Skip to content
  • Recipes
    • Round-Ups
  • Grilling
  • Pies, Tarts, Crisps
  • Classes
    • Portuguese Custard Tarts Class
  • Meet David
    • My Publications & Published Works
    • Why You Can Trust our Recipes
    • About Us
    • Masthead
    • Contact Us
  • Giveaways
    • Sweepstakes Rules
    • Giveaway FAQs
    • Winners
  • Login

Home | Ilda Costa-Sarnicki

Ilda Costa-Sarnicki

Ilda Costa-Sarnicki subscribes to the Dalai Lama’s rule that suggests one should approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Her first recollection of having a foodie gene was, when at 4 years of age, her mom sent her outside for some fresh air and she returned with a bunch of parsley asking if that was it.

Ilda discovered food as more than sustenance by watching the Food Network with her daughter and then going into the kitchen to replicate recipes seen on the shows. Thirty years later, the kitchen experiments continue. All things food and cooking are a passion enjoyed on days off from her work as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse.

Over the years, Ilda has collected an arsenal of kitchen gadgets and has designed an ergonomic kitchen that maximizes efficiency and pleasure while minimizing stress and fatigue. She confesses she’s a hardcore foodist, and she does deep dives not only into cooking but also cheese making, charcuterie, food preservation, fermentation, and food gardening.

Recipe testing feeds into her motto of being continually inspired and of inspiring others to cook and be creative and confident in the kitchen.

Ilda Costa-Sarnicki
A bowl of whipped feta dip topped with oil and lemon zest on a platter of raw vegetables.

Whipped Feta Dip

10 mins

A plate filled with pasta with butter and Parmesan.

Pasta with Butter and Parmesan

20 mins

Cheese straws on a wooden oval platter on a blue and white tiled background.

Peppery Cheese Straws

35 mins

A red Dutch oven filled with pasta and meatballs, covered in cheese.

One Pot Pasta with Sausage Meatballs

1 hr

Oven roasted radishes topped with herbs on a baking sheet.

Buttery Oven Roasted Radishes

40 mins

A Dutch oven with braised chicken thighs and olives, and a single thigh and three olives on a white plate.

Braised Chicken Thighs

Two round hash brown waffles on white plates, topped with sour cream, bacon, and chives.

Crispy Hash Brown Waffles

35 mins

Five chicken breast pieces with grill marks on a platter, topped with halved cherry tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.

Spicy Honey Lime Chicken

1 hr 30 mins

A decorative platter filled with grilled avocado, grilled peach slices, fresh figs, herbs, and goat cheese.

Grilled Avocado and Peach Salad with Goat Cheese

45 mins

A whole grilled fish on a plate with a scoop of creamy cucumber salad and half of a grilled lemon.

Grilled Whole Fish with Cucumber Salad

45 mins

Three plates topped with pistachio-crusted chicken cutlets, arugula salad, and lemon wedges, with forks and knives on the side.

Air Fryer Pistachio-Crusted Chicken Cutlets

23 mins

A pink bowl filled with lemon garlic shrimp pasta with a fork resting inside.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

30 mins

Two Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese with jalapeños on a white cutting board, one cut in half, with a knife lying beside them.

Parmesan-Crusted Grilled Cheese with Jalapeños

25 mins

A spicy bacon-wrapped grilled chicken breast on top of a bun and tomato slices with the top half of the bun and some arugula next to it.

Spicy Grilled Chicken Sandwich

6 hrs 30 mins

A white oval platter half-filled with charred corn and scallop salad.

Charred Corn and Scallop Salad with Lime Dressing

1 hr

Six fillets of quick baked fish with bread crumbs and herbs on top on an oval platter.

Quick Baked Fish with Bread Crumbs and Herbs

20 mins

Two glasses of peach iced tea with mint leaves and peach slices for garnish.

Peach Iced Tea with Mint

2 hrs

Two short glasses of blueberry prosecco spritz on coasters with thyme sprigs for garnish.

Blueberry Prosecco Spritz

5 mins

A white oval serving platter filled with carrot ribbon salad and garnished with cilantro leaves.

Carrot Ribbon Salad

35 mins

A white plate filled with crispy smashed buffalo potatoes with a bowl of blue cheese sauce on the side and a spoon resting inside.

Crispy Smashed Buffalo Potatoes

1 hr 15 mins

Posts navigation

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 5

As Seen In

New York Times Logo.
The Today Show logo.
NBC logo.
The Splendid Table logo.
Martha Stewart logo.
Bon Appetit logo.
NPR logo.
Saveur logo.
ABC logo.
Back to top
Leite's Culinariafooter logo
  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • David Blahg
  • Podcast
  • My Books
  • Meet David
  • Contact

© 1999-2025 Leite's Culinaria, Inc. Terms • Privacy Policy • Accessibility • Powered by CultivateWP.