It’s not really about thanksgiving, it’s about giving thanks. It’s got nothing to do with pilgrims and their silly hats or the day before black friday. It’s about the flavors that give you comfort and the people you know will comfort you.
Winter Holiday
Soft and Tender Pumpkin Rolls
burnished gold in color, glossy and tender, these show stoppers look beautifully festive on your holiday table, freeze well if your holiday is just for one, two, or a few, and can be made in to any shape your heart desires.
cast iron pumpkin basque cheese
spiced and creamy this pumpkin basque style cheesecake is baked in a cast iron skillet
and designed to be a modest sized cheesecake, too much for two in one seating (unless you’re channeling the golden girls)
Boiled Cider & Matcha Non- Alcoholic Spritzer
a hint of cider sweetness paired with the earthy green tea notes of matcha to make a simple yet complex autumn or all season mocktail looking for other boiled cider recipes?
Boiled Apple Cider Mimosa
an autumn take on a brunch classic, made with boiled apple cider to up the apple punch. every fall I make a batch of boiled cider, mostly to use in pies and other apple desserts to up the apple flavor but it’s also a great add in to drinks like this or mocktails like a […]
Ginger Eggnog with Gingersnap Spiced Whipped cream
Add a little spice to your eggnog, add a little spice to your life with this double dose of ginger- ginger infused brandy (or rum or whiskey) adds a kick to the eggnog while a gingersnap simple (ish) syrup adds a hint of cookie to your cream. I’m sure there are other uses for this […]
Lemon Cardamom Hot Buttered Rum Batter
What to do when you are craving comfort but not the usual comforts? Like a much loved sweater in a new bright color, or an upbeat cover of your favorite sad song. Or a delicious hot beverage that is hot buttered but brighter. A batter less sweet, a batter less basic, a batter for […]
Cranberry Negroni with a sparkly sugar rim
Serve this batch cranberry negroni as a teaser for your next holiday gathering. Or scale it down and celebrate small but still sparkly
The Holidays without a Recipe -and a “recipe” for mason jar whipped cream
Why whisk when you can shake? One jar, one spoon, no real recipe but a song. That’s right I make my whipped cream in a mason jar. That’s right I like Hall and Oates. Cause darlin’ you, you make my dreams come true. This holiday season is different- we had Thanksgiving for two. I served […]
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes w/graham cracker crust
When crafting a thanksgiving dessert menu I had two goals, use as few dishes as possible and make just enough to share or have leftovers for the next day but not all the days until spoilage. Bonus points for an easily freezable dessert and double bonus points for cheesecake. I made my own graham crackers […]
EggNog Fizz: a lighter brighter nog cocktail
Eggnog Fizz Cocktail If you’re still with me after the title than you must be ready for a holiday cocktail with just a hint of nog. Cranberry simple syrup adds a bit more holiday cheer to this bubbly frothy combination that tastes better than it looks and better than it sounds because gin and egg […]
easy sautéed mushrooms: chanterelle, shiitake, or cremini
Like all the best recipes these easy sautéed mushrooms allow for substitutions and modifications. chanterelles out of season? shiitakes too darn expensive? cremini cramping your style? switch it out. just follow a few basic principles and you have a most simple, delicious, easy and satisfying side dish or garnish. Bonus points for being vegan and […]
Spicy Gingersnap Cookies: The Gingersnap Cookies That Open Doors
These are the cookies that get requested each holiday season. Dark with molasses and loaded with spice, as a gingersnap should be, they warm and comfort. Delicious on their own, with hot chocolate, spiced cider, or dipped in milk. They can be soft and a bit chewy or crispy- it’s up to you. The Gingersnap […]
Simple Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
What’s more comforting on a cold autumn evening than roasted winter squash? Mostly savory with just a little bit of sweet, this stuffed acorn squash can be an easy weeknight meal or the centerpiece of a delicious vegetarian feast. The sweet and creamy nature of the squash is balanced with a dose of ancient grains […]
Cast Iron Winter Squash Pie w/a honey whole wheat crust
An autumn squash pie made with fresh roasted kuri squash (or your favorite pumpkin type winter squash), a not quite pumpkin spice blend of spices, and a don’t ask don’t tell one hundred percent deliciously graham cracker like honey whole wheat flaky pastry crust. Best of all this bad boy bakes up in an 8” […]
a holiday rum negroni for our inner surfer
Do you know how many weird and not terrible but not particularly inspiring Campari drinks I had to consume just to get one worth posting? At last I found it. Something warming but not warm, something holiday but not heavy, a drink to have before the meal. Turns out it’s best to stick with the […]
Kourabiedes: Greek Christmas Cookies w/satsuma and almond
Crisp, slightly citrus, a little nutty, and layered with a fine dusting of snow white powdered sugar. Please enjoy my non traditional take on the traditional Kourabiedes or Greek Christmas Cookie recipe. I’m such a bitch sometimes- most times. But I feel bad about it later, which, I suppose, makes me an insecure bitch. For example: […]
Spiced Apple Bundt Cake w/maple cream cheese frosting
Spiced Apple Bundt Cake w/maple cream cheese frosting I love apple pie, and pumpkin pie (and key lime pie, blueberry pie, cherry pie, and pie! pie! pie!) but as the time of leftovers approaches I’ve come to appreciate a dessert that gets better on the second day and is still really good on days three […]
“Old Fashioned GF Experience” fresh grapefruit pomegranate prosecco cocktail
The longest night is behind us now, a foggy morning giving way to sun. Holiday lights glimmer in the afternoon’s glow, my fingers stained red from squeezing pomegranate seeds between my eager fingers. I have made no preparations for christmas, made no preparations for the new year. I am without hope and brimming with the […]
Spiced Pâte à Choux w/ Pumpkin Ice Cream and vanilla whipped cream
If there is any hope of posting this in time for thanksgiving I must stick to the basics. The recipe. I’m in charge of dessert again this thanksgiving. Truth be told I prefer a starter when people are still hungry because thanks blah de blah I’m in it for the praise and as few left […]
Pumpkin Ice Cream
Pumpkin Ice Cream adapted from David Liebovitz
Cranberry Pomegranate Relish- quick, low sugar, no cooking
Persephone leaves the underworld with four pomegranate seeds in her belly. Seeds of winter. She can still taste the fruit, remember how she struggled to stop at just four, licked the bright juice from her fingers, tasted the red stain on her lips. But without fall there can be no spring, without bare branches there […]
Savory Pumpkin Phyllo Tartlets
Pumpkin without the sugar and spice. Savory snacks for short days and long nights. Roast your own squash and heat up the kitchen (plus, bonus! pepitas!) I love it when a plan (doesn’t) come together. I lie. I had a vision of what I was going to make with the tiny pumpkins I’ve been growing in […]
Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts with crispy garlic and New Year’s Resolutions
Free up the oven for holiday meals or any time you want a quick and savory autumn vegetable side dish. Fresh Brussels sprouts cooked in a cast iron skillet are greens that actually stay green with a crisp nutty flavor complimented with a healthy bite of garlic. Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts with crispy garlic and […]
boozy orange caramel hot chocolate
Deliciously boozy and buttery homemade orange caramel sauce takes hot chocolate to the dizzyingly sumptuous sip and sigh territory, the treat I’m willing to wade through winter for. And while I’m busy pushing the resolutions aside why not add whipped cream (spiked, of course, with even more caramel sauce)? So this is Christmas Eve and […]
tender whole wheat cloverleaf dinner rolls and cranberry swirls
Hearty yet tender whole wheat cloverleaf rolls made with holiday red ale baked both straight up and as just barely sweet cranberry swirls. A splendid combo that makes even humble dinner rolls applause worthy. Why make just one sort of dinner roll when just a few more minutes of your time yields two? Forgive the […]
Cold Prevention 101: THE HOT TODDY
When I was a little girl being sick meant Mom would bring me ginger ale and hot lemon and honey to sooth my throat. It meant staying home from school and watching Perry Mason and the Price is Right on daytime television, Mom’s cool hand on my hot forehead. Comfort. Love. Like Christmas, being sick […]
Cardamom Sugar Cookies with Apple Caramel
Tender sugar cookies that melt on the tip of your tongue: the scent of cardamom with an apple caramel chaser. Each half, now together, and greater than the sum of its parts.
Ginger Eggnog Martini: or Why You Should Infuse Your Own Liquor
Why you should infuse your own liquor When I want a twist on a traditional cocktail I look in the spice cabinet. Ginger, Pepper, Cardamom, Coffee. To add these flavors to your cocktails you have two choices, an infused simple syrup or an infused liquor. I’m fickle. Half the time when I make a […]
Primal Spice Cupcakes w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Primal Spice Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Perfect to make ahead and serve at a holiday party: these paleo friendly cupcakes just happen to be gluten and starch free. They are also made without refined sugars, which turns the sweet down a few notches. Your guests will love them and then you can tell them […]
Pimm’s Hot Spiced Cider
Sipping on gin and juice takes on new meaning with this surprisingly delicious and simple winter warmer made with spiced apple cider and Pimms No 1. Leftovers of a different sort, wherein I root through the liquor cabinet looking for something new and discover the Pimms (inherited Pimms actually, bought because of it’s visual similarity […]
green bean “casserole” en papillote
Fresh green beans and chanterelle mushrooms baked in parchment with garlic and fresh herbs. Dusted with parmesan, dabbed with butter, and drizzled with a touch of cream and white wine. I love it when a plan comes together. I came up with this idea while fighting my way through the pre-Thanksgiving crowds at the grocery […]
Poached Apple Pie Pockets: plus the secret ingredient for your flakiest pie crust ever
poached apple pie pockets served with spiced apple cider reduction Okay maybe this ingredient isn’t so secret and flakiest isn’t the exact word to describe the difference. Don’t get me wrong this crust is flaky, and easy to work with, and puffs up more than any crust I’ve ever made—but it also seems more refined, more […]
Cranberry Relish- think beyond the bird
Let’s continue with cranberries. I can’t resist. I love this time of year when bags of fresh cranberries are prominently displayed at my favorite market. I’m not even making Thanksgiving dinner this year but that won’t stop me. This most simple version of fresh cranberry relish is wonderful with cream cheese on a toasted […]
Quick Cardamom Pretzel Coffee Cake
Lying in bed predawn with only the glow of my smart phone to give color to the gloom. Did I suffer from insomnia before the internet? How ever did I fill those hours? What story remains unwritten because I just checked Facebook? What classic remains unread because of Words with Friends? Enough! Out of bed […]
