making life delicious blog
We did it. I can’t believe it’s true, but we planted two pecan trees in our yard. We spotted them at Lowe’s in late September and selected a Sumner Pecan and a Stuart Pecan. We are slightly north of the growing zone for the Sumner, but our area has mild winters so it should do [...]
In preparation for the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations, we decided to make and sample champagne cocktails over the weekend. A fun job, to be sure, and this week I will feature three cocktails that we enjoyed to help you prepare for your New Year’s Eve party. All of the cocktails are easy to prepare [...]
Christmas Day is one day out of the year that we really like to relax with the kids and still have a traditional meal while keeping it easy. Ham with all the trimmings is a Christmas Day meal for my family, while Michael’s family does turkey. This year our compromise was to do turkey on [...]
Every year we look forward to Thanksgiving day and start planning well in advance. The boys are still only slightly interested in the holiday, though they seem to enjoy turkey more than they used to. One of my favorite parts of the holiday meal, even more than the turkey, is the cranberries, but you would [...]
When I was a kid thought of upside down cakes as “dump cakes.” You know, you dump the cake out of the pan and stuff runs everywhere. It seemed reasonable at the time, even if it sounded less than palatable to the average ear. My boys think upside down cakes are magic, and I had [...]
What can be more comforting than a bowl of creamy soup on a cold day? When the weather starts to turn a little chilly, I start making soups and this was my first one this month. Roasting the acorn and butternut squash brings out a wonderful sweetness that is tempered by the leeks, herbs, and [...]
A holiday celebration without hot mulled drinks is just incomplete to me. The fragrance is almost irresistible and just seems to make the holidays even more special. I like this version with a splash of spiced rum, but you can leave out the alcohol and still have a tasty mug of holiday cheer. [Updated December [...]
We had a small Thanksgiving celebration this year with just the five of us. This wasn’t a good year for us to travel for big family gatherings, with the new baby and all, so we stayed at home and had a quiet, simple celebration. I roasted a turkey breast since we didn’t need a whole [...]
This version of the classic green bean casserole from America’s Test Kitchen really jazzes it up and makes an incredibly flavorful dish. No cans of soup here, just fresh green beans with a lovely rich cream sauce and three kinds of mushrooms. The porcinis and creminis lend a nice woodsy flavor to the dish. If [...]
I’m catching up on my Thanksgiving food blogging. My original plan was to post the last three recipes on Thanksgiving day, but somehow the day got away from me in the midst of making dinner and taking care of the boys. So I will post them throughout today. Some foods are an absolute requirement for [...]
It's spring in the U.S. and the following foods may be in season in your area:
artichokes, fennel, fiddleheads, radishes, broccoli, rhubarb, kale, cresses, spinach, spring lettuces, chard, cabbages, chives, cilantro, collards, tatsoi, mustard greens, spring onions, asparagus, rosemary, wild garlic, ramps, strawberries, blueberries, cherries
Eat fresh seasonal produce to stay healthy and help your food budget.Learn more about seasonal and sustainable cooking at Sustainable Table - In the Kitchen.
