Holidays
Buy Local Strawberries and Make a Fresh Strawberry Tart, Feed Your Soul
Strawberries are the perfect metaphor for the sweet things in life. Pay attention, don't take the berries for granted, because they will pass. Change is constant, and the seasons come and go, despite our efforts to cling to what pleases us. Don't let the beautiful...
Make Blue Potato Salad with Chive Blossoms for a Quick and Colorful Meal
Does it seem that I'm obsessed with blue food? Purple sweet potatoes, purple corn and purple barley have made frequent cameos here on the blog, in all their chromatic glory. Blue Potato Salad is just the latest. I suppose my eye is drawn to the exotic, as I traipse...
Celebrate St Pat’s with Rosemary Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Greens
As St Pat's rolls around, are you a traditionalist, who craves the same Irish-inspired dishes year after year? Or are you just in it for the green beer? I'm more interested in tweaking the usual fare, to avoid boredom. That's why I made Rosemary-Garlic Hasselback...
Can a Valentine’s Dessert Be Decadent AND Light? Crispy Pastry Nests with Aquafaba Mousse and Berries are!
Have you planned your Valentine's Day yet? Forget about going out, it's much snugglier to stay in and have your own private menu. The most important part of the meal is, of course, the Valentine's Dessert. It must be sensuous, it must be chocolate, and if you can make...
Make Mini Holiday Tarts in Six Flavors for a Delicious Dilemma
Do you wrestle with the decision of which pies to make at the holidays? Pumpkin, pear, apple, or even pecan sound so good, but do you really need four whole pies? This time, I'm making six different holiday tarts, each one designed to generously serve one person. This...
Roasted Veggies Get Sexy with Pomegranate Glaze and Pistachios
Pomegranate Makes It Beautiful! Are you planning a big holiday meal? Looking through pinterest for recipes, or digging out your folder of Grandma's hand-written favorites?Can I put in a plug for good old fashioned cookbooks, too? And of course, pomegranate. This month...
Bake Some Cranberry Sweet Potato Scones for Wintry Breakfasts
Not Just For Holidays Anymore Did you know that Wisconsin is the biggest producer of cranberries? Take that California, with your sunny, temperate weather. The snowy Midwest is the source of 60% of the bright red berries that we eat by the bushel at the holidays. As...
Feed America with “Goya Gives” Coconut Milk and Dig into Jamaican Rice and Peas
Goya Gives Back 'Tis the season! This fast-moving month between Thanksgiving and the end of the year can be a flurry of shopping, cooking, and family togetherness. To make life just a little easier, I'm thrilled to bring you a chance to give a gift, simply by buying...
Try Sushi for Thanksgiving-With Wild Rice, Sweet Potatoes, and Apple!
Try Thanksgiving Sushi, Really Last week, I posted an updated Shepherd's Pie, with a few delicious tweaks that made it oh so delicious. This week, I'm giving you a Thanksgiving option that might seem a little bit radical. Are you ready for Thanksgiving Sushi? Before...
Try Roasted Garlic Parsnip Spinach Pie With Your Holiday Sides
Thanksgiving is all about Thanksgiving Sides Has your search for the perfect Thanksgiving menu started yet? I won't decide on the final picks until it's time to shop, but I like to let some ideas percolate in my mind for a few weeks prior. The days fly by, and it's...
Make a Mindful Moment with Homemade Chai
Get Mindful with Hot Chai Are you busy? Do you feel a little stressed? You're never too busy to find a moment to be mindful. I promise. We're all busy. Any time I ask someone how she is, invariably, she's a little overwhelmed, a little stretched, and just plain...
Spread Some Spice with Squash Butter
Oh yes, It's full on squash season. I'm teaching squash cookery classes, gawking at the gorgeous displays of squash at the market, and of course, cooking with squash. Like you, though, I am pressed for time. That's why I made this spiced squash butter. I just threw it...
Warm, Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for Fall
Fall is Sweet Potato Time Maybe it's the falling leaves, or the chill creeping into the morning air, but for some reason, I'm craving sweetness. The Halloween candy displays have been up in stores for weeks, promising sugary oblivion. This is a good time to bake up a...
Matcha Pistachio Halvah “Eggs” For Easter or Anytime
My Halvah Surprise The last thing that I thought I would rediscover in Amsterdam would have to be halvah. On my recent trip to the city of Canals and VanGogh, I was wandering from shop to shop, just checking things out, when I happened into a place called Sum Sum....
A Valentine’s Treat With Aphrodisiac Magic
Valentine's Day Meets Aquafaba Perhaps Valentine's Day comes along in February for good reason. Winter has been with us a little past its welcome, and we need a little motivation to get convivial. Give the sweatpants and hoodie a rest and at least make an effort to...
Hoppin’ Happy New Year with Black-Eyed Peas for New Years Day
Happy New Year 2017! The passing of the year is seen as a moment when change is possible. Around the world, people are throwing New Years Eve parties, and marking the moment that the calendar rolls over with toasts and revelry. But don't dismiss January first as just...
Party with Smoky Almond Butter Popcorn and Mandarin Chocolate “Shots”
Holiday entertaining is so fun, so necessary, and too often, so stressful. I know, I know, you have enough to do without having to clean the house and make food for a bunch of people. But I promise you, it's worth it. This is the end of the year, the big holiday...
Blender Baking? Yes You Can Make Holiday Cupcakes in The Vitamix
Jazz Up Your Holiday with Lemony Pear Cupcakes It's holiday time, and we are all rushing to find some fast and easy treats to serve our guests. Preferably something a little different from the standard sugar cookie. This is not the time to push anything too healthy,...
Holiday Entertaining with My Lemon Thyme Vodka Slushy from 300 Best Blender Recipes
Your Holiday Shopping Just Got Easier Just in time for holiday entertaining, I'm proud to announce that my latest book has arrived in bookstores. The 300 Best Blender Recipes Using Your Vitamix (Robert Rose $24.95) is already #76 in Baby Food and #87 in Blender Books...
This Thanksgiving Try Coconut-Wasabi Potatoes with Miso Gravy and Crisped Sage
Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but, Thanksgiving is this week. Everyone here in Minnesota has been too busy enjoying the extra bonus round of Summer, oblivious to the holidays right around the corner. I never got around to raking the last of the leaves, but here we...
Spooky Pumpkin Spice Buckeyes, Halloween Candy to Feel Good About
T'is the season for pumpkin spice to invade our every waking moment. The Grinch in me used to hate this phenomenon. In fact, I only recently tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte at the coffee shop. That's because I have one hard and fast rule when it comes to food. All foods...
Creamy Chocolate Fudge Filled Heart Cakes for Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday this year, so I am probably not the only one celebrating it all weekend. Because you might as well make a good thing last, right? Valentine's can be tricky. Should you stay in, for a romantic evening alone? Or book a res at a place...
Baby Squashes Filled With Creamy Squash Hummus, Kick Off Your Veganuary
It's January, or, "Veganuary," depending on your calendar. "Veganuary" is simply the idea of giving up animal foods for the month of January. Rather like Meatless Monday, but with a little more of a commitment. Creamy Squash Hummus is a perfect way to kick off your...
Kick off 2016 with Quince and Crystallized Ginger Tartlets
As we ring in the new year, take a moment to step back from the details and consider the long view. The past year is done, ready or not, and the new year is full of promise. As we contemplate the past and future, why not dine on fruit that once brushed the tender lips...
Playing with Purple Corn in Cornbread, Grits, and Chips!
It's funny how you find out about things. In October I attended a conference of the American Cereal Chemists International. Let's just call it "grain nerd heaven." Cereal chemists from all over the world were sharing technology and research, and there was an exhibit...
Holiday Hand Pies, Stuffed with Sweet Potatoes, Fruit and Chocolate
If you love food, you have to give it up for Thanksgiving. It's the one holiday that is all about a feast. This holiday is a celebration of a successful harvest, with no religious trappings that might leave anyone out. So whether you are celebrating with pumpkins you...
Pumpkin Chips? Make Sage-Pumpkinseed Pate with Frizzled Sage
The Thanksgiving themed foods are upon us. And while the "Turkey and Gravy" flavored potato chips are safe from me, there are a few of these brief appearances that are worth catching. One that I found appealing was the Food Should Taste Good Harvest Pumpkin Corn...
Irish Soda Bread with Orange and Currants for St Pat’s!
We are all Irish on St Patrick's Day. Or so the saying goes. Woo-hoo! Green beer for everybody! St Patrick himself was not originally from Ireland, so we can all follow his lead and act Irish on his day. St Patrick was English, an unlucky guy who was kidnapped and...
Soothe Your Holiday Tummy with Cranberry Cuke Juice
So, we survived the big Holiday week. Chances are, this was the most overindulgent week of the year, with folks piling their plates and filling their cups with Christmas cheer. Just between you and me, I did. I ate too many cookies, piled up the rich foods I love on...
A Sweet and Sour Squash for Holiday Sides
Sometimes, I crave something so often, it might seem repetitive to anyone watching. I'll think, "hmm, I don't have a recipe test to work on tonight, so I can make whatever I want." And as if I pushed play on a paused song, I go right back to where I left off...