Happy Easter! This year I made a couple different Scotch egg recipes to get into the spirit of the holiday. 🙂 A traditional Scotch egg is a boiled egg surrounded by pork sausage, breaded, and deep-fried. To make a lighter and more Pacific Northwestern version that also felt like a dish worthy of Easter Sunday, […]
To celebrate Easter this year, I made these sweet little bird’s nest sugar cookies. This is a popular Easter cookie idea, and for good reason…They are adorable and easy to make. I used my whole-wheat sugar cookie recipe to make my version of these little nests. It’s a fun challenge to dress up the same […]
It’s the month to celebrate all things Irish! 🙂 Every year I love to make an Irish dish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This year, I decided to try making Irish cream from scratch, which is one of my favorite Irish treats. I was pleasantly surprised by how much this tastes like Baileys! My version […]
Today is Oscar Sunday! What would I like to nibble on while I watch the show? Steak Oscar, of course! 😉 I couldn’t think of anything more perfect!Steak Oscar is typically an entrée consisting of a beef tenderloin steak, crab, asparagus, and Béarnaise sauce. I made mine into bite-sized canapés that would be perfect to […]
Today is National Margarita Day! This little known holiday can brighten up a dark rainy day in the middle of winter. 🙂 I had some kumquats left over in my refrigerator, and I thought this was a perfect use for them. If life gives you kumquats, make margaritas! 😉 Kumquat Margarita Makes 1 drink 8 […]
Our Valentine dinner was a celebration of winter citrus! I love that citrus fruit comes into season in the middle of the winter months, just when we can use a bit of brightness. I thought it would be fun to choose a variety of citrus fruits, and then base my menu on what I found […]
I was on a Valentine baking streak! 😉 I made one more batch of hidden heart cupcakes, and I decorated them a little differently for some variety. I don’t typically frost my cupcakes, but I figured everyone needs a little chocolate on Valentine’s Day, no? 😉If I’m completely honest, I didn’t fill my second batch of […]
I made one more Valentine sweet for my sweet. 🙂 These hidden heart cupcakes are another idea inspired by Cupcake Jemma that I just couldn’t resist trying! I think they are so adorable. 🙂 I made mine with a beet whole-wheat red velvet cake in the middle and a simple whole-wheat yellow cake for the […]
I just love all of the cute Valentine desserts at this time of the year, so I decided to get an early start to give myself plenty of time to make a few! I started with these sweet little sugar cookies. This idea was inspired by a British baker named Cupcake Jemma. I love watching […]
Happy New Year! I hope you had a fun and festive celebration to ring in the New Year, whether it was big or small. 🙂 In addition to the beef Wellington canapés, I also made these cute little cucumber cups yesterday. This is a way to dress up plain vegetables so they are ready for […]
As 2015 is coming to a close, I made these mini beef Wellington canapés as my last hurrah of the year. 🙂 These little Wellingtons had all of the flavors of their full-sized counterpart – puff pastry, mushrooms, beef tenderloin, and prosciutto. They were fun and festive, and oh so cute!Beef Wellington Canapés 6 ounces crimini […]
Happy Christmas! I hope you had a lovely Christmas Day. 🙂 These sweet little star-topped mince pies were the grand finale of my Christmas dinner this year. They were the perfect finish, and just the right size after a beef Wellington feast. I used Nigella Lawson’s cranberry mincemeat recipe with a few small changes. I […]
These festive little cookie cups will make a perfect dessert for your Christmas meal. I think Santa might like them too! 😉I made a simple whole-wheat sugar cookie dough for the cups and handles. They have a lot less sugar and butter than many recipes to keep them a little lighter. Then I filled the […]
Cauliflower is usually a part of my holiday table, whether the occasion is Thanksgiving or Easter. It is so versatile that it can be made into anything from a mash that rivals mashed potatoes (like I made last St. Patrick’s Day) to an appetizer that is very much like a flatbread! It really is a […]
Today is National Indian Pudding Day! (Yes, surprisingly, it is actually a real holiday. 😉 ) I have never lived in New England, and I have to admit, I wasn’t familiar with Indian Pudding until recently. But then I read about its fascinating history as one of the first American recipes, and I had to […]
I love little holidays that give us a reason to celebrate, no matter how big or small they are. 🙂 Tonight is Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night in Great Britain, which has a long and interesting history. The holiday is celebrated with fireworks and bonfires on this autumn night. It is also International Stout Day! A […]
To celebrate one of my favorite days, I made a fun and festive dinner – A spicy Creole pumpkin soup served inside of a roasted pumpkin. 🙂 First I roasted a little sugar pumpkin. A friend of mine brought a larger version filled with fondue to a party, and it was a showstopper! I just […]
The Halloween countdown is on, and it also happens to be National Candy Corn Day today! 🙂 Here’s a sweet little idea to celebrate – Layer pineapple and oranges with vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt on top. I hope you have a fun and safe kickoff to the Halloween weekend!
Halloween is fast approaching, and today is also National Pumpkin Day. 🙂 To celebrate, I made my favorite pumpkin custards! And because things are starting to get a little spooky around here, I added a little whipped cream ghost with mini chocolate chip eyes. Have a happy Pumpkin Day!
I absolutely love anything and everything pumpkin at this time of the year! (Almost as much as these little squirrels. 😉 ) I love pumpkin muffins, pumpkin custard, pumpkin curry, and now, pumpkin deviled eggs! Mind you, they aren’t pumpkin flavored eggs. That might be a little too much, even for me. 😉 They would […]