During a trip last Fall to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, I happened upon the Chukar Cherries stand and had a field day. Like a kid in a candy store, I had a hard time choosing one variety over the other – the options were endless. Although they sell other dried fruits and nuts, I was mostly intrigued with the cherries and ended up coming home with Rainier, Columbia River Tart, Chipotle Chocolate Covered, and one other kind that I ate right away but forgot what they were. I wish I would have bought loads more. Continue reading →
Good Sunday morning to everyone. Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, delicious, and celebrated with those you treasure most. Mine certainly was. It was a “food” busy few days, but all good. Life doesn’t get any better than being with those you love and eating beautifully prepared food. I was lucky enough to indulge in a full-on turkey banquet twice in three days. I’m not talking leftovers the second day – but two elaborate dinners. Thursday was spent with my husbands family, and by past year’s standards, we were a “smallish” bunch. Just ten of us. As lovely and relaxing as it is to attend at someone else’s home, my refrigerator was bare of leftovers to enjoy over the rest of the weekend. No carcass for soup – no turkey for sandwiches and potpies. So I decided to make a meal of my own and repeat the deliciousness all over again. The wonderful thing about a second Thanksgiving meal is that it gave me the opportunity to try a few new things. I don’t know about your family, but mine longingly await – and expect – the traditional dishes that show up every year. Veer too far from that and the crowd gets rowdy. Since everyone’s initial cravings were met with the first go-round, I decided to change things up just a bit for our second meal. I made a new stuffing recipe, and also introduced a twist on my usual amped-up Libby’s pumpkin pie for Pumpkin Creme Pie from Tom Douglas’s Dahlia Bakery Cookbook via Shauna Sever’s blog. I was very pleased with both and I heard no complaints from my diners. Continue reading →
They must have been great parties. If memory’s eye sees truths, then they were. If pictures hold a thousand words, then they were. My parents would have holiday cocktail parties at our house when we were little. No children – just adults. Picture “Mad Men“. Women garbed in tight waisted fancy cocktail dresses, and men in collared shirts and ties, would party until all hours of the night. Let us not talk about the amount of alcohol consumed and cigarettes smoked. This probably sounds more glamourous than it actually was. Our house was small, and no one had money to speak of. Neither of those things seem to have put a damper on the celebrating. Continue reading →
The momentum behind the upcoming holidays is increasing at a rate that has me slightly panicked. With Thanksgiving falling early this year, I feel like November is disappearing right before my eyes. Halloween skeletons, ghosts, and pumpkins litter my living room floor waiting to be boxed up and stored for the coming year. In another corner awaiting my attention sit tubs containing pilgrims, maple leaf garlands, and autumnal colored gourds. Holiday festivities and parties are noted within the blocks of my calendar and plane tickets home for Christmas have been purchased. Yes, we are only nine days away from Turkey Day – with Hanukkah and Christmas not far behind. Continue reading →
I remember the first time I baked and tasted a Millionaire’s Shortbread Cookie. I was so pleased with the combination of flavors and textures balanced beautifully in one cookie. Buttery shortbread blanketed with chewy caramel and finished with a layer of dark chocolate. I filed it front and center in my cookie folder and have made it many times since. Continue reading →
During a trip last Fall to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, I happened upon the Chukar Cherries stand and had a field day. Like a kid in a candy store, I had a hard time choosing one variety over the other – the options were endless. Although they sell other dried fruits and nuts, I was mostly intrigued with the cherries and ended up coming home with Rainier, Columbia River Tart, Chipotle Chocolate Covered, and one other kind that I ate right away but forgot what they were. I wish I would have bought loads more. Continue reading 
