Lemon Meringue Martini

So, we finally broke down and bought a bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka. We scoffed at first at all those commercials but they wore us down. Even other vodka brands started getting themselves whipped and fluffed and goodness knows what else. We couldn't take it anymore. So when we were browsing around the liquor store (yes, we are the kind of people who browse in liquor stores) we saw the Pinnacle bottles, noted that they were reasonably priced and put one in our basket. Back home we approached the blue bottle with doubt. But, you know what? It's good. Really good. Sweet but not overly so and not at all artificial tasting which we had assumed it would be. We...um...may have gone through a few more bottles since then...

Moist Pumpkin Cornbread

Just because the onslaught of pre- Thanksgiving pumpkin recipes has wound down doesn't mean we've stopped cooking with it. Far from it, in fact. Pumpkin puree (yes, even the canned) is a terrific source of nutrition and it adds a delicate taste and moistness to lots of recipes. Cornbread, in particular, can get dry and so I've had my eye on a pumpkin cornbread recipe for quite some time.

Baked Pumpkin French Toast Sticks

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving weekend. As much as I have to be thankful for, I must say that coming down with the mother of all head colds the evening before the holiday is probably not at the top of my list. By Thanksgiving morning I was in bad shape. Fortunately I had already prepped, cooked or baked almost everything so all I had left was to wrestle the bird out of its brine and into the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving Round Up

The day before Thanksgiving is always a happy and busy one for me as I get the house and the food ready for company and a lovely long weekend. For us, this holiday is not about shopping or gifts. We won't be dashing off at midnight for any sales nor getting up at 4:00 am to get in store lines. We'll sleep late, have a leisurely breakfast (maybe something a little special) and head out to enjoy the day with our pup. On Saturday we'll get in the car and take our annual drive. It's a romantic tradition that I look forward to each year.

Corn Chowder

I'm sure you remember reading about my complete cold weather soup dependency and secret stash of canned soups. And also my promise to tackle my fear of soup making this winter. Well, it's November, it's cold and I've already successfully tackled potato and leek soup and light and creamy pumpkin soup. Soup making, as it turns out, is not a difficult undertaking and I'm happy to say that the stash of cans has gone untouched. Somehow they no longer appeal to me.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Casserole

Sometimes it's not all pot roasts and boeuf bourguignon around here. Sometimes, when Brian's away, I just throw something light together for myself. I used to make a quick omelet with toast but now I much prefer to bake it all together in a little, individually sized casserole. All the flavors meld together into one, yummy meal. Add a side salad and my dinner is served.

Skillet Whole Wheat Cheesy Cornbread

Confession time. I have never made cornbread. Well, except from a box mix, I mean. The box is OK but it never made me lust after it. When I've eaten corn bread at restaurants and various other places, sometimes it's amazingly good and sometimes it's no better than my box mix. Maybe those people are using the same box mix? So the result is that sometimes I have a huge craving for cornbread but I don't make it because I know the box mix will disappoint me. So why, you ask, don't I make my own? I have no earthly idea.

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Brian and I both really like Greek food and, whenever we find ourselves in a Greek restaurant, we peruse the menu with great interest. We point out this dish and that as delicious choices and make plans to share different options. And then, we both order pastitsio. We love pastitsio! If you've never had the pleasure, pastitsio is a lasagna-like dish with layers of noodles, spiced meat sauce and bechamel topping. It doesn't taste anything like typical lasagna, though. Interesting and mysterious spices waft up from beneath the creamy sauce and all you can think to yourself is that this is Greek comfort food.

Wheatberry, Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad

When I think about healthy food that's completely delicious, without any compromise in flavor, this is one of the recipes that comes to my mind. I've been making this salad, and its variations, for about five years and it never ceases to amaze me that something so good is so good for me. I keep the base ingredients of wheatberries and wild rice the same but vary other ingredients based on season. In autumn, this salad plays beautifully with one of my favorite seasonal veggies, roasted butternut squash.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch Cake

Recently I was invited to enter a recipe challenge sponsored by the folks at Walkers Shortbread. And, since shortbread is my favorite kind of cookie, I was pretty excited about it. To jump start our creativity, Walkers sent each of the entrants a sample box with many of their flavors including some that I'd never seen before. Chocolate and vanilla and lemon and orange and ginger...oh, my... So Brian and I sat down to sample all the flavors. Some we had to sample several times due to...um...complex scientific research needs. And while we were stuffing our faces with shortbread scientifically researching, my mind was racing with all the possible recipe options.

Light and Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Hey, who turned on the cold?? We seemed to have gone from jacket weather to winter coat weather in a big hurry around here! For me, cold weather brings on major soup cravings. A nice, steaming hot bowl (or two) with some crusty bread and I'm quite happy to call that dinner. For years I got through winters with my, somewhat hidden, stash of canned soups but this year I decided it was time to tackle my lack of soup making skills.

The Month in Review: October 2012

Every month, when I finish my round up, I think to myself that next month can't possibly be as busy. But somehow, they just get busier. October, in fact, was a whirlwind. We so looked forward to beautiful foliage and were rewarded with some amazing color. And, oh, so many delicious pumpkin recipes. I was practically giddy when I opened my first can of pumpkin puree for the season. And let's not forget the apples and all the lovely things I created with those.

October also brought me some terrific sponsors, whom I featured, and a detailed article on photo sharing sites that I was asked to write. Sadly, just as we were getting ready for the month's crown jewel, Halloween, we were faced with a dangerous hurricane and one of the worst storms in history. Hurricane Sandy brought devastation to so many. We were very fortunate to escape the worst of its wrath and we remained warm and safe and dry. Our hearts go out to those less fortunate. Perhaps this sense of gratitude is the perfect way to begin our countdown to Thanksgiving but for now, let's recap all the fun of October. Enjoy.