Simmer + Sauce

Profesionally trained NYC chef turned California mom & food blogger www.simmerandsauce.com

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Hard Cider Sangria

A new fun, seasonal fall favorite; hard cider sangria.

Hello fall! There are many things I love about the fall season, the warm days with cool nights, the crisp air, sweaters of any kind, fall vegetables, Thanksgiving, my birthday and almost anything involving apples. I also adore sangria. So that is how we got to this new fall favorite of mine, hard cider sangria. The History Of Sangria: Sangria comes to us by way of Spain and Portugal and has a…

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Cranberry-Oatmeal Muffins With Streusel Topping

Cranberry-oatmeal muffins, for Muffin Monday.

My love of oats is no secret, if you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m a big overnight oat fan. Oats are a great addition to many things in the baking world, power bars, smoothies, dessert bars, cookies and of course, muffins. Oats add texture and I’m a big fan of that when it comets baking. These cranberry-oatmeal muffins, loaded with streusel topping are guaranteed to make you #muffinmonday,…

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Sarah Kieffer's Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you've not yet made Sarah Kieffer's pan-banging chocolate chip cookies, it's time to start.

Sarah Kieffer’s Pan-banging chocolate chip cookies, are now world famous and rightly for so. Kieffer’s recipe for these insanely delicious cookies first appeared in her cookbook called Vanilla Bean Baking Book. They were later featured in the NY Times, and the rest they say, is history. Kieffer is a self-taught baker and one that I admire very much. Her blog, The Vanilla Bean Blog, is a fantastic…

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Chicken Kreplach Soup

Chicken kreplach soup, is a favorite dish of mine for all seasons.

Chicken kreplach soup is a dish my husband has asked me to develop for a while now. Kreplach (pronounced krep-lakh) or “krepel” if singular, is the Yiddish name for the traditional triangular pieces of dough filled with ground meat or chicken, similar to dumplings. Also known as “Jewish wontons“, kreplach, just like Chinese dumplings, can be boiled and served in chicken soup or fried and served…

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Classic Vanilla Rice Pudding

Classic vanilla rice pudding is an old favorite that never disappoints.

Rice pudding is something my mother loves. Although she never made it from scratch, I have always associated rice pudding with her. My mother did not teach me how to make this classic comfort food, ironically I learned how to make it at my first job out of culinary school. Although hired as a saucier, I was the only female in the kitchen and expected to do sweets and pastry on the side. If you’ve…

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Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad With Buttermilk Dressing

An American classic: crispy chicken Cobb salad with buttermilk dressing.

The Cobb salad is an American classic and one of the first salads I was introduced to as a kid. It was, and still remains, the perfect salad. A Cobb is a beautiful, bountiful salad representing a symphony of flavors and textures. Eating a Cobb salad is never a chore, but rather a culinary experience. To fully enjoy a Cobb salad is all about getting the perfect bit. Just enough of the creamy…

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Caramelized Onion Kugel

Caramelized onion kugel, a noodle dish you don't have to be Jewish to love.

Every Jewish family has a kugel recipe as well as strong opinion about it. Kugel is not a required Jewish holiday dish, but trust me, by not required, I mean it’s at every Jewish holiday meal. I have been asked many times over the years what my kugel recipe is…ironically, I had never really found one I loved. I thought it was about time to change that. This is my caramelized onion kugel, made…

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Peach-Pecan Snacking Cake

A simple peach-pecan snacking cake for your Labor Day celebration.

In the United States Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. What it has also come to represent is a long weekend in September that unofficially marks the end of summer. As a kid raise don the east coast, this meant the last hurrah before the new school year began. Although I have been on the west coast for many years, and my boys have been in school for…

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Toronha Cocktail

The frozen Toronha cocktail is a close cousin of the margarita made with grapefruit juice, it is a must make before summer officially ends.

The margarita is undoubtedly the most popular tequila cocktail the world over, followed by the Paloma. The Toromha cocktail is a close cousin of the margarita and is believed to have been invented by the Tequila Tezon company. Apparently the “Toronha” name comes from “toronja” (the Spanish word for grapefruit), and takes the extra ‘h’ from the tahona wheel used in tequila’s production. Toronha is…

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Fresh Pasta Dough

Making fresh pasta dough is something all home cooks should learn how to master.

There is nothing better than fresh pasta. And despite what many believe, fresh pasta dough it’s not all that difficult to make, you can even make it in a kitchen mixer. Making homemade pasta was what I call a pandemic obsession. Along with homemade sourdough, I spent many hours making home pasta as I found it both relaxing and therapeutic. I also thoroughly enjoyed eating it! Bolognese and…

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Blueberry Papaya Smoothie Bowl

A healthy, dairy-free blueberry papaya smoothie bowl to start your day off right.

I remember when smoothie bowls became a thing. And I’ll admit it, I didn’t fully get them at first, but now I do. Smoothie bowls are often confused with açaí bowls, but they are not the same, in fact they are completely different in origin. And to clarify, traditional smoothies, made of pureed fruit mixtures (the ones you drink in a glass with a straw) are something else entirely steaming from…

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Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Hold on to summer as long as you can with this rustic strawberry rhubarb galette.

Everyone has a prefered fruit, but not everyone will admit it. I have no secrets when it comes to food. Strawberries are my favorite summer fruit and this strawberry rhubarb galette is the perfect dessert to highlight beautiful summer berries. The Truth About Strawberries: Most have no clue, but a strawberry is not actually a berry at all. Botanists call the strawberry a “false fruit,” or a…

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Sweet Pea Soup With Pesto

Sweet pea soup with pesto is the perfect summer soup but one that can be made all year long.

Back to posting after a lovely week spent away with my family. I am so thankful for the ability to safely reunite after so many long and challenging months apart. If you have been separated from loved ones, I hope you have had some special time together recently as well. Now let’s talk about soup. I am a total vegetable snob, there, there I’ve said it. Living in California has completely spoiled…

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Saint Germain Cocktail

Saint Germain cocktail, a modern drink I have completly fallen in love with.

Meet my new favorite summer drink, a Saint Germain cocktail. A blend of St. Germain, (pronounced san-jer-man), white wine and club soda, think wine spritzer, but better. Light, effervescent and refreshing, this is a cocktail I have been sipping on all summer long. And the best part about this time of year, you can bend the rules a bit during the week, see a friend and splurge on a cocktail (or…

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Strawberry-Plum Walnut Smoothie

A healthy strawberry-plum walnut smoothie that makes the perfect snack in summer.

Note: “By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Walnuts and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.” Here is a new summer smoothie I can’t seem to get enough of these days. This is my strawberry-plum walnut smoothie and it is outrageously delicious. This is the perfect, heart-healthy fruit smoothie to help ease…

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Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Effortless homemade strawberry rhubarb jam for Summer.

Summer and jam just go together.  And strawberry rhubarb jam is number one on my list of jam favorites.  To clarify, jams, jellies, marmalades, and conserves are all somewhat similar. They all are a mixture of fruit and sugar and share the basic preparation of crushing ripe fruit to release its juice, adding sugar and heating the mixture to a boil, cooking it until it’s ready to set. But these…

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Summer Cherry Shortbread Bars

Indulge yourself with these summer cherry shortbread bars any day of the week.

Sweet cherries are here and they are irresistible. These summer cherry shortbread bars a must make if you are a cookie/bar lover like I am. Effortless in preparation, these bars bake up in no time and feel like the perfect cross between a cookie and a pie. Best part, they are not nearly as timing consuming as pie making. This recipe is not mine, it is from another blogger I adore. Sue, and her…

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