days in fridge (after opening)
  • Whole Spices: 2-4 years in total
  • Ground Spices: 2 years in total
  • Sun-dried Tomatoes (in oil): 12 months in pantry (unopened); 6 months after opening
  • Vinegar: 2 years in pantry (unopened); 12 months after opening

This information and more developed by
Food Marketing Institute
USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline
FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Fresh herbs are a wonderful way to add life and spice to your dishes. Adding a fresh herb garnish catches the eye and makes your creation look beautiful. Chopping some fresh herbs to sprinkle on top of your plate as a finishing touch adds a spark of freshness and color to an otherwise plain looking meal. So be creative, make every meal special and add fresh herbs to your daily repertoire!

Essentials:

Italian Basil: Italian Basil is a delicious herb with a lemony flavor. It is very clean and fresh and is especially good when added to dishes that contain tomatoes for example pastas and pizzas, but it is in no way limited to that.

Thai Basil: Thai Basil is a spicy basil and is the backbone of Thai inspired dishes and curries. It has a beautiful purple hue to it which adds bold color and drama to your dishes. Perfect chopped on top of fish or in exotic fruit salads.

Mint Varieties: Mint comes in a huge variety of flavors – classics like peppermint and spearamint but unconventional like pineapple and chocolate. Great as a garnish in teas or fruit salads and perfect for the famous Cuban drink – Mojitos! Mint is also used in more savory dishes from places like Greece and the Middle East.

Oregano: Oregano is one of my favorite fresh herbs. It is a classic for the Mediterranean kitchen. I love to chop it up for salads, add it to pasta dishes and even coat meat in it for grilling, especially lamb. It is very versatile and has a very spicy pungent herbal taste!

Cilantro: Cilantro is great for a lot of tropical kinds of dishes – from Carribean to Thai cooking it is a staple. It also helps counteract salmonella when digested! Combine with lime juice as a marinade over fish! Delicious!

Flat Leaf Parsley: Flat leaf Parsley is a classic for the Italian kitchen. You can use it as a garnish or chop it up to top almost any kind of dish you can think of. Probably one of the most popular and versatile herbs!

Chives: Who has never tried fresh chives mixed with sour cream to top a baked potato? Simple and delicious. Chives are wonderful, great in salads and other vegetable dishes, also very good on fish.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a very savory herb. I use it all the time when roasting potatoes or making sweet potato fries! It is delicious mixed with roasted vegetables and you can even use sticks of it as skewers for grilling shrimp or cubes of chicken!

Thyme: Thyme has a very woodsy flavor with a twist of lemon. It is great with things that come out of the ground such as mushrooms and carrots. It lends a bit of citrus undertone and brings out the woodsiness of the vegetables. Also great with Chicken and other Meats.

There are many other fresh herbs to try and experiment with. These are my tried and true favorites, but get out there and find yours!


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What is in your fridge changes on a weekly basis. But this is where the fun comes in! This is what allows you to be creative! Your pantry or stock items pretty much stay the same, but what keeps your meals fresh and exciting are all your fridge items! Below are essential fridge items to always keep on hand to make creating meals easy! Please visit my store to purchase any of the items in the fridge as well as other goodies!

Please see the Food Safety Page of this website to learn how to handle and store food and leftovers safely!

Essentials:

Dairy:
Plain Yogurt
Cheese
Eggs
Milk or Cream

Condiments:
Olives
Pickles
Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ketchup
Mustard
BBQ Sauce
Mayonnaise
Salad Dressings
Store Bought Marinades and Sauces
Simple Syrup: See Recipe

Produce:
Lemons
Limes
Greens
Salad Ingredients

What one has in their pantry often dictates what kinds of meals can be prepared at a moment’s notice. That is why it is so important to make sure you have the essentials that allow you to be creative, but also have a wide variety of items that go together to make something delicious and memorable! Please visit my store to purchase any of the items in the pantry, as well as other goodies!

Food Essentials:

Potatoes:

Potatoes have a very high glycemic level and therefore are not the best foods for you. Plus many people have nightshade sensitivities which means white potatoes are out. However we all enjoy potatoes from time to time. Sweet potatoes and yams do not have a high glycemic index and are rich in beta carotene and vitamins. So feel free to eat those up! For those with nightshade sensitivity, red-skinned potatoes are generally less aggrivating. So try those.

Sweet Potatoes
Red Skinned Potatoes

Rice:

Arborio - Arborio rice is used most often in the making of risotto, a northern italian dish that can be made with any combination of vegetable or meat. What makes it unique is the way in which it is cooked.

Orzo – Orzo is a small pasta that looks like rice. It is perfect for salads and soups and any recipe that calls for rice.

Brown – Brown rice is healthier than white rice, so I would recommend using this in your diet if you have problems with glycemic index.

Wild – Wild rice comes in many different colors – often times brown or black. It has a distinct nutty flavor and is great with mushrooms.

Couscous – couscous is a pasta that is used a lot in the Middle East, North African and the Mediterranean. It is small and bead-like. Very delicious.

Polenta – although polenta is not a rice, sometimes it is used in the same way, so it can be a substitute as an accompiament. Polenta is basically corn meal.

Pasta:

Pasta also has a very high glycemic index. However, used sparingly and served in its right proportions (1/2 cup cooked), it can be a great addition to any meal. De Boles is a good brand to try – they make their pastas with 1/2 artichoke flour and 1/2 semolina, making its glycemic profile much better and healthier! You can also try the wide variety of whole wheat pastas on the market. They are full of fiber, delicious and a nice change to the regular routine!

Penne – rod shaped with a hole in the center. Great for thick sauces because it gets stuck in the middle of the pasta, which is great when you bite down on it!

Spaghetti – I really only use spaghetti when I am making meatballs. But for some people it is the only pasta they use. It is also good when making an olive oil based sauce for seafood.

Farfalle – This is a bowtie shaped pasta. I like it particularly with creamy sauces and small pieces of vegetables. This shape is also good with pestos. Fun shape for kids!

Gnocchi – Gnocchi is a vegetable based pasta. It is more like a dumpling. It is made from potatoes and sometimes another vegetable, like spinach or squash. Potato gnocchi are great with red sauces – like a marinara. While a squash gnocchi would be great with a brown butter sauce and some sage!

Tortellini – Tortellini is a filled pasta, not a pocket like ravioli but a circle. This is great for any kind of sauce, or even better in soup! They can be filled with anything from cheese, to prosciutto to chicken.

Whole Wheat – I recommend trying whole what pasta which you can find many of the above mentioned shapes. It is better for you and tastes great!

Legumes:

Garbanzo also known as chick peas and ceci in Italian. Great is salads, couscous, pretty much anything!

Kidney – tried and true, known as the chili bean as that is where they most often appear.

Black Beans – delicious, good on their own as a side dish mixed with tomatoes, cumin and a squeeze of lime! Also really great mixed with sweet potatoes!

Cannellini – big white Italian beans! These are great mixed with sausage and dishes with greens, like spinach, arugala or swiss chard just to name a few. Also great as a crostini topping and can be whipped into a spread or dip!

Red Lentils – used a lot in African cooking. Great for stews, dips and anything you can think of.

Green Lentils – sometimes known as French lentils, these have a stronger flavor than regular brown lentils and are great in salads.

Brown Lentils – your standard lentil, but still good!

Nuts and Seeds:

Nuts and seeds are great to have around the house. They are wonderful to throw in salads, bean dishes, good for baking and garnishes. Even for encrusting meat with before searing. There are so many wonderful flavors here, and these are a few of my favorites that I cannot be without!

Almonds
Sun Flower Seeds
Peanuts
Sesame Seeds
Pine Nuts
Pistacchio
Hazelnuts

Dried Fruit

note: try to get dried fruit that does not contain sulphur and is organic. Again, like seeds and nuts, dried fruits are a great addition to foods you want to “wake up” a bit. A special unexpected treat for your mouth! These are my favorites:

Cranberries
Raisins
Cherries
Mango
Turkish Apricots – natural, organic Turkish apricots taste better than chocolate!
Figs
Dates

Oils:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - in my opinion there is no need for any olive oil that is not extra virgin. There are so many affordable kinds, that you should have no trouble finding one that fits your budget. To learn more about Olive Oils, click here.

Sesame Oil – invaluable in Asian style cooking.

Canola Oil – good for frying if you don’t want to use up your Olive Oil!

Various Nut Oils: Hazelnut, Walnut, Macadamia Nut, Pumpkin Seed, etc. These are great to drizzle on salads, pastas, sauces, etc. Play around with the flavors! It’s fun!

Vinegars:

Vinegar is a great thing to add to salad dressings, sauces and anything you want to add a bit of tang to. There are millions of types of vinegars, many even infused with fruits like blood oranges, pomegranates and figs! You could spend years testing all the flavors and what they go with.

Balsamic – Balsamic vinegars are sweet and syrupy. They are delcious in salad dressings, as a marinade or even poured over berries for a delicious dessert!

Wine & Rice Wine – All wine vinegars are wonderful to have for everyday recipes. Try substituting them for white vinegar in recipes and see how the flavors change!

Sauces and Condiments:

Sauces and condiments are what makes a dish unique – what makes it taste different. It is what you can use to strectch a dish out making more servings, or how to make your own sauces just by having these around the house!

Diced Tomatoes – great for making sauces and salsas. Try mixing them in beans with spices to serve over rice for a quick and easy meal.

Crushed Tomatoes & Tomato Paste
- the foundation for making your own tomato based sauces at home. If you have these two essentials it is so easy to make your own sauce, you will never buy the jarred stuff again. Tomato paste is wonderful for thickening sauces and making them rich and hearty!

Mustard – hot, sweet, etc. it comes in many varieties. Perfect for salad dressings, marinades and delicious baked on salmon with dill!

Tahini – a ground sesame paste used in a lot of Middle Eastern cuisine. it is essentially a thinner nut butter and is great for making sauces.

Nutella – chocolate-hazelnut spread. “The peanut butter of Italy” and a lot of other European countries. Great on toast, ice cream, stuffed in crepes, spread on pancakes, you just cannot go wrong with this stuff. You can even use it as an icing for cake. Check it out here.

Spice Essentials:

Variety is the spice of life and here are the spices that are great to have on hand to create different tastes with the same ingredients as a base. When you use different spices, even with similar food ingredients, your eating experience will be very different! If you are not familiar with some of these spices, just ask me how they can be used!

Ethnic Spice Blends: see recipe

I have bolded some that people may not be familiar with, but that have become indispensable for me!

Sea Salt - Trapani Sicilian Sea Salt, Orange & Black Hawaiian Salt, Cyprus Lava Salt and French Grey Salt are some of my favorites.

Pepper Grinder

Oregano

Cumin

Coriander

Paprika – Hot, Sweet, Smoked are some of my favorites!

Chili Powder - you can try as many varieties as there are chilis. Try somein hot chocolate or chocolate confections for a nice twist.

Hot Pepper Flakes

Tumeric

Thyme

Rosemary

Basil

Tarragon

Za’atar – Lebanese spice mix of thyme and sesame seeds

Herbs De Provence - mix of herbs used in French Cooking

Sumac – Middle Eastern spice with a lemony burst of flavor!
Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Cardamom

Pure Vanilla Extract

This cake recipe will make people think you bought it at a European Bakery. The best thing about is that it is adapted from a store bought cake mix, making it almost effortless!
It is beautiful, fresh, festive and delicious.
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