From the category archives:

Holiday

Western Shepherd’s Pie ~ Idaho Potatoes + Bloggers = True Love for Valentine’s Day

Thumbnail image for Western Shepherd’s Pie ~ Idaho Potatoes + Bloggers = True Love for Valentine’s Day

This Western Shepherd’s Pie is the result of a “love affair” between Idaho® Potatoes and food bloggers first sparked at Camp Blogaway! That’s where the coolest potato guy, Don, had a chance to get to know our community of food bloggers from across the country. Ideas started to hatch, and love blossomed…

Read Full Story

Sautéed Spinach with Almond Cream and Arils ~ Christmas Colored!

Thumbnail image for Sautéed Spinach with Almond Cream and Arils ~ Christmas Colored!

  Rich, creamy, Christmas-y! This is one gorgeous platter of Sautéed Spinach with Almond Cream and Arils. According to its source, Chef Virginia, the recipe only has 167 calories a serving. I think THAT fact makes it even more gorgeous. Nom, nom, nom.

Read Full Story

The Chef, The Designer, The Kitchen and The Party

Thumbnail image for The Chef, The Designer, The Kitchen and The Party

Ordinarily, I write here about cooking, trips and/or the antics of our Gourmet Club. But for this post, I was urged by Club Member Laura to write about the KITCHEN of our most recent dinner party, and the DESIGNER, who also happens to be in our Club. Laura is right, it doesn’t always have to [...]

Read Full Story

Kahlua Sweet Potato Pie with Kahlua Whipped Cream ~ Food Bloggers Gather to Cook and Share for Thanksgiving

Thumbnail image for Kahlua Sweet Potato Pie with Kahlua Whipped Cream ~ Food Bloggers Gather to Cook and Share for Thanksgiving

The recipe to make this autumn leaf-laced Kahlua Sweet Potato Pie with Kahlua Whipped Cream is at the bottom of this post. Seven bloggers arrived at our home for an early Thanksgiving Feast in the spirit of blogging recipes for our readers’ holiday cooking. As Project Manager, or more realistically “Micro Manager,” I instructed each [...]

Read Full Story

How to Roast a Goose & Why is John Crying?

Thumbnail image for How to Roast a Goose & Why is John Crying?

Don’t feel sorry for John, that’s not his empty wine glass. John was on the front line, dicing onions as a member of Team Soup at our Traditional Old English Christmas Dinner. And he certainly wasn’t crying the remainder of this Gourmet Club cooking and eating extravaganza, I can attest to that. This was the [...]

Read Full Story

Chocolate Kahlua Truffles

Thumbnail image for Chocolate Kahlua Truffles

This is my adaptation of a candy recipe in Cooking Light, truffles made with bourbon. If a sweet recipe calls for bourbon, I already think it will be better with Kahlua. Chocolate Kahlua Truffles were my final product. I wanted a “tiny” holiday gift to make for the peeps who matter to me at UCLA Medical [...]

Read Full Story

Last Minute Food Substitutions

Thumbnail image for Last Minute Food Substitutions

This week is Thanksgiving. And what should arrive on my doorstep from uber-culinary publicist Lisa Ekus?  The gigantic Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim. It conjured memories of past Thanksgivings with friends and family – for which I am very grateful. And memories of “Oh S**T, there are no coffee filters!!”  And “Wasn’t vanilla extract [...]

Read Full Story

The Original Classic Kahlua Pecan Pie

Thumbnail image for The Original Classic Kahlua Pecan Pie

Heavenly Kahlua Pecan Pie and I go way back. In the late ‘80s, my little PR agency represented Kahlua as a client. Before spirits were OK to advertise on TV, and before stupid corporate changes decimated the brand (ouch, I’m still bitter), Kahlua was on TOP. The brand made piles of money and spent it [...]

Read Full Story

I Cannot Wait For Leftovers ~ My Two Favorite Post-Thanksgiving Recipes

Thumbnail image for I Cannot Wait For Leftovers ~ My Two Favorite Post-Thanksgiving Recipes

Here you go, I am pulling up my two all-time favorite uses for leftover Thanksgiving turkey – Noodle Bowl for Two and Thai Pasta.  Both have been published here before but I want to make a point of showing them to you again because it’s officially Turkey Season. Both obviously have Asian flavors. And they [...]

Read Full Story

Chocolate Dipped Peeps

Thumbnail image for Chocolate Dipped Peeps

I am definitely no food snob, witness this post. Believe it or not, Larry and I saw Chocolate Covered Peeps at a high-end cheese shop on LA‘s 3rd Street about a month ago. Packaged, and expensive. So, of course, now that I know how to dip and cover things in chocolate, I couldn’t pass up [...]

Read Full Story

St. Patty’s Recipe Roundup for “Our” Day

Thumbnail image for St. Patty’s Recipe Roundup for “Our” Day

On behalf of all Pattis, Patricias, Pattys, Patricks, Pats and Paddys, today is “our” day. Our weather here in Southern California just turned gorgeous, and stores are full of spring flowers (this photo was shot in Chicago – home of some pretty great St. Patty’s Day activities). Larry surprised me yesterday with a beautiful spray [...]

Read Full Story

A Valentine’s Meal You Can Do, Sherie

Thumbnail image for A Valentine’s Meal You Can Do, Sherie

Sherie and I were great pals in high school. She’s since raised three boys into independent grown men. Has been married forever. So I was surprised when she recently told me she “cannot cook.” Or doesn’t cook. Or is afraid to cook, the conversation was spotty since we were with a group of 15 fellow RHHS gal pals. But I didn’t forget it.

Read Full Story

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

Thumbnail image for Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

The “boy” in the pix with me (very top left of this scrapbook page) is now an international pilot for a shipping company. He may have met Larry at one of our Rolling Hills High School reunions, but now with the internet and Facebook, all these old contacts are right there again! And he knows [...]

Read Full Story

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Thumbnail image for Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Biscotti. Good dunking cookie, but not so fond of anise flavor. By consulting several basic recipes in my “collection” (read: stuffed binder), I devised a Chocolate Almond Biscotti. No anise, yes almond extract. And a chocolate coating because, uh let’s think here… CHOCOLATE. Larry gave the basic cookie a thumbs-up even before the second baking, [...]

Read Full Story

New Year’s Eve Party for People Who Have a Hard Time Staying Awake

Thumbnail image for New Year’s Eve Party for People Who Have a Hard Time Staying Awake

Are you like me? I have a hard time staying up New Year’s Eve. Larry is also a geezer, there I said it. Rarely do we see midnight. Parties? A LOT of hours ‘til the stroke of 12.  But a few years back, we threw a cooking party that our guests still rave was THE [...]

Read Full Story

Marcella’s Fudge

Thumbnail image for Marcella’s Fudge

This is a big plus to attending Thanksgiving on my side of the family: Marcella’s Fudge may be eaten before dinner. It is right there with the appetizers. Most of us thought Marcella was a relative from the Old Country (Wisconsin). My sister, Janie and I only just asked this year… turns out Marcella was [...]

Read Full Story

How to Make Perfect, Best-Ever, Excellent Mashed Potatoes

Thumbnail image for How to Make Perfect, Best-Ever, Excellent Mashed Potatoes

What you’re looking at are riced russet potatoes (not actually rice). It’s a step before whuupin’ em with butter and milk to make mmmm mashed potatoes. While volunteering this week at Project Angel Food, we prepped 250 lbs. of potatoes for Chef Adrian. Then, they were cooked in a humongous brazier, mashed in a monstrous [...]

Read Full Story

Light Pumpkin Custard

Thumbnail image for Light Pumpkin Custard

Is it really, truly, finally Autumn? Gimme Pumpkin! Here is what’s so great about Light Pumpkin Custard… you can eat piles of it with little concern. The calorie intake is fairly low, your Vitamin A intake is sky high and you are enjoying one of the best holiday flavors ever (which then contributes to one’s [...]

Read Full Story

Favorite Ham Story, And The Recipe

Thumbnail image for Favorite Ham Story, And The Recipe

This is the best recipe ever to cook the perfect ham for Easter. It was by luck that I stumbled on this compelling story about feeding a sophisticated crowd via a cheap ham, called the “Ham Gambit.”  Most likely, the use of the word CHEAP got my attention because there are few people who are [...]

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Read Full Story