Honey Pecan Chicken
April is National Pecan Month. I will be sharing recipes all month using pecans, and today is the first. Pecans are my favorite nuts but I am not very fond of other nuts. That came as a surprise to my parents. As a child, my father would go to the old Sears popcorn and candy counters (am I showing my age?) and would buy salted nuts — typically cashews or peanuts but occasionally other types — to snack on. I was 4 years old. He would give me some to eat and to his surprise, I was frequently asking for more handfuls. He thought I loved nuts as much as…
Easter Brunch Ideas
This Easter, many families will be enjoying Easter services online this year. This doesn’t mean that traditions such as a family Easter brunch are completely off the table. These holiday meals may be on a much smaller scale since they only will include immediate family. With a little forethought and planning, these Easter brunch menu ideas will enable you to enjoy a meal soon after the service. Plan to serve as many foods as possible which can be prepared ahead of time. By preparing the food several days before it is needed, you’ll be able to take it out of the refrigerator and serve it right away. Here are some…
Chicken Cordon Bleu with Creamy Butter Sauce
It’s National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day! Did you know that most people (me included) thought that this dish was French? It actually originated in Switzerland. The Swiss need to reclaim their recipe — the French are getting all the credit! As a child, my mother served frozen versions of this dish. However, I don’t believe anyone ever served me a homemade version until I was an adult. I really liked the frozen version. However, I love this one. Have fun!
Creamy Chocolate Mousse
Even while self-isolating/in lockdown, I am still looking for reasons to make chocolatey things. I have to exhibit some restraint because it is so easy to eat and eat and eat right now! I finally bought one of those individual brownie pans — the ones that give you 4 corners (the best part!) on each brownie. So each brownie is its own little piece of heaven! So making too many of those is a bad idea right now. Along the lines of chocolate (yum!) — today is National Chocolate Mousse Day! I have an easy mousse recipe on the blog today. These mousse cups are creamy and light and quite…
Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
My goals were to start the month off right with this roasted tomato soup recipe. But fate had other plans. It’s been a weird 12 hours! First… Site Drama! Because of everything going on in all of our lives, I was behind on getting this post up. I finally sat down at my computer and decided to update some plugins. Down went 2 of my sites! EEK! I couldn’t get into the site dashboards or anything. So, I had to talk to my hosting service to get some help. It took a while. Luckily, they have a rewind service that overwrote my sites with info from a time before the…
Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip with Toasted Corn Tortilla Chips
When I was a child, if you had offered my artichokes, you would have received a goofy look. I was not a fan. I did love spinach though. It may have something to do with my absolute disinterest in other greens and my desperation to find something to bargain with when faced with a plate of them. “I will eat some spinach instead” sometimes freed me from collard and turnip greens. I also knew that spinach was good for you with protein and iron. Any reason will do as a kid! However, my introduction to Spinach Artichoke Dip as a college student definitely set me on a different path. This…
Gluten-Free Garlic-Parmesan Turkey Meatballs
Mmmmm, meatballs… Mmmmm, garlic… Mmmmm, parmesan… All things that I love. Combined together in a gluten-free turkey bundle of goodness? I am in! I am sharing this recipe today because it is (March 9th) National Meatball Day. These scrumptious, gluten-free meatballs are a real crowd-pleaser. Here, traditional breadcrumbs are replaced with a hearty portion of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, while a combination of spices and fresh herbs pack tons of flavor into every bite. This recipe freezes well, so make a double or triple batch if time allows. Then simply pull out of the freezer, reheat, and serve for a quick and delicious weeknight meal. Pro Tip: To help the…
Classic Moscow Mule with Fresh Ginger Simple Syrup
There are so many different types of cocktails out there. When I did drink, my ordering experience was limited to vodka and orange juice, vodka and grapefruit juice, and vodka and cranberry juice. Do you see a pattern there? LOL I don’t know why. Vodka was my alcohol of choice back then. Even my shot of choice — the lemon drop — contained vodka. I stopped drinking right after my graduation from business school but if there was a special occasion (like a wedding), it was cool. But right after my transplant, I was told it was more of a permanent status now. Alcohol can interfere with my medications (I…
Banana Cream Pie
Did you know that there is a Banana Cream Pie Day? I didn’t until this year! March 2nd is Banana Cream Pie Day! It sounds like such a fun-type of day. This pie has been in recipe books since the 19th century. The filling is similar to the filling in many French tarts. The creamy custard filling can be topped with whipped cream, coconut, more bananas, nuts, or even chocolate. Interesting fact: The English version of this pie is called “banoffee” pie because it’s a cross between banana and toffee. So, celebrate the day by creating one of your own! Notes: 1. You can also use a pastry wheel decorator…
Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies
March 1st is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day. Another peanut butter day! I understand the love many people have for peanuts and peanut butter but I have always had a weird relationship with the peanut. There was some question about whether I was actually allergic to peanuts as a child. This was before nut allergies were widely accepted and acknowledged. It wasn’t so bad that I needed to get tested or anything. That wasn’t that common in my circles at that time either. I just avoided them for the most part. So when I had kids, I wondered if there was going to be an issue for them. I do…
