It's been so mild out, who's thought about soup? Today is literally the first day I've worn a hat and gloves and a winter coat to combat the freezing cold temperatures. Making Chicken Tortilla soup in my slow cooker seemed like the perfect indoor remedy. I haven't used the slow cooker since my last whirl with French Onion Soup and I was looking forward to the smelling the soupy aromas all day long. In my book, any dish containing chicken broth means comfort and warmth and lots of flavor. I found a soup recipe from Mom's chaotic … [Read more...]
Holiday Carrot Pudding
December 19, 2011 By 2 Comments
Don’t you feel like you’re on a constant sugar rush the entire month of December? After all, it’s holiday time. We're all hyper-focused on those festive treats: cakes, cookies, candy, pies. Cookie recipes are swapped, sweet-toothed teacher gifts are distributed, candy canes are licked adnauseum. Poor veggies. They seem to always get the shaft. Well, who wants to talk about boiling broccoli or steaming asparagus when you can bake and design holiday shortbread cookies or make and break apart festive Peppermint Bark? Let’s face it, the … [Read more...]
Rosemary Focaccia Bread
December 5, 2011 By 8 Comments
“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” James Beard (1903-1985) Mom used to bake bread quite often when we were growing up. As a young kid, this activity seemed marathon-like. We had to wait forever for the yeast to rise, sometimes twice. I’d watch Mom combine the yeast with water and flour, stir it rapidly and then cover the bowl with a raggedy old orange dish towel. Like a cub following its mother, I’d wander behind her into our secret “furnace room”. … [Read more...]
Brussels Sprouts w/ Bacon and Maple Syrup
November 30, 2011 By 7 Comments
Do you know any children who willingly eat Brussels Sprouts? I have no recollection of my mom even handling these vegetables when I was young. However, by reputation, they were automatically placed way, way, way down on the bottom of my "Do Not Eat" list, right behind spinach. But, even Popeye eventually got me to try spinach. Unfortunately, I would go almost 40 years without ever having tried Brussels Sprouts (or even spell it correctly)--until last summer. I was out at a restaurant and by complete accident, I ate one sprout that … [Read more...]
