• marinated feta with herbs and pink peppercorn
    Food

    Marinated Feta with Pink Peppercorn and Fennel Seed

    One of my favorite cocktails combines champagne with pink peppercorn and a few delicious herbal ingredients. With these bright, fresh flavors in mind, I created a marinated feta that is perfect for snacking, topping salads, or accompanying a charcuterie board.  The reddish pink berries and sprigs of bright green oregano – reminiscent of holly and winterberry – also make this a great appetizer for Christmas parties and winter celebrations.

  • antique botanical print of oregano featuring parts of the herb
    Food

    In Praise of Oregano

    Fireflies, grill smoke, and my grandfather wearing a laurel made of mint stems. These are a few of the memories that light up my senses when I think about the summers of my childhood. At every picnic my parents hosted, he would take a trip to the mint bed, pluck a few stems to ward off mosquitoes, and craft a laurel fit for Caesar. It seems after all these years that my grandfather’s trick still holds weight. Year after year, the mint bed on the side of my house deters mosquitoes from that area. Perhaps I started planting it in remembrance of my grandfather and his funny little quirk, but…