Joan Nova's Page

I've been missing the challenge. Oh, sure, I challenge myself with most every meal I prepare, but it's not the same as being given a category and told to run with it. That's stoking the fire, revving the engine, jumping off a cliff. That's exhilarating! Especially when it works. :)

I have more than 10 pages of food…

Apparently every Spanish-speaking country has their version of this classic dish. Being half-Spanish, I grew up eating a traditional arroz con pollo from Spain. When I started cooking myself, I took a somewhat Spanish-American approach. That meant I used no-fail Uncle Ben's rice and strictly adhered to the…

Creamed corn empanadas, popular in South America, are traditionally called empanadas de humitas. I thought it was an interesting party food that would pair well with the wine I had selected. Having never made it before, I looked at a few recipes (they're all basically the same) and chose to follow Rebecca's instructions on …

I’ve moved more than a half-dozen times in my adult life. Like many people, with each move I lessened the load. This meant as my life became more (or shall we say totally) digitalized, “lessening the load” meant getting rid of cookbooks.

Yes, I loved them but the fact was I no longer looked at them. Didn’t have the time or inclination because truth is I had already begun to develop my own…