Do you like white chili? If you are not familiar with it, it’s sort of the calmer, nicer cousin of a Texas chili. No frantically looking for something to put out the flames from a beef and habanero fest. White chili is made with white beans, chicken (sometimes pork), and mild green chiles.
Continue reading "White Chili" »
Looking for the perfect cheesecake? It takes a bit of hubris to describe a recipe as “perfect”, especially for a recipe such as cheesecake, for which so many have their own personal favorite.
But, this is simply the best, most wonderful cheesecake I have ever had, and have ever made. It is based on a master recipe, from the master of baking herself, Dorie Greenspan.
Continue reading "Perfect Cheesecake" »
Pimento cheese! If you are from the South, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, of course. You likely have your favorite way of making it and may even take issue with our recipe that follows.
If you are not from the South, you might be scratching your head at this point. Pimentos? Those red things in olives, shmooshed together with cheese? Yep. Welcome to “Carolina caviar” or “Southern pâté”, a dip containing cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, and cream cheese. Spread between two pieces of white bread for a quick sandwich, or stuff into celery sticks for the southern version of ants on a log. You can even put it on a burger.
Continue reading "Pimento Cheese" »
Looking for a festive holiday side dish? One my favorite winter sides is my dad’s sweet and sour red cabbage. The following recipe takes that Austrian standard up a notch with the addition of apples, onions, bacon, and roasted chestnuts. So good! Pretty too.
Braised red cabbage with chestnuts is a traditional accompaniment to roast goose, but if goose isn’t on your menu it also works great alongside a pork roast or even prime rib. You can easily make ahead and reheat to serve.
Continue reading "Braised Red Cabbage with Chestnuts" »
Ready for some holiday ham? Glazed ham is probably one of the easiest, festive, and cost effective roasts one can serve for a large gathering. The ham is already cooked when you buy it, so all you really have to do is heat it and glaze it. For this cranberry glazed ham, we are making a cranberry glaze with jellied cranberry sauce, orange juice, and whole grain mustard.
It’s sweet and tart, and with hints of orange and bursts of mustard. A perfect taste combination for ham!
Continue reading "Cranberry Glazed Ham" »
Stuffed mushrooms should be in every home cook’s repertoire. They’re easy to make, they’re great for parties, and the variations are endless. Just regular button mushrooms, or the brown creminis, are perfect for stuffing. You can get as creative as you like with the filling, just look at the ideas from other food bloggers that we’ve linked to at the bottom of the recipe.
Continue reading "Classic Stuffed Mushrooms" »
One of the most festive loafs you can make during the holidays is this cranberry nut bread, brightly speckled with day glow fuchsia cranberries, orange zest, and walnuts.
It’s a great loaf for late fall, early winter as cranberries, oranges, and walnuts are all in season. Buy an orange and squeeze it fresh to get the best juice for this recipe (grate the peel first).
Continue reading "Cranberry Nut Bread" »
One of the easiest and most elegant appetizers you can make for a gathering is baked brie. Baking a round of brie for a few minutes in the oven makes it all melty and oozy, and transforms it from something already wonderful to completely irresistible.
Continue reading "Honey Hazelnut Baked Brie" »
Like peanut butter? Chicken? Then this African chicken peanut stew by Hank is for you. Perfect for chilly weather. ~Elise
Chicken, sweet potatoes and peanuts are one of those magical flavor combinations that make me feel all warm and happy, especially because I never would have thought to do this 20 years ago, when I met some fellow University of Wisconsin students from Ghana who made this stew at their apartment. Chicken groundnut stew is, in various forms, common all over West Africa, and this is my version, inspired by my colleagues at UW.
Continue reading "African Chicken Peanut Stew" »
Have you ever had this classic Sicilian side dish? It’s made with leafy greens that you sauté with garlic in olive oil and toss with toasted pine nuts and raisins. It may sound like an odd combination, but it works; it’s sweet, savory, salty, spicy and just a little bitter. And as my mother would say—well balanced.
Continue reading "Sautéed Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins" »
When it comes to holiday dinners, the more dishes you can make ahead, the better, right? Mashed potatoes are central to our holiday meals (how else can you make gravy volcanos?) and they are the easiest thing in the world to make ahead. Stress-free! (At least the potato part.)
Continue reading "Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes" »
Hello everyone and happy holidays! If you are still looking for gift ideas (it could be a gift for you too), I’ve compiled a short list of a few things that have caught my fancy this year. I love gifts that are useful, yet special. Be they gadgets or books, a gift is something to cherish.
First up are these practical and elegant soy-based candles from The Thoughtful Gardner, a new project from Simply Recipes’ very own head of technology, Jesse Gardner and his wife Jessica.
Continue reading "2015 Holiday Gift Guide" »
Have extra eggnog? (Is that even possible? It takes every ounce of self control I possess to not drink the entire quart if there is one in the fridge.)
If you do have some eggnog, here is a wonderful pound cake to make with it, a cake that celebrates all things eggnoggy (new word, just made it up). Like eggnog, it is well spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. It has flecks of sweetened dried cranberries and orange zest.
Continue reading "Eggnog Pound Cake" »
What’s the one day of the year most breakfast casseroles are made? Christmas day! Christmas morning, actually. So many families are hosting family members in town from afar, a hot and cheesy breakfast casserole easily feeds a crowd.
You can assemble it the night before and just plop it in the oven in the morning. This way you, the cook, can enjoy the festivities of the morning with your guests instead futzing about in the kitchen.
Continue reading "Sausage Breakfast Casserole" »
Are you a fruitcake lover? Though this traditional holiday cake is often maligned (guess some people don’t like candied fruit?), prepared well it’s wonderful.
This fruitcake is our family’s favorite, packed with dates, walnuts, raisins, and glazed cherries. Think raisin bread, on steroids. The recipe comes from the wife of a family friend, Patricia, who for years sent us a loaf every Christmas.
Continue reading "Our Favorite Holiday Fruitcake" »
What I love about these quick pumpkin muffins is that they are easy to throw together, and hard to mess up. You can mix everything by hand with a wooden spoon, don’t need an electric mixer. Baking soda and eggs are the leavening agents, so you don’t have to worry about old baking powder that refuses to rise.
The one cup of pumpkin purée can come from a can, or from leftover baked squash, any winter squash will do – butternut squash, acorn, pumpkin—they’ll all work. If you don’t like nuts, keep them out. If you like raisins, add them in.
Continue reading "Pumpkin Ginger Nut Muffins" »
Who knew the boy could bake? Here’s classic Christmas cookie from Hank. Enjoy! ~Elise
This cookie is my other favorite Christmas cookie, along with walnut snowballs. I am sure my mum made all kinds of Christmas cookies over the years, but none were as memorable as these two. Spritz, she called them, and little did I know that this was far more than a pet name she had for the cookie.
Continue reading "Spritz Cookies" »
Raising six kids on a teacher’s salary, my parents were always cooking on a budget. Being Catholic, with the requirement back then of meatless Fridays, Lent or not, this meant that we ate a lot of tuna macaroni salad and fried fish. My mother often made tuna patties for us, and less frequently, because they were more expensive, salmon patties.
Continue reading "Salmon Patties" »
♫ Would you know we’re riding on the Marrakesh express ♪
Moroccan chicken, my favorite! Chicken thighs, rubbed in more spices than you would ever think you could use at once, cooked until tender with olives and lemons.
This is a slow cooker riff off our popular tagine recipe. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are sprinkled with paprika, ginger, cumin, coriander, and more, placed on a bed of chopped onions, and slow cooked with green olives, lemon slices, and raisins until fork tender.
Continue reading "Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken" »
© 2011 Your Health First, AllRightsReserved.
Designed by ScreenWritersArena
