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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Kentucky Derby bars for Cinco de Mayo

Posted in Baked goods, Dessert, Holiday dishes, tagged , , , , , on May 1, 2012| 8 Comments »

The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Ky., falls on May 4-5, 2012. I’m not really swept up in the culture around the Derby, even though my mom lived in Lexington for nearly two decades. In my most cynical moments, I can’t understand the big to-do around a 2 minute race.

But I admit, I cried through “Seabiscuit,” “Secretariat,” and “War Horse.” There is something about these majestic, beautiful, intelligent creatures in motion that stirs the human spirit, no matter how intellectual one becomes about the trappings and heartbreak of betting on a horse.

What I do love without question is a Kentucky Pie That Shall Not Be Named – gooey pecans and chocolate over a buttery crust and smothered in a dollop of fresh whipped cream. With the Derby falling on Cinco de Mayo this year, I got to thinking about the perfect marriage: Mexican chocolate and buttery pecans.

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Quick beef stir fry

Posted in Main dish, tagged , , , , on April 30, 2012| 2 Comments »

Two nights a week I don’t get home until 9 p.m. after swim practice and I am ravenous! Sometimes I have leftovers on hand so I can eat right away. But most nights I need to make something substantial – and fast.

Beef stir fry with green peppers and onions is a perfect answer. It’s quick, hearty, and has both good veggies and protein for a post-workout meal. You’ll be eating a hot meal within 15 minutes after hanging up your workout clothes to dry.

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Chocolate Easter Baskets

Posted in Dessert, Holiday dishes, tagged , , , , , on April 7, 2012| 1 Comment »

Forget plastic green grass. Go au naturel with these delightful and easy-to-make Chocolate Easter Baskets. You will need exactly three ingredients: a bag of pretzel sticks, a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips (or your favorite chocolate), a bag of mini candy-shelled Cadbury Eggs.

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Traditional Irish soda bread

Posted in Baked goods, Holiday dishes, tagged , , , , on March 11, 2012| 2 Comments »

You might call this a pre St. Patrick’s Day post, except here in Boston I’m a little bit late. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations start the weekend before March 17 because there just simply isn’t enough time to get in all the Irish-related festivities in just a day or two. We may not dye our river green the way Chicago does, but this is still the home of the Boston Celtics. Plus, we are geographically closer to Ireland than Chicago, so I think this qualifies us as more authentically Irish-American than our Midwestern cousins. Somehow. (more…)

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Product review: Victorian House Scones

Posted in Baked goods, tagged , , , on March 8, 2012| 10 Comments »

You may recall some weeks ago that I was complaining about the aftertaste of boxed mix biscuits. I had been in a mad dash between activities but was still craving a just-from-the-oven biscuit to go along with a bowl of cheddar corn chowder. Even though I added some dried Rosemary to the dough for a lovely flowery taste I could still tell that these were convenience biscuits.

For some reason, short cut foods make me feel really …  lonely. I have no other way to explain it. Chalk it up to the mystery and power of food to strengthen, comfort, and express love. If you are going to break bread alone, lonely-filled biscuits are not the way to go, because you’ll just eat more to get rid of that empty feeling.

Despite how sad I know you are feeling for me right now, I didn’t really give those biscuits another thought once I left my dishes in the sink – until I got an e-mail from the Scone Lady at Victorian House Scones.

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Homemade bacon milkshake

Posted in Dessert, Recipes, tagged , , , , on February 20, 2012| 11 Comments »

The other day Thomas sent me an e-mail. It simply said, “Bacon milkshake is trending on Yahoo.”

Huh?

My first reaction was: “Don’t say things like that to me.”

The second one was: “Does it taste good?”

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Roasted salmon roll

Posted in Main dish, tagged , , , on February 9, 2012| 9 Comments »

I was cleaning out some cabinets in the kitchen the other day and found this recipe that my high school friend Erin sent to me years ago.

I’ve known Erin since we were both 14. I first noticed her in the freshman hallway because she was leaning against my locker flirting with the boy I had a crush on. Later, we ran track together (the boy was eventually forgotten), and many years later I was the maid of honor in her wedding.

Erin remains a talented and dedicated runner and now she is the mom of two boys and just this fall returned to teaching full time. Through it all, she has always paid close attention to what she eats. In high school, she regaled us with unbelievable stories about such things as seaweed soup and carob “chocolate.” These were rare and exotic ideas to me at the time. Erin’s mom, Aubrey, also introduced me to tofu, cooking with maple syrup instead of sugar, and cheese nachos melted in the toaster oven.

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Super Bowl mini pizza appetizers

Posted in Appetizers, tagged , , , on February 3, 2012| 2 Comments »

There is a lot to do before Sunday, Feb. 5 6:30 p.m. ET when the rematch of Super Bowl XLII kicks offs. Remember, in 2008 the Giants ended New England’s bid for a perfect season with a 17-14 upset victory. Here in Boston we didn’t appreciate that very much.

To prepare for Super Bowl XLVI, there are hundreds of details fans will need to pay attention to: trivia questions to brush up on, decisions on where to watch the game, what to serve if you are hosting a party.

If you have somehow won the party bid and you’ve got people coming over to your house to watch the Patriots win I recommend some no-fuss appetizers that will keep you out of the kitchen and parked in front of the TV with everyone else.

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Molten lava cake for National Chocolate Cake Day

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , on January 27, 2012| 4 Comments »

January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day in the United States. To be honest, I thought every day was chocolate cake day. This warm (and flourless) chocolate lava cake is delicious enough to declare a national celebration. But to help keep us all focused, there are several national food day lists floating around like this one to make sure all kinds of decadent delights get their day.

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Cheerful cheddar corn chowder

Posted in Soup, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2012| 3 Comments »

About this time of year I’m missing seeing more of the sun’s face. Although I was delighted to notice last night at 5 p.m. that the night sky, instead of being an inky black, was more of a dark cerulean blue. Longer days are slowly creeping back.

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