Even though the season of gluttony and sweets is behind us, I can’t help but share my grandmother’s recipe for pecan pie. We lost my grandpa last year, so this past December was the first time my grandmother came to visit us and spent the holidays in the U.S. We had a wonderful time, and she earned her keep by baking several pecan pies, which then only lasted about 24 hours as we greedily devoured them. Continue reading
Although New Year’s Day is a couple rotations of the earth away, it’s never too early to start contemplating what to feed stay-over guests in the morning. And this is one of my favorite breakfast foods. It’s simple, filling, spicy and cheesy.
And it’s served me admirably on a number of New Year’s Day mornings – both when the house was overflowing with guests and when it was just two of us huddled around the warm glow of a DVD marathon to greet the brand new year on a groggy morning. Continue reading
Now that we are approaching the end of the year, it is time for ALL the parties! While I have no issues with slaving away in front of the oven cooking and baking all day, sometimes I just want to whip something up and be done with it. In the spirit of quick and dirty party planning, today I want to share recipes for sangria and a marble chocolate trifle that won’t take long to make. Continue reading
The secret arrow in my holiday quiver is this cheddar cheese ball. It’s simple to make, is incredibly addictive and can even make uneven gift giving seem on par. It’s kind of magical that way.
For instance, my cousin gave us a DVD player (with Wi-Fi!) as an early Christmas present. I was stunned by the gift, and giddy as a schoolgirl. But, I wasn’t prepared for a gift exchange the night before Thanksgiving. However I had made her a cheese ball as a surprise.
When I lamented the fact that the only thing I had for her was the cheese ball her face lit up.
“No, no this is awesome!” Continue reading
We actually thought the study would say Millennials are afraid of occupations with too many management tiers, or the collapse of Twitter during the Mayan apocalypse. But no, it’s beef. Beef is intimidating, and it mostly has to do with the Millennials lack of producing meals not involving Ramen noodles or the dregs left over in a Starbucks coffee cup. And this has beef manufacturers worried. Continue reading
This is one of my favorite desserts in the whole wide world. I cobbled together the recipe by using Alton Brown’s brownie recipe, and Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Cheesecake recipe. Continue reading
New York Times restaurant reviewer, Peter Wells, lobbed what may be one of the most succinct and snarky take downs of any restaurant in recent memory. Well, at least one that’s owned by a famous television food-show personality. But to the masses that enjoy Guy Fieri’s on-screen persona and sloppy sandwich hijinks on his popular Food Network programs Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Big Bite will it really matter? Continue reading
Nothing beats fresh Fall apples. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, so many options to choose from. I like to mix apples when I bake to get a good blend of sweetness, tartness, and different consistencies. This recipe can be made with any apple variety you want, so go crazy! Continue reading
One of the best things about Fall weather (even in hot-ass Florida) is that it feels “right” to start baking. Although it is not quite cool here yet, I find myself fantasizing about baking all sorts of pies, tarts, cakes, and cookies. I like this recipe because it is so easy to make, even on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and it only ties up the oven for about 30 minutes, which means the house won’t get unbearably hot. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a good explanation for the name. Be warned, these bars are like crack. Continue reading
In our last CSA basket for the season (sad sniffle) we had some beautiful delicata squash. And I wanted to celebrate them with a hearty stuffing that was as pretty as they were. I decided that couscous would be a natural with the squash, but instead of cooking it in chicken broth I thought it might be fun to go another way. Continue reading