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).
Comfort
foods evoke different images with different people. Sometimes it’s a dish from
childhood. Sometimes it’s a food that’s creamy, rich, and filling. For me, it’s
anything from Southern France or Italy – fresh pasta dishes, crepes, croissants
with butter, slow-cooked meats, seasonal vegetables cooked in herbs and olive
oil. These are dishes that make me feel warm and comfortable. One of my
favorite recipes that fits this mold is Chicken Provençal. Not only is it quick
to prepare and incredibly delicious, but the smells of roasting chicken,
vegetables, and an herb mix that includes lavender, fennel, basil, and thyme,
your home will smell as if you’ve been transported straight to the
Mediterranean.
A few months ago a coworker asked me a question that stopped me dead in my tracks. What is your favorite dessert flavor? Most people respond instantly to this question (I've asked it enough times in casual conversation to know), but I had no idea what the answer was. It was like asking me to choose between my children cats, I love them both! But there is one flavor that makes me melt a bit more than the rest... mocha. This amazing combination of chocolate and coffee is my favorite dessert flavor. So, as you can imagine, when I came across today's recipe, it was fast-tracked onto my weekend dessert schedule. If you share a similar love for this combination, you need to go make these immediately.
One side-effect of living in apartment where grills aren't allowed is that I'm always on the lookout for protein recipes that can impart as much flavor on the stove or in the oven as they can on the grill. One method I learned a few years ago was cedar plank cooking, which to my delight, isn't just for grills. Today we'll be working with salmon - a poster child for food that is healthy, uncomplicated, and full of flavor. This recipe uses a sweet and savory glaze to complement the fish in addition to cooking the fish directly on a cedar plank for a smoky finish.
Let’s begin with fall, my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it: the weather, the produce, the holidays… apple season is always the herald of all things fall. It begins with a trip up to the north Georgia mountains with my loved ones to one of the U-Pick apple orchards. Afterwards, I spend the next couple of weeks trying to make every single apple dish that has been floating around in my head over the summer.
