I’m on day 5 of pajama wearing heaven, and I’m not coming down off this high anytime soon. I only interrupt my magazine consuming, chocolate devouring, Netflix watching euphoria to share a little something we did on Christmas morning. Something we do every Christmas morning at my parents house actually; we make German müesli. And it’s the highlight of my entire year. Fo shizzle. My dad doesn’t do a lot of cooking, but this is the one tradition we’ve done…
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I make homemade toffee for Christmas every year. I give it to friends, neighbors, family, and the mailman. No, seriously I do, he’s the nicest guy ever. Sometimes I wish I’d never started this tradition because my kids won’t let me stop. It’s not that making toffee is complicated {it’s not} but that I make batches and batches and batches of it, until my house smells of nothing but butter and we’re eating toffee for breakfast. But it’s as much…
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It’s “bake cookies” day on our paper chain. My husband’s favorite kind is a snickerdoodle, but since I prefer a good old fashioned oatmeal or chocolate chip, that’s what we make most often. We experimented today and discovered this trick: next time you bake up a batch of your super-spectacular-best-ever-world famous chocolate chip cookies, add 1/2 cup toffee bits to the dough when you add the chocolate. Makes for a little extra something special and will have friends and loved…
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This chili from Robin Miller is very satisfying on a chilly evening, and for lunch the next day. Zesty, colorful, warm and hearty. Bonus points: cooks in the crock pot, and is quite healthful. Even my meat-n-potatoes lovin’ hubby raved about it, each of the three times i’ve made it in the last month. We omitted the lima beans (not fans of those) and substituted extra red beans instead. Some warm tortillas or cornbread on the side? Perfection. If you…
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Fall is here and it is apple time!! Heres an easy guide to help choose the best apples for your needs, whether baking, cooking, or just simply eating. For eating straight from the basket, crisp, juicy, and tangy varieties are best. Red Delicious is the most popular eating apple, but if you prefer a denser, tarter snack, try a Granny Smith, or a softer-fleshed McIntosh. Or check out the distinctive tastes of local farm varieties like Newton, Pippin, Macoun, honey…
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As much as I love (read: swoon, gush, ooh and ahh over) a gorgeous elaborate baby shower or bridal shower, and as much as I love to throw them, it just sometimes isn’t in the cards. In fact, I welcome the challenge of doing it up nice on a small budget. For tonight’s a little pumpkin soiree we agreed upon an open house, serving sweets only. Grown up kinds of sweets that could be made ahead of time. And so…
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photo from food network Ok, so not exactly a feast, and not a clever assortment of gory concoctions, but this is the meal we frequently enjoy on Halloween. It’s not exactly super healthy, but it’s wholesome, simple, savory, and as festive as you’d like to make it. I don’t believe in cutting calories on holidays. Count of Monte Cristo Sandwiches 8 slices good quality white bread dijon mustard 3 ounces sliced swiss cheese 3 ounces sliced sharp cheddar 6 ounces…
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You can’t have Halloween without caramel apples, it’s unconstitutional. And they’re easier, way easier, to make than they look. Here’s what you need to get started: Apples Caramels Popsicle Sticks Milk We made 10 caramel apples with the amount of caramel you see in the photo above {4 cups, or 2 lbs.}. It was a lot of caramel too, they were big apples. Step 1: Unwrap caramel and place in a double boiler pan on the stove-top. It’s possible to…
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My favorite 8 year-old came home from school today and stated: Mom, we need something banana-ish today. Consider it done, lovely girl. Banana Muffins {Recipe from Set for Life} 1 cup whole wheat flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup bran cereal (All-Bran, Fiber One, etc.) 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 tablespoons sugar or honey 1 egg 2 tablespoons oil 1/3 cup skim milk 2 large or 3 medium bananas Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients until combined. Spray…
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