I’m always encouraged by the deep healthy greens of fresh broccoli this time of year. The color is so rich, it’s almost a blue-green. It just FEELS healthy, even to look at. In the fall and winter, my focus always shifts to getting to bed early, and I’m naturally drawn to deep colors to eat like greens, purples and oranges. I feel this combination of extra sleep and nutrient rich foods has helped me fight off viruses in the past. This recipe uses one big head of broccoli, or two small heads of broccoli. I cut the florets and tender […]
Don’t be intimidated when considering this recipe. It comes together so quickly on the stove top, then is baked in the oven for a couple hours. The longest hands-on time you’ll spend on this recipe is about thirty minutes. This process works very well for me on a busy weekday. I can start the stew in the late afternoon and let it bake while I’m picking up the kids from activities.
This cake has been a ‘hit’ at my house for almost a decade. Kids love it, teens go wild over it! I personally, am not a fan, although I sure enjoy making this cake. This cake is comprised of six components: 1. The cake. The cake itself needs to be at least three layers high. We want that “wow” factor here and when you want a cake to stand out, make it tall. This cake is my Mayonnaise Chocolate Cake. 2. Whipped Chocolate Buttercream. You’ll need TWO BATCHES of this icing for this project. I used my whipped chocolate buttercream […]
This chocolate sauce is so versatile. Use it warm and you have a drizzly accent for your cookies, cakes or pastries, use it room temperature and you have an exciting “drip” for drip cakes. Use it cold out of the fridge and you have the center of a truffle. It’s so easy to whip up and only needs two ingredients!
This has been my go-to roasted potato recipe for years. These roasted potatoes come together in a snap. My family always loves these. The Worchestershire sauce adds a bit of “umami” (meaty) flavor and the other seasonings combine to make this a delicious, simple, preservative-free dish.
A light, delicious, not-too-sweet icing. It’s almost like the middle of a 3-Musketeers bar! This icing is fabulous on cupcakes, cakes, even cookies. It’s important to really whip this buttercream for a good few minutes after all the ingredients have been incorporated. I use the balloon whip attachment of my stand mixer to really pump air into the buttercream. You’ll know that the buttercream is getting fluffy when you can see it increasing in volume and lightening in color.
I fell in love with savoy cabbage back when we lived in England. Savoy cabbage is a curly, dark green cabbage that tastes like a combination of kale and cabbage. It’s an autumn and winter vegetable that’s high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. I was thrilled to find my first savoy cabbage of the fall on Saturday. I love to braise a whole savoy cabbage (sliced) in olive oil and beef broth and with A LOT of garlic. I start it on the stovetop and finish it covered, in the oven. I used my 12 inch cast iron skillet […]
Top cupcakes, sandwich between layers of cake, ice cakes, or do whatever you please with this icing. The heavy whipping cream is optional in this recipe. This icing will keep in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer (wrapped and covered) for three months. Bring to room temperature before using. This is the icing I use to make my “Candy Till Ya Puke Cake” – it’s a family favorite!
Mirin (rice wine), rice vinegar and miso paste may be ingredients you are not familiar with, but they are well-worth incorporating into your pantry, even if it’s for this dish alone! Mirin is a type of Japanese rice wine. It’s very sweet and it provides the perfect counterpoint to the salty miso and soy sauce. Japanese rice vinegar is a light, flavorful vinegar. You may be able to substitute white vinegar if you cannot find Japanese rice vinegar. Miso paste is a fermented soybean paste absolutely essential in Japanese cooking. There are three main types of miso paste: White, red […]
Cheesecake is deceptively simple. It only requires a food processor to pulverize graham crackers to make the crust, and later, after a quick wash of the food processor bowl – a quick puree of cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and a bit of corn starch for the filling. Total hands-on time does not exceed ten minutes. The baking takes time, however – preferably in a water bath – and the cheesecake needs to be brought back to room temperature slowly to prevent a fissure on the surface. Fissure or not, it’s still delicious and is best served chilled. I […]
This is the sauce I made to accompany my daughter Charlotte’s 18th Birthday cheesecake. It’s so fast and easy to whip together and it really is far superior to any bottled sauce you may find. Just a touch of cornstarch thickens the simmered raspberries and sugar. A food processor is recommended to puree the bubbling raspberry mixture. Pouring the puree through a sieve removes the seeds from the sauce. You can make this sauce up to a week before you plan on serving it, just chill in an airtight container. You may freeze this sauce for up to three months […]
This is the kind of freezer recipe that you can throw together in about thirty minutes. If you’d like to put together multiple dishes to freeze, allow for a couple hours. It’s creamy and delicious and such a comforting dish after a long, busy day. Serve with a bagged salad and garlic bread. You’ll be really glad you took the time to stock your freezer!
If you want to serve your family a classic fried chicken but don’t want to deep fry, then this is the recipe for you! I actually like these oven-fried chicken thighs better than a deep fried chicken. The crust is crunchy and delightful and the meat is sweet, sumptuous and delectable.
This is one of the recipes that got me through some very busy years. It enables you to make two dinners at one time. One to freeze and one to bake. You can make both to freeze, or you can “assembly line” several batches of this recipe (2-4) to make 4-8 casseroles to freeze or bake in any combination you choose. I used my Cast Iron Baked Chicken to prepare the chicken portion of this recipe. Lesson and recipe is HERE. If you are going to “assembly line” this recipe, be sure to stay organized, start early in the day […]
My family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana for two years. I really enjoyed learning about cajun cooking and I was lucky enough to have some excellent teachers. This is my go-to Jambalaya recipe. Jambalaya is a rice-based dish that is seasoned with the “holy trinity” of cajun cuisine: onion, green pepper and celery. “Holy Trinity” is to cajun cooking as “sofrito” (onion, celery, carrot) is to Italian cooking. It’s the core base of every savory dish. I typically serve Jambalaya for our Mardi Gras feast along with King Cake – recipe here.
*Important* To make this cake, use TWO BATCHES of Cream Cheese Icing.
What makes my pecan pie special is the spiced rum in the filling, and the fact that there is enough filling to fill a generous deep dish pie pan. A pecan pie is actually a custard pie. The high egg content is what makes it a custard. So think of it as a sugar custard topped with pecans. Because it’s a custard pie it will need to bake at a low temperature for a long time. Ingredients: 5 tablespoons butter, melted (not too hot) 5 eggs, beaten 1 cup white sugar 1 1/3 cup dark corn syrup or maple syrup […]
This is my very best mac n cheese recipe. It’s layered with all kinds of flavors like bitter, creamy, sweet and savory. This recipe serves as many as a dozen people, with leftovers. I also have an option down below describing how you can separate this recipe into two large quantities, top with a crispy panko top and then freeze for later. This recipe works so well because of the layering of several important flavors: The Evaporated milk adds a sweetness to this recipe, and a creaminess too. If you grew up on boxed mac n cheese, you’ll remember that […]
My favorite buttermilk biscuits! A food processor makes this recipe very easy to throw together. Just follow my steps outlined in the video and you’ll get a light, tender, delicious buttermilk biscuit! To freeze: On a half sheet pan, lay out the cut, uncooked biscuits and “flash freeze” for 2-3 hours. When the biscuits are frozen solid, remove from the sheet pan and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Defrost and bake whenever you’d like fresh biscuits. Alternatively, you can freeze the biscuit dough in large dough sheets in freezer bags.
This dressing is very easy to put together, and is festive, refreshing and versatile. I especially love this with a salad of This vinaigrette will be great with your holiday dinner or to make your lunch salads more seasonal.