These look tasty, don’t they? Sugar cookies with bits of Heath candy bars mixed in make for a fantastic treat. Wouldn’t you love to have some this weekend? Well, my dear friends, you can have them! These cookies, along with my coconut almond chocolate macaroons, are my contribution to the DC Food Bloggers Spooktacular Bake Sale going on tomorrow (Halloween) at the 14th & U Farmers Market. As I’ve...
Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna
I am not a fan of the concept of the celebrity chef...especially ones who have shows on the Food Network. I've already shared my venom for Bobby Flay and Emeril LaGasse on this blog, so now let's all turn our attention to Michael Chiarello. I didn't like him very much when he had his show Easy Entertaining on Food Network. He came across like a used car salesman: overly cheerful and fake. The few times I watched his show, I always felt like he was trying to sell me a Yugo (or worse yet, a Gremlin...the car, not the creature). ...
Maple Ginger Roasted Autumn Vegetables
Sure it's not yet November, but my mind has already turned to Thanksgiving. Although I don't get to head down to Georgia this year for Turkey Day, I still have every intention of whipping up a nice dinner come November 26th. With that in mind, I've been trying different recipes in an attempt to create a Thanksgiving menu that will knock my friend's socks off (or at least leave them speechlessly happy in a food coma). When I stumbled upon this recipe for Maple-Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans, I knew I wanted to try it out for a spot on ...
Maple Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
Remember when I told you not to throw away those pumpkin seeds? Well now I give you something to do with them. Roasting pumpkin seeds is an easy way to make a great snack in no time. Even better, you can spice them up any way you please to give them an extra kick. I've had cayenne pepper pumpkin seeds, Italian herb pumpkin seeds and even a weird key lime pie inspired pumpkin seed concoction. But I have never roasted pumpkin seeds myself...hell, until this season, I'd never worked with fresh pumpkin. So when it was time for me to ...
Homemade Walnut Oil Granola
It appears Winter has decided to come early to DC, much to my delight (and The Boy's chagrin). You see, I'm one of those nuts who happen to love the cold weather. It could be because I look fabulous in boots and have a flair for Winter fashion. Or it could be because Winter means I can fire up the oven and bake without having a heat stroke. Either way, Winter is here and I can think of nothing better to usher it in then this granola. Granola is really one of the easiest things to make, even for the cooking ...
Apple Galette
I have a confession to make: I get very nervous when I cook for someone for the first time. Call it performance anxiety or just one of my many "quirks", but I freeze up like a deer in headlights whenever I'm presented with the task of cooking for someone new. I worry that the dish isn't tasty enough and everyone's just too polite to say otherwise. I worry that I made some horrible mistake, like accidentally putting in salt instead of sugar, resulting in a salty dessert. I worry that somehow, without my noticing, a hideous spider got into the ...
Apple, Sweet Potato & Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup
For me, some of the best meal ideas are born strictly at the farmers market. Last Saturday, I headed over to the 14th & U Street Farmers Market for my weekly grocery shopping (yes my friends, you can get pretty much all your grocery needs from your friendly, neighborhood farmers markets). In the back of my head I knew I wanted to make a soup for lunch for the week, but wasn't sure what to put in it. Save being dead set on using apples (we do still have a lot of them from apple picking), I hadn't a clue ...
Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies
This is the start of my favorite time of year. From October through Christmas, I'm that giddy, goofy annoyingly cheerful person everyone hates (I guess I should apologize upfront for all the merriment and good cheer that will be unleashed...mostly to the Boy since he has to live with me). While I enjoy Spring too (especially after having suffered the slim pickings of the farmers markets during the lean Winter months), this time of year is pretty much the cat's pajamas in my book. And with more space in my new apartment, this year I can crank out the cookies and ...
Brussels Sprouts, Bacon & Figs
Last Sunday, The Boy and I headed to the Dupont Circle Farmers Market after reading a tweet from FreshFarm Markets saying figs would be there. @FreshFarmMktsDC did warn that the fig supply was limited, so we got there early and split up to find the elusive figs. Why such a rush to find figs you ask? Well, I've never had a fig, fresh or otherwise. Fig Newtons always looked like they had dirt stuck in the middle of them. Not that I never ate dirt...I just didn't want to mix it with my cookies. And well, figs aren't really common in ...
Lavender Almond Scones
Clearly, I like scones. There are about a million scone recipes on this site (give or take a few), so this recipe should come as no surprise. But I'm going to tell you a little secret: the rest of those scone recipes can't hold a candle to this one. I'm sorry for making the other scone recipes weep in the corner at their inferiority, but the truth must be told. Sure the basic recipe is the same, but the flavor of lavender infused throughout the scone turns this scone into something worth going to work for in the morning (unless ...
Mediterranean Lentil & Sausage Soup
Signs that it's Fall: I broke out a long sleeve shirt for last weekend's farmers market trip I can actually walk around DC landmarks and museums without tripping over tourists (no offense to all the DC tourists out there...but you do make it harder for us DCites to get around) The crockpot is being moved from the top shelf to a place where my short arms can reach My mind turns from salads and fruit ice creams to bread baking and soups And most importantly, even though it's still in the 70's here in DC, I've already started breaking out the soup recipes. This is ...