We Tried Trader Joe’s Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

At holiday time, everyone's looking to put a little sparkle into their holiday meals and get togethers. And as more people look to reduce or eliminate alcohol, Trader Joe's has grown their sparkling beverage selection over the last couple of years. This year's new add: Trader Joe's Sparkling Pomegranate Punch. I was excited to…

ByMichelleNovember 4, 20210Comments

Recipes Salads

CELERY SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE WALNUTS AND DATES

We've reached that point in the winter where I'm just about to my limit with kale salads. I had to go in a completely different direction, but still wanted a distinct crunch. The answer was obvious and not-so-obvious at the same time: celery. I've made a celery salad before with honeycrisp apple, and while delicious,…

ByMichelleJanuary 6, 20180Comments

Main Course Recipes

Red Lentils and Rice with Yogurt, Preserved Lemon and Pomegranate

I'm beginning to think I should call my husband the Grad School Gourmet. For a poor grad student back East, he ate pretty surprisingly well. Instead of packets of instant noodles, he'd buy giant bags of beans and rice to get by. He usually ate these lentils and rice with a little fresh tomato on…

ByMichelleDecember 20, 20160Comments

Cooking Recipes Salads Side Dishes

Winter Salad with Radicchio, Pomegranate & Beets

Thanksgiving week. No one wants to talk about salad. And that’s 100 percent fine. Because after all the butter, carbs and sugar, you’ll be wanting something clean. So when you’re back on track, it’ll be time for redemption. In this case, it’s red redemption -- radicchio, pomegranate, beets and honeycrisps with a sprinkling of toasted…

ByMichelleNovember 24, 20141Comment

Cooking Entertaining Pizza Recipes

FridayNightSlice: Delicata Squash Flatbread w/ Persimmon & Pomegranate

If there's one chef who has always really represented seasonal cooking to me, it's Suzanne Goin, chef-owner of LA's Lucques and A.O.C. The combo of persimmon and pomegranate shows up in both Sunday Suppers at Lucquesand A.O.C. Cookbook and that was the inspiration for this week's FridayNightSlice -- a Delicata squash flatbread topped with persimmon, pomegranate…

ByMichelleNovember 14, 20140Comments

Cooking Main Course Recipes Salads Side Dishes

Before Big Sweater Season ~ Jeweled Butternut Couscous Salad

Thanksgiving really takes care of itself, doesn’t it? The meal itself is so steeped in tradition that you’re not really changing much, are you? Maybe you’ll have roasted Brussels sprouts this year instead of green beans. Maybe you’ll make apple pie in addition to pumpkin, but fundamentally, it’s the meal you grew up with. The…

ByMichelleNovember 18, 20131Comment

Recipes Salads Side Dishes

In Season: Kale, Asian Pear & Pomegranate Salad

Creating balance is sometimes about restraint. You don’t always need flavor to smack you in the face to have a wow moment. As you look at the piles of apples and pears in the produce section, it’s never been more true. My favorite eating apple these days is the Honeycrisp. It’s not shy. It’s crunchy…

ByMichelleNovember 14, 20120Comments

Recipes

In Season: Pomegranates…and Cosmos

Do you remember the first time you had fresh squeezed orange juice? That first pulpy sip that made you say, wow, if this is orange juice, what the heck we been drinking at breakfast? That was me on Saturday, with pomegranate juice. Yeah, I’ve had pomegranate juice from that bulbous-shaped bottle and it’s plenty tasty…

ByMichelleNovember 12, 20121Comment

We Tried Trader Joe’s Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

CELERY SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE WALNUTS AND DATES

Red Lentils and Rice with Yogurt, Preserved Lemon and Pomegranate

Winter Salad with Radicchio, Pomegranate & Beets

FridayNightSlice: Delicata Squash Flatbread w/ Persimmon & Pomegranate

Before Big Sweater Season ~ Jeweled Butternut Couscous Salad

In Season: Kale, Asian Pear & Pomegranate Salad

In Season: Pomegranates…and Cosmos

Book Review: A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang

26 New Asian and Pacific Islander Books for your 2026 TBR