I’ve been remixing this recipe a lot because I love banana muffins/cake, and this recipe has been great in every variation I have tried. As the final course of my dinner party, I wanted something sweet but not too heavy …
Dinner Party (Part 4 of 5): Coconut Curry Chicken
I’d had a can of coconut milk sitting in my pantry for months; I’ll admit, I was a bit trepidatious about using it (not sure why). Seriously, I shouldn’t have waited so long–it made this chicken dish so rich and …
Dinner Party (Part 3 of 5): Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard
I had originally planned to do roasted brussel sprouts for my dinner party veggie side dish, but the red swiss chard looked so amazing I just couldn’t resist (it hasn’t looked good in MONTHS). I decided to pair the chard …
Dinner Party (Part 2 of 5): Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping
Dear Readers, For the first time since I started tracking my blog with Google Analytics, I have surpassed 1,000 visits in a 30 day period. And it’s because of you! Thank you so much to all of my loyal followers …
Dinner Party (Part 1 of 5): Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad
I hadn’t hosted a meal in a while, so I decided to host a dinner party last night–thanks to both JG’s, JK, LM, and RK for letting me cook for them, and especially to AK for washing the mountain dishes …
Reader Poll: Dish Inspiration Challenge
I found this fun new blog recently that challenged readers to think of a hobby other than cooking, and then create a dish inspired by that hobby. I thought about this for a while–I’ve been focusing on cooking/baking and general …
Pine Nut, Parsley & Mustard Seed Crusted Salmon
My Penzey’s purchase this past weekend also included a bag of yellow mustard seeds (smells like pickles, or rather pickles smell like it because it’s a common pickling spice! A little spicy, a little bitter, really great flavor). After browsing …
Balsamic Glazed Chicken & Peppers
I took a trip to Penzey’s spice store this past weekend and came away with a great haul of fresh spices including spicy-lemony Aleppo pepper. Its inaugural dish was last night’s dinner, balsamic glazed chicken breasts with pepper in 4 …
Gluten-Free Snack Challenge: Cranberry Almond Granola Bars
I’ve been craving granola bars recently. I’ve tried some of the prepackaged gluten-free variety, but I’m not so much a fan of toasted cardboard. In fact, there are very few prepackaged gluten and dairy free items I really like. So …
From the Peanut Gallery: Boosting Protein Intake
Note: This is the inaugural post in a new post category, “From the Peanut Gallery,” in which I will answer questions I have received from my readers. If you have a question you’d like me to answer, please let me …