My Favorite Cookbooks This Year
Favorite Things / November 29, 2018

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Mine went well, and we are just finishing up the yummy leftovers, the best part of Thanksgiving! I thought now would be a good time to round up my favorites of all the cookbooks I reviewed this year. There are so many intriguing recipes in this book. The green bean recipe I tried is one I have repeated. After the holidays when I want to get back to healthyish eating, this is a cookbook I will turn to. I loved all three recipes I made from this book, and there were so many more I wanted to try. With gorgeous photos and useful baking tips, this is a book worth owning.   Perelman’s writing is so engaging and the photos are super helpful. It’s one of those cookbooks where I wanted to make everything!   This book is a funny pick for me because I am definitely not a runner. But I have to say, the recipes I have tried from this book are tasty and healthy without being full of weird and expensive ingredients.   Last but not least, this book was the first book I reviewed for the blog. It also…

My Thanksgiving Favorites
Holidays , Recipes / November 16, 2018

For most of us, our Thanksgiving menu is based on tradition. Next Thursday is not a day to try out a bunch of new recipes on the family. Although it can’t hurt to try out one (or two) new recipes. You never know when a new recipe is going to become part of your family’s favorite food memories. Anyway, since I will be mostly making dishes I’ve made several times before, I thought I would share some of my tried and true Thanksgiving recipes. Dried Cherry and Cranberry Sauce This is probably the first dish I ever made for a Thanksgiving dinner. It actually started with a similar dish I saw Martha Stewart make, but this version has more flavor. The dried cherries really help to cut the tartness of the cranberries, and this is one of those dishes where I am often asked to share the recipe. It’s super easy, not a lot harder than opening a can! Emeril’s Cornbread and Andouille Dressing I grew up in the Midwest, and we always made dressing with white bread. My husband is from the South, so my mother-in-law makes cornbread stuffing. I gotta say, cornbread stuffing is better. We also lived…

Thanksgiving Cookbooks
Cookbook Overviews , Holidays / November 14, 2018

Thanksgiving is only a week and a few days a way. Do you know what you’re cooking? If you want some ideas, you might check out one of these Thanksgiving cookbooks. I just picked these up from the library and haven’t had a chance to cook from them, but I still thought it might be fun to look through them and get some ideas. First up, is Williams-Sonoma The Best of Thanksgiving: Recipes and Inspiration for a Festive Holiday Meal. As you might imagine if you’ve ever looked at a Williams-Sonoma catalog, this cookbook contains beautiful photos of traditional recipes. The whole meal is covered, including recipes for leftovers. Chapters on  planning, wine pairing, and menus are included to provide inspiration. There is even a chapter called “Turkey Know-How.” I would say that my main complaint is that everything in here is pretty standard, and most of the tips included I’ve already read. That being said, I’ve always had good luck with Williams-Sonoma recipes, and there were several in here I would like to try, including Spicy Corn Break Stuffing with Chorizo & Pepitas, Bite-Sized Pecan Tartlets, and Turkey Panini with Blue Cheese & Chutney. The second book I picked up…

Bonus Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Smokies
Recipes / November 2, 2018

My youngest son insisted I make this recipe from Damn Delicious. Bacon-Wrapped Smokies 1 package beef cocktail sausages, drained and rinsed 8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into quarters 1/2 cup light brown sugar Black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish, optional Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper/silicone baking mat; set aside. Wrap each sausage in a piece of bacon and dredge in the brown sugar; pressing to coat. Carefully place the wrapped sausages, seam sides down, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the brown sugar has caramelized and the bacon is crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately, seasoned with pepper and garnished with the parsley, if desired. My notes: Love this super easy recipe that’s great to take to parties. My son even got in on the fun and helped me put these together. He also came up with the idea of just dredging the bacon in the sugar and then wrapping the sausages. (And he didn’t even eat too many sausages while we were working!) Adapted from Damn Delicious by Chungah Rhee.

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