Stephanie says

I happened upon this site somehow.  You know how it is:  you're searching for some specific recipe and hit that Google search engine, and wait to see what comes your way.  And wonderfully, sometimes you have great luck running across an intriguing site where one can get lost browsing through the recipes.  And this is one of those sites.  (Another one I love is"America's Test Kitchen" aka "Cook's Illustrated."  Never been steered wrong there.) No idea what I was looking for but I was hooked immediately because this site has so many recipes -  submitted by professionals and amateurs.  There are contests!  Hmmm, I wonder if I've got a recipe unique enough to submit.  Wait, now I remember.  My newly married  daughter and SIL are home for Christmas so I have a captive audience to cook for!  I've advised them to bring sweat pants because I'm going over the top.  I'll be heading for the fat farm.  Not until after Chri...

My reward for having my cholesterol checked today.  It's a given that the results aren't back yet. Yes, that is sour cream that you see.  Followed by this baked apple topped with vanilla ice cream.  An apple a day keeps high cholesterol away.  Perhaps not when topped with ice cream...   

 Served here in my mother's footed crystal piece.  So pretty. The original recipe follows but I made one change this time:  I have a big supply of apricot syrup on hand and used that instead of melted current jelly (also, my current crop failed this year so I'm all out.)  Current jelly provides a sweet-tart flavor.  So does apricot syrup. I think any tartly flavored jelly or syrup will work, the emphasis on tart.  There are so many flavor elements from spicy ginger to hot jalapeno to pungent coriander.  Yum.  Fresh Pomegranate Relish ½ cup red currant jelly 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions, including tops 1 cup pomegranate seeds 1 TBL minced fresh ginger 1 TBL minced fresh jalapeno chili ½ tsp ground coriander 1 TBL lemon juice Salt & pepper Put currant jelly in a 2-cup glass measure.   Heat in microwave at full power until softened, about 20 seconds. Stir in remainin...

Talking to Melissa,   “I heard from my secret admirer today.”   “Oh Yeah?   Did he email you?”   “No, he texted me.”   “Wait a sec.   He has your telephone number?   How’d he get that?”   “That’s how he’s contacted me.   I’ve told you about this.”   “No, you told me about a guy who contacted you on email or through your blog.”   “Oh.   Well the cute guy who follows my Twitter account does follow my blog.   I’m still confused about that because I did set-up a Twitter account so I could follow my friend Patti, but don’t think I’ve ever used it.   I don’t know how to use it for that matter.   And I’m way too wordy for a paltry 140 character format. But this is another guy.”   “Who called you on your phone?”   “No, who texted me on my phone with a photo of the Rogue Brewery.   I figured it was a wrong number and didn’t respond the first couple times....

I found an interesting looking recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad in the Sunday newspaper supplement. My recent purchase of a large burlap bag of organic sweet potatoes no doubt piqued my interest…  Anyway, the recipe calls for four medium sweet potatoes. So how much does a “medium” sweet potato weigh? I much prefer recipes with exact weights; I don’t care if it’s Imperial or Metric, just something logical to go by so there is sufficient dressing to decide if this is a recipe worth making again. Then I can tweak it, if need be. Okay, reverse engineering. 1 cup = 1 serving = 200 grams. This recipe says it serves 6; abracadabra: 1200 grams. This is totally untested! Proceed at your own peril! I’m switching between weight systems just because I’m lazy. Ingredients: 1200 grams sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 227 grams red onion, chopped (1 cup) 4 TBL Olive oil, divided 2 medium jalapenos, ¼ cup, unless you really like spicy. BYW – I used the last...

My favorite new TV program this season is a PBS series about a young couple who are running a restaurant in North Carolina.   Chef Vivian Howard and husband Ben Knight left NYC to operate their own place and this program explores all the work involved with running a restaurant.   Which is a whole lot of work. I missed the first episode but they’d had a kitchen fire before the second episode which gutted the restaurant.   That show was centered around getting the restaurant up and running.   Again, an amazing amount of work.   In the meantime they’re raising twin babies and are building a new house.   I’m amazed at how well they are coping with these huge changes in their lives.   I’m pretty sure I’d be screaming or sobbing and not much in between…   There was new kitchen equipment and an involved new computer program for the staff to master.   Ai yai yai! Vivian is showcasing North Carolina meats and produce; one show featured three...

  Pass Creek Bridge built in 1925