Lebkuchen

Nothing says Christmas like the smell and taste of lebkuchen. As a child, I remember my mom baking lebkuchen in November before placing them in a tin in a closet for us to enjoy in December. She always said these cookies are so much better once they have been stored a while. Well, my mom’s lebkuchen recipe was lost quite a while ago… so I went online to find a new recipe to fulfill my Lebkuchen desire. Wow, was I ever surprised at the plethora of recipes! So I bookmarked several to try…

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

This week, instead of posting a weekly menu, how about I post several cookie and dessert recipes? Building on the few recipes I posted around the holidays last year, let’s start this year’s cookie baking with a favorite – the chewy oatmeal cookie. I have made these cookies many times before with varying inclusions – raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc and they are always a hit. These cookies are warmly spiced and subtly sweet, perfect for any time of the year. When paired with a cup of coffee or tea, it…

Pantry Basics

I recently received a request for which pantry staples I consider necessary and some organizational ideas. I have to say the question really got me to thinking because I have pantry space many people may not – so I keep many different items that I may not necessarily. With that in mind, I thought ‘what are the items I use regularly or that I want on hand if I need to improvise while making a meal’. Therein lies the conundrum, as I found that with so many more ingredients then I had ever considered…

Blood & Sand

One of the few classic cocktails to include scotch, this cocktail was named after the 1922 Rudolph Valentino movie and first appeared in Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. This drink’s popularity seems to ebb and flow, but I will wager that if you try it, this scotch based cocktail will become a perennial favorite. I decided to try making this classic using a new single malt scotch I recently found – Glen Fohdry from William S. Grant. This scotch is perfectly enjoyable neat, so I decided why not give it…

November Picture Post

Wow, can you believe November is over and we are onto December? This past year has flown by and in keeping with the monthly picture post, here are some of the dishes I prepared this November. It has been a tasty month all month long, not just because of Thanksgiving! I can honestly say I had some fun in the kitchen and here is the photographic proof. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed these tasty eats! Cheater, Cheater Pizza Eater Kielbasa and Macaroni with Peas and Carrots Spaghetti cooked in a…

Menu for the 5th Week of November

Well, I had a tough time sticking to last week’s menu plan as you may have seen. I switched up Monday’s meal for Wednesday’s dinner, then went out Wednesday and skipped dinner altogether on Friday. So, that means I have a few meals to move forward to this week – namely Bulgogi Rouladen and Yellow Curry Chicken. Those dishes are a great start to this week’s menu planning and the other meals will be equally delicious, even if I say so myself! Shall we get started with planning…

Peri Peri Prawns

Last week I promised to make this dish so I do not want to disappoint anyone that may be waiting for it. (smile) This dish has the potential to be overwhelmingly spicy hot, but that was not what I wanted. The peri peri paste I used has that potential so I opted to tone it down a bit. How did I do that you ask?  I simply added olive oil and lemon juice to the paste to create a marinade, then controlled how long the prawns soaked. The result is that wonderful peri peri spiciness with…