MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2023 AT 5:30 PM
Aspics, Chicken Salad, and Ice Cold Celery: Finding Community through Maryland Recipes
5910 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21214
Cookbook Chat & Giveaway at B’More Made with Pride, June 17, 2023 3-4pm
BmoreArt about Festive Maryland Recipes co-written with Kara Mae Harris October 2023
She connected with Rachel Rappaport, who has been working as a recipe developer since 2004, and has an impressive resume with clients like McCormick and Frank’s RedHot. Rappaport had already updated several of the Baltimore classics, like coddies, smearcase, and peach cake. To Harris’ delight, when she reached out to see if she would be interested in developing recipes for the project, Rappaport said yes.
Each recipe in Festive Maryland Recipes is introduced by Harris with a thoughtful essay on the historical background and cultural context of the dish. The modernized recipes are presented with notes from recipe developer Rachel Rappaport. “The challenge in the design was [combining] Kara’s historical essays and Rachel’s translated recipes. It’s very unique because it’s half history text and half cookbook—so there’s a key or ‘how to use this book’ after the intro,” shares designer Sara Tomko.
Christopher Kimball writing for Milk Street “This cookbook is a real treasure—it’s as if a team of first-class writers and designers got hold of a community cookbook and really did it right. It is also a bit of a hodgepodge, since it is difficult to easily define Maryland cuisine, given the diverse groups that landed there, from the Welsh and Germans to the Italians, Greek Orthodox and South Koreans. There are more than a few gems here, such as stuffed ham, roast turkey with sauerkraut, oyster stuffing, white potato pie, pudding cake, Cornish saffron bread, japchae (noodle stir-fry), kinklings (potato doughnuts), ginger cream cake, strawberry cobbler and spinach ricotta pie from Liguria. Whether you make any of the recipes or not, this book should be high on your gift list for anyone who loves culinary history.”
Baltimore Magazine.
Rachel Rappaport started blogging four years ago to share her recipes with friends. Though she was trained as a school teacher, the 28-year-old Lauraville resident has a natural skill in the kitchen and a desire to let others in on her cooking secrets….
Each month, 100,000 unique visitors click over to see what she’s making. When she’s not typing up her recipes for things like her award winning tangerine dream cookies or pumpkin swirl brownies, she’s trying to respond to the approximately 100 e-mails readers send her each day. She has won numerous cooking and blogging awards and has been interviewed by major media outlets on everything from seasonal produce to recipe copyright laws.
November 2007 cover story in Style Magazine.
“Since 2004, Rappaport’s blog has become one of the top 20 food blogs in the nation, receiving about 50,000 visitors* each month and as many as 3,000 hits per day. People don’t visit to hear Rappaport wax poetic about a plum. They come because several times each week, she posts new, original recipes illustrated with food-porn quality photos. Hers is one of the few food blogs on the Web that features only original recipes. And there’s no pretentious foodspeak. She’s as down-to-earth as that other Rachael who cooks— her ingredients are mostly items you can pull from your cupboards and her recipes aren’t complicated or time-consuming— but not so annoyingly perky. “
Appearances & Interviews:
Talked about cooking and regional foods on the Rouxde Cooking School Podcast
Talked regional foods on the Robicelli Argument Clinic Podcast
I gave my favorite Baltimore picks to Amtrack
Matador Network interviewed me about Thanksgiving traditions
Argus Leader also interviewed me about Thanksgiving
Appeared on Kitchen Party
I co-hosted McCormick’s Flavor Forecast live webcast with Top Chef’s Richard Blais.
I appeared on Electric Waist’s Daily Special
I talked about slow cooking on a BakeSpace.com’s live Google Plus Hangouts.
WPYR’s Maryland Morning. Listen to the interview here.
Two of my recipes appeared in Betty Crocker: Appetizers, Salads, & Bars magazine.
My original recipe for green tea (matcha) marshmallows appeared in the Baltimore Sun. Read the article here and check out the how-to photo gallery featuring me making the marshmallows.
The Washington Post wrote an article about the Smearcase recipe I developed.
Gourmet Live interviewed me about my blog.
Paula Deen’s Real Women of Philadelphia interviewed me about my blog.
Press Mentions
Delish.com named Coconut & Lime one of the 14 best cooking blogs of the moment.
Fox Magazine wrote about my original recipe for Twinkies and my recipe for Swedish Meatballs. They also featured my Nutella Cheesecake Squares recipe in a round up about Nutella.
Coconut & Lime has been featured in the Boston Globe, St. Petersburg Gazette, Seattle Weekly, Deseret Morning News, Mississippi’s Sun Herald, the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post. The News-Sentinel had a whole article about Coconut & Lime.
Washington Post website, Cooling off with Hot Food Writers.
The Boston Globe had this to say about Coconut & Lime “Talent for Asian cuisine, The “my thoughts” section of most entries is often useful.”
Featured on Slashfood.com, Blogher, eGullet, Tipnut TasteSpotting, Cupcakes Take the Cake, Family Oven, The Kitchn FoodCandy, and has been Feedster’s feed of the day.
In the July/August 2008 issue of Figure Magazine there is a a mention of Coconut & Lime and one of Rachel’s original recipes: blueberry-ginger granita.
The Washington Post’s food blog, All We Can Eat, featured Rachel’s apple cider doughnut recipe in a post about apple cider doughnuts.
Reader Digest’s website featured my Chipotle Hummus
The Cooking Channel blog featured my Cincinnati Chili recipe
FineCooking.com loves my S’mores cookies
iVillage featured my Hawaiian-Style Pork Burgers
Whole Food’s Whole Story blog featured my Fresh Cherry Mascarpone Waffles
The Food Network’s FN Dish food blog featured my Zucchini-Carrot Bread
The Kitchn has featured Rachel’s Zydeco Beans, Balsamic Glazed Almonds, Lemongrass-Tofu Kabobs, Absinthe Cupcakes, Salmon & Pea Risotto and sour cherry cookies.
Gourmet Live likes my pickles and Grilled Land and Sea Salad with Grilled Croutons
Canning Across America featured my Smokin’ Hot Pickled Okra, Pickled Asparagus, Grapefruit Segments in Star Anise & Vanilla Bean Syrup, and Spiced Pickled Cherries
Awards
MSN’s Delish.com named Coconut & Lime one of the top 50 food blogs in the world. Check out the whole list here.
Winner Best Original Recipes– 2006 Food Blog Awards
Winner2007 Halloween Bake Off- BakeSpace.com (winning entry-pumpkin cheesecake swirl brownies)
Lovely Leftovers Winner-“Whether they liked liver or not, our bloggers agreed that one of the best (and equally creative) uses for turkey we saw was the chopped turkey liverover at Coconut and Lime.” -Slashfood
Food Blog of the Week at This Mama Cooks “All recipes at Coconut & Lime are the original creations of the author. (How many of us food bloggers can say that?) The blog features great pictures in a clean and attractive blog design. The writing is excellent, especially the “My thoughts” feature where Rachel gives insight into her cooking experience.”
Featured Food Bloggerat FamilyOven.com
Dessert of the day at Desserts Magazine “Heart of Darkness Cheesecake”
Winner of the annual Baltimore Sun Cookie Contest for her recipe for Tangerine Dream Cookies in 2006.
2007 and 2008 Weblog Awards Finalist for best food blog.
One of Saveur Magazine’s Sites We Loveand was featured in their enewsletter
One of Blogs.com Top 10 Blogs Young Couples Should Read
One of nine finalists in the Pom Recipe Contest (pomegranate pulled pork with chipotle pomegranate barbecue sauce) watch the tasting here.
Finalist/Honorable mention in several The Kitchn recipe contests: Green Tomato Roasted Poblano Chili, Intensely Dark Chocolate Ice Box Cookies, Ovaline Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
