“Mom, what’s for dinner?” It’s a question my kids used to ask all the time. I found myself fumbling through my thoughts on a daily basis, too, about 3 p.m. wondering what should we eat tonight? The result, not always, but sometimes, was either picking up Chinese food, throwing together a quick meal that no one (myself included) was really looking forward to eating, or getting so overwhelmed with everything else going on that we had cereal for dinner.
 

Roasted turkey. Sausage speckled stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Mashed potatoes with gravy. Buttery dinner rolls. Pumpkin pie. Oh, and I forgot the green bean casserole. Unlike other holidays, the food expectations at Thanksgiving read out like a familiar grocery list. A traditional American Thanksgiving meal doesn’t tend to have many surprises—maybe there’s a little orange zest in the cranberry relish, or an extra swig of heavy cream in the mashed potatoes.

Roasted Crispy Cricket Tacos and Plantain Empanadas share the menu with traditional Jalisco favorites like Corn Sopes, Beef Barbacoa, and Cochinita Pibil. Such is the assortment of inventive dishes that have become the trademark of El Arrayán restaurant.

Pecan pie. Bananas foster. Red velvet cake. Lemon meringue pie. Doctor bird cake?!

Desserts in the South are well known for their sumptuous ingredients, bright flavors, and a dash of flare. And yet one dessert seems to stand apart—Doctor birds cake, more commonly called Hummingbird Cake.

I first heard of--and sampled--this sweet concoction a couple years ago in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. The combination of ripened bananas lapping up the sweetness of crushed pineapple gives the cake its signature sweetness, and dense yet airy texture.

LIVE from ITALY: Online Cooking Class Sunday, January 26, 2014

Want to make the most delicious chocolate, ever? You'd be surprised at this - it's got dark chocolate, sea salt (naturally), candied ginger, and... pomegranate?! Yes! I, too, was skeptical when I first saw this recipe at the New York Times food section (I've adapted their recipe, in this article).