I am a chef, mom, TV host, cookbook author, blogger, professional voice over artist and terrace gardener. I cook in a way I call "Meat on the Side" which focuses on veggies, making them unique and the star of the plate.
Nikki Dinki on Food Network Star Season 9!! Click here for pics, clips and more from the show
Thursday, September 24, 2015 
I’ve lived in NYC for 14 years and had always been chasing the dream of having outdoor space when 2 years ago we were lucky enough to move into an apartment with a terrace!!
Monday, September 21, 2015 
Summer is my season; I am perpetually cold unless it’s 90 degrees outside and I’m pretty sure that I am a better swimmer than I am a walker sometimes. One of my greatest joys in life is my terrace garden with all my plants and my bird friend Harold.
Although I don’t like to admit it either, we have to face it, summer is coming to an end (can’t type… crying too much).
Monday, September 14, 2015 
I’m obsessed with parties, and any party of mine is bound to have an endless array of appetizers. In order to get the variety I want and not lose my mind making my 10th labor-intensive app, I always like to include some appetizers of the “silly easy” variety.
And these cucumbers are just that, they get a bath of lime juice, a sprinkle of chili powder and sugar, and a hit of salt, resulting in a crisp, tangy, spicy, salty treat that takes minutes to make.
Monday, September 7, 2015 
It’s a Wednesday night, I’ve invited my husband to the terrace for a summer meal and a chance to actually look each other in the eye and talk after an already busy week.
The weekend was filled with indulgences like Jalapeno Poppers, berry pies and clams doused in oil and bread crumbs.
Monday, August 31, 2015 
Browning your butter just makes it special. Think about a pine tree, it’s just a tree until you put some tinsel on it and suddenly it’s the most special tree of them all, a Christmas tree!! (It’s 90 degrees outside and apparently I’ve got Christmas on the mind).
Butter is the same way, its fine as is, but when you brown it, it becomes nutty, rich and something you will use in EVERYTHING.
So take a couple minutes and brown your butter before using it in sauces, casseroles or in my Brown Butter Nutella Cookies. It’s simple, easy and this video shows you exactly how it’s done…
Monday, August 24, 2015 
If you're a gardener then you have definitely had one of those moments where you look around your garden and think “What the heck am I going to do with all these zucchinis.”
For my new book Meat on The Side I tackled this question with tons of zucchini recipes including egg sandwiches with squash and crostini's where the zucchini replaced the bread.
Monday, August 17, 2015 
My favorite way to warm up tortillas is by charring them; they look awesome, have an added smoky flavor and it gives them a touch of texture.
Watch my video to learn 3 different techniques on how to char your tortillas at home, no matter what stove/oven you are working with.
Monday, August 10, 2015 
Recently (thanks to my new show Junk Food Flip) I have been thinking a lot about how to flip classic dishes, especially the meat heavy dishes.
As you know by now (because I've mentioned it about a million times) I like to cook in a way I call Meat On The Side; the idea is that veggies are the star of the plate, not the meat.
Monday, August 3, 2015 
One of my all time favorite things is a Caesar salad, and considering my obsession with pasta, I thought…
Why not combine the two?? This dish takes all the components of a Caesar salad, from the dressing to the lettuce, and transforms them into a creamy sauce.
Monday, July 27, 2015 
On my show Junk Food Flip, Bobby Deen and I go around and transform comfort food into delicious dishes that you can actually eat every day.
