Roasted Maple Glazed Carrots

I'm usually a raw carrot muncher but I tend to like serving them as a cooked side veggie when I have company for dinner. I find that their naturally sweet, mild flavor means that even non-veggie fans will usually eat them. I typically steam them and serve with a little butter or olive oil and some chopped fresh dill.

Croton Colonial Diner

221 South Riverside Avenue, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520, 914-271-8868

How do you review a restaurant that you visit once a year, on the exact same date?  Let us explain.  A number of years ago on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, with holiday company gone, Brian and I decided on an impromptu outing. We drove up one side of the Hudson River Valley, crossed over the Bear Mountain bridge and followed the river back down through all the towns along the valley. The day was dreary and cold but Christmas music was playing on the radio and we held hands in the car throughout much of the drive. After many hours, hungry and in desperate need of a restroom, we stumbled on this diner in Croton.

Maple Glazed Butternut Squash

If you're not a fan of the ubiquitous Thanksgiving marshmallow and yam casserole or if you're just looking for a simpler way to add that expected sweet side dish, then try this simple and delicious recipe. This is our house standard side dish next to the mash and gravy and the only one that never has any leftovers! Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Salad

The first time I tasted this salad was at one of our favorite restaurants and, quite frankly, the combination didn't sound like it would work. But we'd never had a dish there that we didn't like so it was worth the experiment... a delicious experiment, as it turned out! I've ordered that salad several times since then and learned to make it on my own with some personal variations. Enjoy!

Goat Cheese and Herb - A Tart Goes Light

The desire to order a rich delectable goat cheese tart as an appetizer in a restaurant is usually tempered by the rueful realization that we can no longer have dessert. But a little experimentation on a lazy Sunday afternoon produced this far lighter version that keeps the mouth watering flavor while removing some of the fat, calories and cholesterol.

Sweet Potatoes, Stuffed and Loaded

I hadn't thought much about sweet potatoes all summer but the combination of cooler weather, and a colleague's semi- obsession with them, influenced me to pick up a couple of plump ones in the market. The colleague in question had stuffed hers with broccoli, which sounded good, and fat free cottage cheese, which sounded less appealing. But I was certainly inspired to stuff! I chose spinach instead of broccoli because of the creamier texture. Cheese, of course, although I went with cheddar. And I did keep it low fat because there's no sense in ruining the nutritional powerhouse of the mighty sweet potato with gobs of cholesterol.

Risotto Tart Revisited

Last night I was really in the mood for my risotto tart so I began assembling the ingredients and reached for my spring-form pan. But then I saw my newest kitchen additions - two mini spring-forms - that had looked so adorable, and irresistible, on the shelves at Sur La Table. When I bought them I envisioned making mini cakes but have actually found a number of other uses.