Marinated Roasted Red Pepper

One afternoon during the recording of my album, “The Low”, my musician pals Rob and Brian and I sat down to share the jam packed Italian sandwiches that I had made before the session.  Those hefty hoagies had neat layers of prosciutto, mozzarella, seared zucchini, Marinated Roasted Red Peppers, basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on logs of crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside French bread.

Tofu and Herb Ravioli

My mom has been whipping up these tofu ravioli lately and tricking everyone in the family into thinking that they’re ricotta-filled.  Everyone has been getting ravioli Punk’d.  I decided to drive to Long Island to be her ravioli assistant, snag the recipe and get a taste of this mock ricotta.  Below is a picture of our final product.  They do have a surprising similarity to regular raviolis, especially when bathed in tomato sauce.  This is a perfect dinner for lactose intolerants or people trying to stay away from cheese for any reason.  You can also swap out the tofu for a 16 ounce container of ricotta if you prefer a classic filling.

How to Zest

Basil Pesto

Besides songwriting, I never thought much about what I should do with my life.  When I put music on the back burner a few years ago, I started brainstorming career ideas.  For six months I was really excited about becoming a yoga instructor.  When that idea fizzled, I did research on starting an organizational consultant company.  Cleaning people's closets sounded boring so I moved on and started posting Craigslist ads for “songwriting instructor for children”.  After no replies, I drafted an outline for a self help book but realized that I would benefit more from reading one than writing one.

Fresh Peach Salsa

I just returned from Los Angeles where I visited my sister and took in the sights, sounds and calories of the sunny, palm filled city.  Our very first stop was In and Out Burger, LA's famous fast food burger joint, where I housed a Double Meat Animal Style.  Dinner that night was Rigatoni with sausage, English peas and ricotta at Little Dom’s in Los Feliz...

Simple Homemade Ricotta

Picture it, Long Island, 2012; three women sit at a dining room table under a crystal chandelier enjoying some sweet Sicilian stuffed crepes.  One of those women is me, the other two are my mom and aunt.  I’m frantically jotting down mental notes as they take turns blurting out ricotta-making tips; it’s like some recipe version of the Pyramid game show.