‘Maple-Vanilla Carrots’

December 27, 2025 No comments
Recipe Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Recipe Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Recipes like this make me smile. The ones that highlight just a few quality ingredients, but that transform these relatively simple ingredients into something grand.  Here, we are highlighting carrots, maple syrup and vanilla beans.  Organic, peeled carrots are cut on the diagonal for an elegant appearance, and cooked in a pot of water along with a sweet vanilla bean until tender.  Once the water is absorbed you add in a pat of butter, the maple syrup and salt and pepper to flavor the already sweet carrots.  It might sound odd to add sweet flavorings into a somewhat savory side dish, but believe me, this is one of the best carrot dishes you will ever taste.

Lemony-Roasted Sunchokes with Capers, Watercress & Feta Cheese

December 26, 2025 No comments

Have you ever tried cooking with sunchokes?  Also known as Jerusalem artichokes, these knobby-looking root vegetables are versatile and couldn’t be easier to cook.  (Before cutting them into bite-sized pieces, these root veggies do need to be washed and scrubbed, just to remove any remaining dirt.) Once cut and placed on a prepared baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, they roast in about 25 minutes.

The sunchokes do not need to be peeled which is nice and saves prep time; one of my favorite ways to serve these funny looking veggies is to roast them like I mentioned, with some lemon slices and capers, and then to serve them warm with crumbled goat cheese over peppery watercress greens.  They remain a tiny bit crunchy after being roasted, and really can take on just about any flavor profile you like!  (Try roasting them alongside a chicken sometime, they pair up wonderfully and are lovely served with the roasted chicken juices.)

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Creole Pecan Pie

December 25, 2025 No comments

Still searching for that last minute dessert that everyone is sure to adore this holiday season? This decadent pie is just that. (Especially when it is served with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream…)

You might be asking yourself what makes this specific version of pecan pie ‘creole’?  Well in addition to the buttery pie crust filled with southern pecans and the gooey mixture made with light corn syrup, cane and brown sugars, and vanilla, is the addition of bourbon and some grated orange zest.  The orange zest adds a nice citrusy sweetness to the rich pie, and the bourbon does what bourbon is supposed to do…liven everything up a bit!

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Espresso Shortbreads’

December 24, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Food & Wine Magazine

I really enjoy making homemade holiday gifts each year for friends and family members.  Whether it is a baked concoction, a bottle of homemade Limoncello, or even a healthy Holiday quick bread, there is something so comforting and special about these types of thoughtful gifts.

If you are in the mood for a unique Holiday gift idea for this special season, here is one tasty idea: Espresso Shortbread cookies.  Buttery, flaky and oh-so-fragrant, these simple shortbreads have a special ingredient—espresso powder.  Each cookie has a faint taste of strong espresso, along with the simple flavors of a classic Scottish shortbread.  Whether served with that afternoon cup of tea, or with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream, these cookies are certainly a recipe to dog-ear for Holiday gift giving time.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.thekitchn.com/espresso-shortbread-recipe-23252538 )

‘Puttanesca Pork Chops’

December 23, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine

This gorgeous puttanesca sauce recipe would work really well not only with pork chops, but chicken, shrimp, scallops or your favorite fish fillet. Heck, it would even do what it traditionally does best—drape itself effortlessly over al dente pasta. If you aren’t familiar with a classic Italian puttanesca sauce, it is a homemade tomato sauce flavored with garlic and anchovies, that is studded with briny olives and capers as well.  This specific recipe calls for cherry tomatoes that melt right into the olive oil, garlic and anchovy fillets, but if you have large heirloom or slicing tomatoes, those would work well, too.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/262749/puttanesca-pork-chops/)

‘Mushroom Ragoût with Cheese Ravioli’

December 22, 2025 No comments

Original Recipe Courtesy of Fine Cooking Magazine

A traditional ragoût is a French stew (of meat and vegetables but also sometimes just vegetables) traditionally served as a main course. I loved the idea in this recipe to turn this mushroom-based, vegetarian ragoût into an Italian ragu of sorts.

The sliced cremini mushrooms stand in for meat in this dish and are stewed along with hearty red wine, broth, herbs, onions, garlic and tomato paste until flavorful and tender; the ragout is then served over cooked cheese-filled ravioli for an unforgettable pasta dish.  Simply serve with a mixed greens salad, roasted garlic bread, and a glass (or two) of that same red vino that you popped open to cook with.

‘Benne-Buttermilk Rolls’

December 21, 2025 No comments

With a new bag of Anson Mill’s organic, heirloom Sea Island benne seeds on hand, I knew just what cookbook to pull for creative ideas for using them: Sean Brock’s Heritage cookbook. Chef Sean Brock’s name and reputation are synonymous with creative Southern cuisine. Raised in rural Virginia and a proud graduate of Johnson & Wales culinary school, Chef Brock has a plethora of must-go-to restaurants in Nashville and many well-deserved awards attached to his name. Heritage was his first cookbook and the the winner of the 2015 James Beard Award for Southern Cooking.

With many benne seed-based recipe to choose from, including of course, benne seed wafers, benne rice broth, oyster stew with benne, lemony mustard greens with benne, and even pole beans with tomatoes and benne, I settled on these pillowy, slight sweet dinner rolls made with buttermilk and topped with benne seeds. Baked in a cast iron skillet, the rolls are easy to put together and even easier to devour. I served ours with a lemony spring chicken and vegetable soup, and a side salad of marinated yellow squash and zucchini with feta and radicchio.

A note on benne seeds themselves— they are similar in shape to sesame seeds, but are darker in color and have a more pronounced flavor. Their name actually means sesame seed in the West African language of Bantu, and are said to have been originally brought to the South in the late 17th century. I highly encourage you to grab a bag next time you see them, and explore the varied and unique recipes that they can be a part of!

‘Lentil & Sausage Cassoulet’

December 20, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Donna Hay’s Simple Dinners

A traditional French cassoulet is a slow-cooked white bean casserole flavored not only with sausage, but also a variety of meats which most times include duck, pork, pork skin and sometimes even goose or lamb. For this quick-and-easy version, the white beans have been replaced by a lovely lentil base and the meat consists of pan-seared sausages.  Comforting and hearty, this is an everyday take on the French classic that is best served with a simple green salad and some warmed slices of a toasted baguette.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Creole Court-Bouillon’

December 19, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Louisiana Cookin‘ Magazine

Court-bouillon is a French culinary term that translates to ‘short broth’; short meaning quick-cooking, this flavorful broth is used to poach quick-cooking meats like seafood.  Popular not only in classic French cooking, but also Cajun and Creole cooking, this specific recipe combines trilogy, scallions, crushed tomatoes, fresh herbs and seasonings with cubes of fish and shrimp if you like.

I found some nice grouper, but red fish or snapper would also work very well here.  Serve this ‘Creole Court-Bouillon’ over fluffy white rice with slow-simmered greens on the side, and maybe even a crumbly piece of homemade cornbread.  And there you have it…a classic creole dinner is served.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.louisianacookin.com/creole-court-bouillon/)

‘Skillet Chicken with Crushed Olives & Sumac’

December 18, 2025 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Dining In, by Alison Roman

I know what you’re thinking.  If the title of this recipe is ‘skillet chicken’ then why is the chicken pictured seemingly roasted? Well, I loved the original idea for this skillet chicken from the fabulous cookbook, Dining In, by Alison Roman.  Her version is either bone-in chicken thighs or breasts cooked stove top and flavored with ground sumac, pickled red onions, olives and fresh herbs.

The idea here is that bone-in, skin-on chicken is the way to go; the meat is tender, flavorful and never dried out.  The ground sumac lends a tart, lemon-like flavor to the chicken, the herbs add freshness, and the crushed olives add brine.  And that’s not all folks!  She serves this tasty chicken with some quick-pickled red onions. (Yum)

I decided to take this idea and turn it into an entire roast chicken.  Mainly because my husband loves dark meat chicken, while I love chicken breasts.  This way, we get the flavors of the original recipe but we each get our favorite chicken cuts!  For the roasted chicken version, I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and ground sumac before roasting it for about 80 minutes in a 425 degree oven.  Just test the chicken either way to make sure its internal temp is 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

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