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Category: Tips
With Thanksgiving a few weeks away, I wanted to post a few Thanksgiving recipes perfect for sharing so you had time to decide which ones you want to prepare! Of course, you could make these for yourself anytime, but imagine how happy your friends and family will be if you brought something you made yourself to share with them. So whatever your plans are for the holidays, here is a winner for a homemade cranberry sauce! Now, let’s make some cranberries pop! Save Print Cranberry Sauce Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 30 mins Serves: 6 Ingredients 1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned ½ cup of brown sugar Zest from 1 large orange Juice from 1…
Another Friday, another cocktail recipe as promised! Tonight, it is the follow-up I mentioned last week – The Godfather, Part 2. Simply a twist on the classic Godfather cocktail of scotch and amaretto, this one substitutes the amaretto with… Tuaca! Yes, that delicious vanilla citrus liqueur adds a wonderful flavor to the scotch. I add a drop or two of angostura bitters to enhance the overall experience, but it is purely optional. Save Print The Godfather, Part 2 Serves: 1 Ingredients 2 parts scotch 1 part Tuaca 1 – 2 drops Angostura Bitters (optional) Instructions Add the scotch and Tuaca into a highball glass. Add the bitters (optional) and stir to combine. Add ice and serve. 3.5.3217 Yes, the Tuaca bottle is frosty…
We’ve all seen or had the brie in puff pastry served with a tart/tangy jam (I prefer a good currant jam!). Today I played with a new appetizer – crostini with brie, soppressata and pepper jelly. This combination works as either just brie and pepper jelly (similar to the original that inspired this effort) or with the added soppressata. The addition of the soppressata gave the appetizer some heartiness and the salty, peppery soppressata complimented the creamy, tangy brie and spicy, sweet pepper jelly for a more complete taste experience. Just think, here is a new twist on a standard – just in time for holiday parties! Save Print Crostini with Brie, Soppressata and Pepper Jelly Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4…
One of my fondest childhood memories of the holidays is of my mom baking cookies… and she baked lots of cookies. This recipe is a family favorite and gets high praise whenever I make it to share with family, friends, and co-workers. Now it is my turn to share it with you! Save Print Coffee Cookies Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 12 mins Total time: 32 mins Ingredients ½ cup shortening ½ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg or cloves or ¼ teaspoon of each 1 egg ½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in ½ cup cold coffee 2 cups sifted flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ cup raisins, chopped ½ cup walnuts, chopped Instructions…
Earlier this year, I was perusing a book on old style cocktails from very high end establishments around the world. I came across this smoked old fashioned and decided to try it. With a few adjustments, I found something that has never failed to impress and delight friends and acquaintances. Now, I want to share it with you so you can share it with your friends! Save Print Smoked Old Fashioned Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves: 1 Earlier this year, I was perusing a book on old style cocktails from very high end establishments around the world. I came across this smoked old fashioned and decided to try it. With a few adjustments, I found something that has never failed…
Ahhh… with Autumn falling here, I feel like baking a bit more. To kick off the baking season, here is a quick and simple but incredibly tasty recipe for banana bread. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made in a single bowl with a spatula or spoon to ease cleanup, easily tweaked by adding nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, etc. I based it on Elise’ recipe on Simply Recipes. It also makes a fabulous muffin – perfect for a party or breakfast! So, let’s get baking! Save Print Banana Bread Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 60 mins Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Note: To make regular sized muffins, bake for 20 – 25 minutes in a…
With a full day of excellent college football games on today, I opted to snack for dinner instead of cook a full meal. To that end, I made a refried bean dip with chorizo, jalapenos, lime and cheese. This recipe is a great one for a party or a potluck. Also, this recipe can be tweaked in numerous ways – using different types of refried beans and jalapenos, adding nacho jalapeno rings (heck, making nachos with this mix would be awesome!) or even adding a spicy taco or hot sauce to pop the flavor! Give it a try… it is simple, but extremely tasty! Chorizo and Refried Bean Dip Ingredients: 6 oz chorizo 16 oz can refried beans 4 oz can fire roasted jalapenos zest from 1…
A prawn cocktail is super easy; you can buy it ready to eat from the store, you can buy cooked shrimp and make your own, you can steam your own prawns and make you own cocktail sauce OR any combination possible! Here I steam the prawns and make a Thai inspired cocktail sauce. Be forewarned, the cocktail sauce has a little heat, but is not overpowering or overwhelming. Prawns with Thai inspired Cocktail Sauce Ingredients: 12 prawns (16-20 or 26-30 per pound) 1/3 cup spicy banana sauce 1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated 1 1/2 tsp lemongrass, puree 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp Thai basil, chopped Preparation: Place the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. Allow to…
Here’s a perfect snack/salad/appetizer for one or many… Mini Caprese Salads on a toothpick! Caprese Salads Poppers Ingredients: Mozzarella Ciliegine (cherry sized mozzarella) Cherry Tomatoes Basil Olive Oil Balsamic Vinegar (or Balsamic Glaze) Fresh cracked black pepper Preparation: Wash the tomatoes in cold running water. Skewer the mozzarella and tomatoes with toothpicks. Chiffonade the basil and spread over the tomato/mozzarella, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic, and fresh cracked black pepper.  …
Tonight, I just wasn’t feeling super hungry. I couldn’t see myself cooking a nice meal and not enjoy it, so I opted to make a few simple appetizers for dinner. The beauty is that these appetizers are also great for intimate dinners or parties. Coming up… Caprese Salad Poppers and Prawns with Thai-inspired Cocktail Sauce…