It’s MLK Day weekend and time to bake a birthday treat and discuss materials with my family in reflection and honoring of the holiday- a tradition in our home. The Birthday Goody: Every year, for this holiday we make a dessert that has an "integration" theme (usually some kind of chocolate, integrated with other colors/flavors). … Continue reading MLK Holiday Celebration: “What is your Life’s Blueprint?” & Flourless Peanut Butter Ganache Sandwich Cookies
The weather here in Tennessee is erratic- one day hot and muggy, another day rainy and stormy, then a chilly day, and more than likely a week later it's mild and lovely. It's hard to keep up. At my home, we check the weather channel & step outside to determine what to wear...and then dress … Continue reading Lovely Lemon Cake- A Dessert for All Seasons
Meatloaf is not a dish that is talked about much these days. I don't think it is because we are anti-beef, since in the U.S. we seem to be obsessed with burgers. Maybe people think meatloaf is a dated and tired dish. If that's you, I believe this Fresh Italian Meatloaf recipe (that my friend … Continue reading Cozy Modern Meat & Potatoes
Our family would be glad to have Mexican food/Tex-Mex multiple times a week. Sometimes we have a taco bar, other times these verde enchiladas, or Tostadas, or DIY Tortilla Soup, but thanks to Lucy's TikTok feed, she requested that we make a Nacho Table. It was on her "Pandemic Bucket List". It is a fun … Continue reading Nacho Table!
Lucy got her braces off and we celebrated with corn on the cob (Elote style) and caramel apples- two foods that aren’t possible with braces! I wanted to make real caramel rather than store bought, but I always struggle with getting it to stay on the apples. Braces Off Day! Elote! I wanted to spend time … Continue reading Caramel Apples- Autumn is Near & Braces Are Off!
When I was a kid we would sometimes make Fruit Pizza, which was basically a "crust" made out of a tube of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough rolled into a round pizza pan, topped with "sauce" made out of a sweetened cream cheese mixture, topped with cut fruit. It was fun and pretty and yummy. The … Continue reading Fruit Pizza Cookies
Summertime means salad time. To me, salads are to summer like soups are to winter. I could eat salad every day of these hot months. This week we just pulled out everything we could find to make a salad bar for dinner. Dressings are the element that can take things up a level. My family … Continue reading Summertime: Salads & Book Stacks
There is nothing like food, in my opinion, to transport you to another place. Whether it is a food memory from a place I've been that lodges so deeply in my mind, or whether it is a food that is shared locally by a person from a far off land as an introduction to their … Continue reading Eton Mess: A Recent Introduction to an English Classic
I don’t understand TikTok. It entered my life a couple of years ago through my niece and daughter setting up their phones in random spots (in the kitchen, in the target aisle, in the park) to video record dance sequences and lip sync. They would do said dance moves while at the dinner table, while … Continue reading TikTok Cooking Inspiration: Chocolate Krinkle Cookies
This cake is a great one. It is simple and versatile; special yet easy. It's an Olive Oil Cake from the Italian restaurant, Maialino in New York City. (Though I have never experienced this firsthand.) A couple of summers ago my friend Carly brought this incredibly moist, citrus-infused cake to book club. She served it … Continue reading Italian Citrus Cake (A.K.A Maialino’s Olive Oil Cake)
Community Table 