With my favorite cranberry sauce cooked and a turkey brining in my refrigerator for tonight’s dinner, I am also making a few Thanksgiving inspired side dishes to go along with our pre-Thanksgiving turkey meal.
Even though it is not quite Thanksgiving yet, I can’t imagine eating turkey without butter topped mashed potatoes to go with it… and don’t even get me started about gravy.
Last year I posted a recipe on how to make creamy mashed potatoes using Yukon Gold potatoes and passing the potatoes through a metal mesh strainer. But today I would like to share with you a more traditional mashed potato recipe using Russet potatoes and a potato masher. [click to continue…]
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We moved into our new home two weeks ago and are still living out of boxes. Thank goodness for my husband who is not organizationally challenged like myself. He made sure I had at least a few pots and pans unpacked so we could, at the very least, eat at home
The first meal I made in our new home was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had the pleasure of eating in a long time. It was inspired by a competitive recipe project I was invited to participate in called The Mushroom Masters. I’m representing Team USA’s dinner challenge against Australia and Canada. The recipe? Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce over Beef Braised Beef and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. Hello…. Um, Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce…. Beef Braised Beef…. and Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes – Glory!! [click to continue…]
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When reading Ina Garten’s new cookbook, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips, I was saddened to read in the headnote of her Watermelon and Arugula salad recipe (page 65) that she did not like the combination of watermelon and feta. Oh, how sad because I love the combination of watermelon and feta, and I love Ina Garten. But I am going to have to respectfully disagree with her on this one. The first time I tried the sweet and savory combination of juicy red watermelon with the salty soft flavor of the feta, I was hooked. I would never have though to pair these ingredients with each other yet they work harmoniously and not as strange as the Barefoot Contessa would have you to believe.
She has this wonderful salad recipe using watermelon, arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. But my heart is totally devoted to watermelon and feta. And since we’re going with feta, I think adding a few slivers of red onion, a few other types of greens would make this the perfect light lunch for me today, wouldn’t you agree? [click to continue…]
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It’s often said, “Everything tastes better with bacon.” But I would like to make an argument for truffle salt making even the most simple food like popcorn seem gourmet. Truffles are a very rare and expensive fungi. This is why truffle salt is used as a flavoring accent elevating dishes from ordinary to extraordinary. Just a pinch goes a long way and is worth the $20 price for a 3.5 ounce bottle. For anyone who hasn’t tried truffle salt before, I know what you’re thinking. There is no way you would pay $20 for a little flavoring salt. You think this now, but if you try it, you might be singing it’s praises.. so don’t knock it until you try it. [click to continue…]
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When it comes to green beans, I’m a -plain Jane kind of girl. I usually saute them in a little bit of oil, season them with salt and pepper, and top them off with a small pat of butter. But last Sunday for our Easter dinner, I changed it up a little bit. I decided on making a greens beans tossed in a maple syrup-Dijon dressing with crumbled bacon and candied pecans. Oh my word, this was the perfect side dish to serve along side gratin potatoes, mac and cheese, fruit salad, and spiral ham. I loved the the sweetness from the maple syrup with the tang of the mustard. Adding the bacon and pecans pulled everything together for one fantastic side dish. [click to continue…]
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