I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I would like to share the dessert that I made for my family's gathering. This cheesecake is a rich twist on classic pumpkin pie. It is quick to prepare and dresses up nicely, which makes it a great choice to make for holiday parties.
I love homemade meatballs. Up until now, I did not love
making them. Seeing my perfectly formed spheres of meat become uneven and
broken during the searing process was so disheartening- not to mention the time
it took to make a decent batch.
Meatballs were out of the question on a weeknight… until I found this
recipe. The chefs who came up with this recipe managed to make a tender,
delicious meatball that can be roasted in the oven and an excellent marinara
sauce to serve them with.
Snickerdoodles have always been one of my favorite cookies to make. It's hard to find anything wrong with a fluffy mixture of butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Every Christmas, I set out to make an exorbitant number of Christmas cookies, and I enjoy making trying different cookie recipes. But there are a few types of cookies that have stayed with me through the years. Snickerdoodles have and probably always will. They are also inevitably among the fist to disappear!
Today's recipe puts an Italian spin on a classic. Imagine an exact snickerdoodle flavor with the crispy texture of biscotti. These cookies are one of the best things to dunk in your morning coffee.
About three years ago, I went on an amazing trip to London for a week during New Year's. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is try new foods that aren’t readily available back home. This trip was no exception. We had a fabulous New Year's dinner at a nice hotel, tea at the Ritz, and chocolates from Harrod's, but the meal that stood out to me the most was the one we had on the first night. It was late, and my now-husband and I were tired and hungry, so we stumbled out into the cold night air to find a pub. We eventually found one and settled in with a couple of Strongbows. I ordered a steak and ale pie with a side of peas and carrots. And I’m telling you… that is one of the best things I ever ate. Ever since then, I’ve been on the lookout for a recipe to rival the pie that I had in that pub, and (pardon the cliché) by Jove I think I’ve got it.
The first firelog of the season made its way into our fireplace this past week. Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations are already crammed onto store shelves. I've gotten through my early fall apple obsession. The leaves have finished changing color, and the weather outside is amazing. I like to think of this as the calm before the holiday storm. It's a great time to relax before slamming through potential Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes. And nothing helps you relax more on a cool fall day than a hot mug of tea. In particular, I enjoy masala chair because of its creamy texture and spicy finish.
Today I will be sharing my quintessential go-to weeknight meal. It's fast, easy, filling, and - most importantly - delicious! The stars of the dish are tomato, mozzarella, and basil - components of a traditional caprese salad. I love to make this pasta dish after a busy day at work, hard workout at my martial arts class, or if I just want some extra time in the evening to say... write a blog entry.
I had a moment on Monday morning where I was stricken with the realization that Halloween is this week. Even though I don't have any party commitments this weekend and my neighborhood isn't exactly trick-or-treat friendly, I still wanted to get into the spirit. After cruising through Martha's database of perfect spooky treats, my eyes fell on this unassuming cookie. Pumpkin flavored? It's not Halloween without pumpkins. Brown butter? That's trendy now. Makes a large batch? More to share with others. Small and fluffy? All the better to have a handful of them and not feel as guilty! It was certainly the type of dessert I was looking for, but I didn't realize just how yummy these cookies would be. They're good even without the icing (which I quickly realized after several of them disappeared from the cooling rack mere minutes after coming out of the oven).
