Search Results for: All Seasonal & Holiday Favorites

Thanksgiving Corona-Style

Posted on Nov 17, 2020 by Peggy

So here come the holidays. Heaven help us. As the pandemic rips across the planet, this will be a tradition-bashing year. I’ve friends who are delighted with the excuse not to have to drive six hours to eat an overcooked turkey and canned green bean casserole. I know others who, come hell or high water, are … Full recipe post »

Instant Pot Classic Marinara and Her Distant Cousins (a no-recipe recipe)

Posted on Sep 3, 2020 by Peggy

My kids gave me an Instant Pot for Mother’s Day. Both passionate cooks, they told me they couldn’t imagine life without the contraption. But, to be honest, I rolled my eyes when opening the box—the last thing I need is another kitchen gadget cluttering my counters. That’s until I spied a yogurt button on the panel. I can make … Full recipe post »

Potato Salad, My Way.

Posted on Aug 3, 2020 by Peggy

I believe in choice, my choice of potato salad being no exception. This choice is gut-driven and deeply personal. My grandmother made a simple potato salad that accompanied her fried chicken and hickory nut cake to our family reunions in Selma. She made that same salad when a tragedy befell a friend, the bowl of love left quietly on their porch. My mother made the same salad that … Full recipe post »

Chikhirta: Georgian Chicken Soup

Posted on Mar 6, 2020 by Peggy

Although Michigan has been experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures of late, it seems like a good time to make soup. The panic buying felt by the coronavirus maelstrom is like nothing I’ve ever witnessed. I’ve lived through the fallout of epidemics, famines and the scourge of the HIV virus, but the flames were never continuously fanned by instant media–non-stop overload.  I jump each time my phone pings! I’ve bumped … Full recipe post »

Apple-Hickory Smoked Chicken

Posted on Jul 2, 2019 by Peggy

This morning I woke up from a nightmare. I was the cooking wench for the House of Stark in their ancestral castle of Winterfell, located in Westeros, the northernmost province of the Seven Kingdoms. I had just pulled these birds from the pit as winter fell, promising to linger for many, many years. Yes, indeed. The weather is a … Full recipe post »

She’s No Angel: Holiday Musings on Victuals and Vice.

Posted on Dec 4, 2018 by Peggy

Like a thunder of army boots marching into town, I dread the inevitable scourge of New Year’s insight promoting radical behavioral shifts sure to trample me next month. December offers us carte blanche; Eat, Drink and Be Merry. But January draws nigh, when some of us find ourselves hamsters on a double wheel of  guilt trips, agonizing over the previous year’s excess of food and … Full recipe post »

Turmeric Pasta with a Roasted Cauliflower-Lentil Ragu

Posted on Oct 12, 2018 by Peggy

Must pasta insist we default to basil and oregano when seasoning the accompanying sauce? Does Indian cuisine demand we pay homage to  proteins with basmati rice, potatoes or Naan? Break free the chains! Particularly now since Al Dente’s latest line of Piccola Pastas have hit market shelves to switch things up. My last post, Pastazanella, was  inspired by … Full recipe post »

Pasta Salad Preview: Pastazanella (First in a 3-part series)

Posted on Aug 22, 2018 by Peggy

You’ve heard of panzanella, right? That oh so delicious  salad celebrating tomatoes when they’re bursting on the vines–even more handy to have in your recipe repertoire  when you’ve a loaf of slightly stale Artisan bread that’s begging to be utilized? But what about Pastazanella? I just made a big batch, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never heard of that. Pastazanella … Full recipe post »

My Secret Weapon Flavor Bomb for Savory, Summery Vinaigrettes

Posted on Jul 2, 2018 by Peggy

Last night we had friends over for a Fourth of July warm-up dinner party. The hyper-local menu–Grilled Sumac Lamb Chops, Cherry Couscous Salad and Asparagus–was created with the bulk of ingredients sourced in a one-mile radius; easy to pull off at this time of the year in the orchards and farmlands of Northern Michigan. The day before … Full recipe post »

She-Deviled Diva Eggs

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Peggy
Stuffed Eggs Florentine

Deviled Eggs (aka: Stuffed Eggs) have taken on star-status in the past few years. No more are a plate of these rich and tantalizing mortals content to find themselves nestled up to a Maraschino Cherry Jello Mold on a boomerang-patterned formica counter. For good reason. Stuffed eggs are a great canvas for a variety of flavors. A perusal through the web … Full recipe post »

Roasted Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostini + 2 Favorite Thai-inspired Soups

Posted on Jan 18, 2018 by Peggy

For a blast of bright August flavor on a frigid January day, try roasting tomatoes. Baking or roasting transforms the winter tomato, minimizing the mealy texture and maximizing their sweet flavor. Last weekend I concocted the recipe below, and brought the appetizer (pictured above) to a party. I saved time by having the baker slice the baguette and … Full recipe post »

Pumpkin Flan with Caramel Sauce + Giveaway.

Posted on Nov 8, 2017 by Peggy

UPDATE: CONGRATS, TERRI!  Your name was PICKED–The CD and dish towels are on their way!!!   Thanksgiving yum is on the horizon.  In the right hand column →→→you’ll see a Holiday Cookbook link next to a Gold Ball under “Find Your Favorite Recipe“. Here, I’ve put together dozens of recipes that might suit your table. Also included is a super-simple segment and … Full recipe post »

Sorrel-Potato Soup, the perfect spring soup, is delicious served hot or cold.

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Peggy

Long before  Steve Brill made hunting for wild foods a thing, since the dawn of our species we’ve been foraging our lands for edibles to survive. (In the eighties, Brill–aka, Wildman– began organizing foraging expeditions in Manhattan. Once he was slapped with a summons for making a meal from Central Park weeds. Minutes after his arraignment, … Full recipe post »

Easy Gift Ideas From Your Kitchen

Posted on Dec 9, 2016 by Peggy

A bottle of wine dressed up in a festive bag is the usual accessory when invited to a holiday gathering. But it’s fun to mix it up. With available time for most folks in such short supply, gifts from the kitchen are becoming a rare gem. This gift idea is almost as simple as purchasing a bottle: make a riff … Full recipe post »

Abuela’s Pumpkin Flan with Caramel Sauce for Thanksgiving!

Posted on Nov 17, 2016 by Peggy

Women that grew up in countries outside of the United States, immigrated to America as young adults, raised families and have grandkids, capture my imagination. They’ve escaped war, poverty and oppression, many bringing only the shirts on their back and the recipes from their homelands. And their stories? Makes my life look like a pony ride at a … Full recipe post »