You know how there are those certain foods your parents make you eat that you don’t quite appreciate until you’re an adult? Tourtiere is one of those foods for me. Growing up, my grandmother used to make “meat pie” every year for Christmas. And not just one, but several so that we could freeze them…
Porto Tonico, or, Port and tonic, is a light, slightly sweet and refreshing cocktail that’s easy to make. My affection for Port tonics began during our first night in Portugal while visiting Porto. We sipped them while watching the sunset over the Douro river at a wine-themed luxury hotel, The Yeatman. Throughout our stay there,…
I’ve been experimenting quite a bit with my original marshmallow recipe and decided to try it out with my favorite winter coffee drink — Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallows! They are perfect for dunking into your favorite cuppa coffee or cocoa, or just to nibble on their own. (You also might like these … Mocha Marshmallows) These…
Tis the season for toasting! I love a holiday recipe that gets the whole house smelling wonderful. This is definitely one of those. A little like mulled wine … but a little sweeter and more refreshing.
It might sound nice in the holiday song … “hear the chestnuts POP! … pop, pop, pop!” But it wouldn’t be a pleasant picture. Quarter-sized projectiles would be a little dangerous, actually. Here’s how to roast chestnuts without loosing an eye …
Since it’s the season for all things cranberry – from desserts to decorations – we thought we’d share some of the fun facts we learned so that you can quiz your family with cranberry trivia. Canned or Homemade Cranberry Sauce? So, first things first. Are you a canned cranberry sauce person or a homemade cranberry sauce…
I once made this cheesecake on Daytime … in under 4 minutes! Now, that being said … you actually need about 45 minutes to put it all together and another hour to bake it. But, if you’ve never made cheesecake before, don’t be intimidated. It’s actually quite easy. The hardest part is not eating all the creamy pumpkin-y batter right out of the bowl!
This recipe for Welsh Gingerbread is an old one. I picked it up during my culinary tour of Wales, and as you can see from the picture, it comes from an old book. You know, the kind your grandmother has stashed on the shelf. There’s no reference to what year this book was made, but there is…
With three different cultural backgrounds in our family (Puerto Rican, French Canadian, and Thai), our holiday dinner table is a global fusion of flavors. For the last few years, I’ve re-created my coconut flan recipe and turned it into a pumpkin flan to add a bit of autumnal spices for the fall and winter season….
I have been on the hunt for a great tasting gluten free carrot cake recipe. With plans to visit my family over Easter, and knowing my Mom was on a special diet, I had to come up with a semi-healthy dessert. The results of my search were a little disappointing and I ended up trying…
I tried making marshmallow at home … and they’re unbelievably easy! The timing was perfect since we finally got our Fall cold spell here in Florida. Hot chocolate and marshmallows is a great morning or afternoon treat and we like to have Smores in the backyard fire pit with our guests.
Typically, chilled coconut drinks are reserved for summertime, but coquito is an exception. Coquito is a traditional holiday drink from Puerto Rico and tastes like coconut eggnog, but better! Try this no egg Puerto Rican eggnog recipe below with coconut milk, rum and holiday spices. Puerto Rican Eggnog – A Holiday Tradition My step-father is…
I’ve been craving gingerbread this week and decided to try and make it into an acceptable breakfast … other than a cookie dipped in coffee.
This Whole 30 butternut squash, bacon, and sage recipe is a great savory Thanksgiving side dish for the diet-conscious. (Whole 30 is a diet that limits sugar and processed foods). It’s really easy to make, and with a few tricks and tips I have for you below, it doesn’t take much time. My first tip,…
Here’s a great pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipe to warm you up this fall season. It comes to us from the B Street House Bed & Breakfast in Virginia City, NV. There are two things in this recipe that make your taste buds leap off the charts — it’s spicy like gingerbread and it has…
If there’s one thing that can make our traditional holiday coquito recipe even more delicious, it’s adding a dash of pistachio. In case you’re unfamiliar with coquito, it’s a traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink that is similar to eggnog, but with coconut. My mom used to make coquito when I was growing up, and she…
Meat pie is a Christmas tradition in our home. My mother’s side of the family is French Canadian, and while in Canada this common Christmas dish is known as tourtiere, we just simply called it meat pie. It’s a savory pie with minced meat, potatoes, and flavored with seasonal spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves….
Yes, I know I’ve been all about the sugar scrubs lately. Our travel schedule really kicks off next month, so we’ve been spending our springtime here at home in Florida (yes, February is springtime for us — it’s 78 degrees outside) working on our outdoor patio area. After painting, staining, and gardening, I love cleaning up with…
I don’t know about you, but we tend to favor sweets around the holidays and winter months. There’s just something about cake or cookies that make a hot beverage like tea so much more cozy and inviting. So, I was craving vegetables and something that felt healthy to balance out our holiday indulgences. And this Winter Kale…
Looking for an unique twist to a traditional pumpkin dessert? How about one with a creamy coconut twist. I usually associate pumpkins with autumnal spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, recipes that comfort you on a cold winter day. So I didn’t expect to stumble upon them in tropical Southeast Asia. As it turns…
Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of hot creamy soup when there’s a chill outside? Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall flavors. I’ve paired it with smokey sage and bacon to make a hearty pasta dish and have even roasted it just plain with salt and butter. This recipe below comes…
Ah, le macaron. If you’re looking for good French macaron recipe, you’ll find it here. My fascination with these delicate little cookies began while roaming the streets of Paris. I was lost somewhere around the Latin quarter, intentionally so. I must have walked miles that day exploring the city of romance and my tired feet…
I fell in love with rooibos tea during my first trip to South Africa. Rooibos has a natural sweetness to it that makes it irresistible to me. This rooibos recipe below is from a hotel in Cape Town called Cape Grace. The combination of sweet apple mixed with ginger and the earthy flavor of rooibos…
Having just returned from South Africa the week of Christmas, half my mind is still on safari and the other half is in holiday mode. It’s a strange place to be. To balance this out, I’ve got a new recipe I’m sipping while going through photos and catching up on posts. Well, it’s not really…
I’m gearing up for my 2nd marathon – the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. It’s now less than a month away and as my excitement increases … so does my appetite! The calories expended during our longer training runs (14 miles to 20 miles) has me hunting for more creative and tasty ways to…
This recipe is from Chef Alys at the La Veta Inn in Southwest Colorado. It’s quite decadent and reminds me of a gourmet version of a chocolate lava cake. Served hot with the flavor of pure rich chocolate and the heat of the whiskey will make this a great dessert to enjoy in the Fall….