Archive for » December, 2013 «
31
Dec 2013
Dec 2013
Do you have your New Year’s Day menu worked out? I’m preparing my Black-Eyed Peas with Jalapeño Oil along with cabbage and pork. I just haven’t decided on what cabbage and pork dishes to make. On the cabbage front, I’m debating between Smothered Cabbage and Cabbage Casserole. Both call for sausage and cheese, but the Cabbage Casserole also includes rice and boat loads of cheese–it’s a meal in itself. The Smothered Cabbage is on the lighter side with its turkey sausage and tangy kick of feta cheese. As for the pork, I’m craving my [ ... ]
27
Dec 2013
Dec 2013
Every year I approach the holidays with what I believe to be a good balance of excitement and caution. Excitement over the magic of the season and making the most of all the food, fun, family and friends that come with it. Caution not to overdo it. This year, let’s just say I got overly excited and threw caution to the wind. Put another way, I ate and drank too much and stayed up past my bedtime more often than not. It’s left me tired, bloated and a tad cranky. And with New Year’s [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Fish, Seafood, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Seafood 4 Comments
13
Dec 2013
Dec 2013
Jarred roasted red peppers, cream cheese, shredded mozzarella and chips (oh, and craft beer :-)) are refrigerator and pantry staples in my house. There’s a lot I can do with those ingredients. Plus, they all have a healthy shelf life. This time year, I find it especially important to have several flavorful and flexible items like those on hand. Alone or combined, they can spruce up chicken breasts, dress up pasta, flavor French bread (think French bread pizza), spiffy up salad greens or seafood and create inviting and impromptu appetizers. That’s basically how this finger food came to be. Last [ ... ]
Category: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Snacks
Tags: Appetizers, Finger Food Fridays, Snacks Comments off
05
Dec 2013
Dec 2013
I make Vegetable Soup three to four times a year on average. When I cook it, the soup fills my home with fond memories and the comforting aromas of my grandparents’ Franklin Avenue kitchen, which was around the corner from my childhood home. My grandfather, Papa, was the family vegetable soup steward. He’d make a huge pot to share with those of us who lived close by. After a half-day of slicing, dicing and simmering, Papa would ladle loving portions into a handful of the empty, glass Sanka Instant Coffee jars that lined their kitchen counters and deliver a couple [ ... ]
