Marie Coussa

When I was researching the food in the Netherlands, I came across someone who said “how many Dutch restaurants have you seen in the world?” So yeah, the expectations were altered. Nevertheless, I always try to eat what and where the locals eat when I travel. I got my pannenkoeken and my stroopwafel and my bitterballen (they really love their fried snacks, sweets, and mustard). Unfortunately I couldn’t bring myself to get a pickled herring down the hatch. Most intriguing in Amsterdam’s food scene though were the Indonesian and Surinamese influences. 10/10 would go back for that. And fries and Gouda. 🇳🇱 *Appeltaart is from a cafe in Delft

Dam I miss this city 🚲

Signs of the times 🆘

Aaaand that’s a wrap on another round of #Chopped 🔪 Forever grateful that I get to be a part of bringing this show to life (9 seasons in!) with the very best crew. It’s not every day that you get to eat, cook, AND have fun with your coworkers…except it is! #shrimpsisbugs

A periodic dump 🚮

“La muerte solo existe cuando te olvidan, yo a ti nunca te olvidare. “Death only exists when you forget, and I will never forget you." It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of Rosie’s passing last Thursday. This quote was in the cemetery of a small Mexican village I visited the week prior. The timing felt especially poignant, because Rosie was a dog you can not soon forget. Rosie came into our lives on a rainy March evening in 2006, at just two months old. My mom and I had a random obsession with dachshunds. She had just retired and promised us a dog, and I was a socially anxious teen who would find much-needed comfort in our new puppy. When she came across a posting at our local dog groomer for a litter of doxie puppies on the UWS who needed homes, we drove to the city on a whim. The only girl in the litter, Rosie stood out right away. While all of her brothers were sleeping on each other as puppies do, Rosie was the rambunctious one scurrying about, trying to sneak food from her owner who, funnily enough, was a food photographer and so was constantly cooking. We had to have her. When Rosie was in her prime, she barked. A LOT. Neighbors and family members may have complained, but I chalked it up to a misunderstanding of Rosie’s fierce loyalty and protective nature. (Doxies are infamous for this anyway.) It’s in this way that I felt we were kindred spirits. If Rosie didn’t like you, you definitely knew…and maybe had the bite marks to prove it. 😅 She was a hunter, after all! If you really knew Rosie though, you knew she was sweet and compassionate, but also just plain spunky and smart. It’s what I’ve always loved about her. She had “chutzpah" as I liked to say, something I always aspired to. Rosie’s absence is beyond palpable. The motions of my day don’t feel quite the same. Unlocking the door to the apartment is anti-climactic, cooking by the stove makes me miss her small furry paws under my feet. I miss the smell of her Frito paws (Cont. in comments)

*insert the beginning of Love on Top by Beyoncé here* Because IG doesn’t let me 😤 Roasted beets, citrus supremes, pistachio shallot vin, ricotta salata, mint

@bravetart ’s sunny lemon bars for this gray, cloudy day 🌞 Swapped out the shortbread for a graham cracker/almond crust because I think most lemon bars miss a salty element. Maybe I’ll just go full pretzel crust next time. Also the coarser texture is a welcome addition to the smooth, wobbly curd.

The first of many celebrations for my cousin Steph 🍋 P.S. Hire me for all your bridal shower emceeing needs 💁‍♀️

I cracked (eggs) and made a reel. Now go make some carbonara for yourself! ✌️ #cookingreels #foodreels #nycfood #carbonara #pastacarbonara #cookingforone #homecooking

Braise short ribs, have them the next day (and the day after—they’ll taste better)

Meet my Christmas appetizer staple!!! These lil bites make their appearance every year by popular demand, because who doesn’t like warm cheesy spinach things?! I’m also a believer that you should have some warm/cooked thing amidst your spread of cheeses, meats, crudités, what have you. They're a rif on a recipe from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook from the '90s called “Festive Entertaining” so yeah, you could say now is the time to make them for all your FESTIVITIES. The OG recipe tells you to make puff pastry but who has time for that ya know! I’m a big phyllo girl so I love these frozen shells that make for a crisper bite. Spinach and Blue Cheese Bites Serves 6 24 frozen phyllo tart shells 3 ounces frozen spinach 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1 egg 2/3 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup (3oz) Emmentaler cheese, finely shredded 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled (or any other creamy sheep’s milk blue!) 1. Thaw spinach: Place frozen spinach and 2 tablespoons of water in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir to loosen spinach and cover with a lid to steam, about 5 minutes. Transfer to fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl to drain. Squeeze in a kitchen towel until no water remains. 2. While spinach drains, prep the rest of the filling. Toast pine nuts on a sheet tray at 350° until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Shred the Emmentaler cheese. 3. Make filling: In a medium bowl, combine egg, heavy cream, shredded cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. (Mixture can be made one day ahead and sit in the fridge until ready to use, just bring it up to room temp before filling.) 4. Arrange phyllo shells on sheet tray and prebake at 350° for 5 minutes just until crisp. Raise oven to 425°. 5. Finish the filling: Add drained spinach to cheese mixture and mix until fully combined. Fill each phyllo shell with 1/2 tablespoon of mixture. Top with small blue cheese crumble and 2-3 pine nuts. 6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is just melted and filling is bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack and serve warm.