Year: 2013

Collard Salad with Lemon Dressing

New Year’s Day Dinner Are you planning to dine on black-eyed peas and greens this New Year’s Day? Tradition tells us it will bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year. I cannot speak to the efficacy of this practice, though I admit that when I consider the events […]

Black Eyed Pea Croquette

Black-Eyed Pea Croquettes with Avocado Corn Salsa

After a season of feasting on rich foods and nibbling on elaborate cookies I’m ready to get back to basics. In my kitchen that often begins with the tradition of cooking black-eyed peas and greens to inspire luck in the coming year. The origins of this southern tradition are debatable […]

A Christmas Dinner – 1945

My father-in-law celebrated his 90th birthday in October. The preparation for his party involved looking through a lot of his old memorabilia. That part was a special treat! I find historic detail fascinating and enjoyed getting to know my father-in-law better. At 90 his memory is still sharp. Our digging […]

Easy Pecan Bars stacked on a plate with a pecan garnish.

Easy Pecan Bars

The recipe for these Pecan Bars is easier than most. The crust does not need to be rolled out and no candy thermometer is required. Even better, the addition of lemon zest adds a refreshing note to the rich honey and brown sugar sweetened flavor of this holiday favorite.

Spicy Molasses Crinkles are arranged on a shiny serving plate.

Spicy Molasses Crinkles

I used my small cookie scoop to form the dough for these half-sized ginger cookies, before dropping the balls into a pan of sugar to coat. The result was my idea of perfect Molasses Crinkles: small, fragrant, spicy, a bit crispy on the outside while still soft on the inside. These spicy gems offer a little taste of Christmas in every delicious bite.

Wooden bowl filled with chestnuts in an evergreen wreath

Chestnut Roasting

The Christmas Song “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose….” ~ Torme and Wells My knowledge of chestnuts is forever colored by the work of two men: my grandfather and Johnny Mathis. Johnny Mathis provides the atmosphere. When I was small my mother had a […]

Blueberries and Coconuts

Holiday Baking It’s cold outside. Winter has begun to bluster kindling a genuine appreciation for warm fires and hearty holiday meals this late November. The refrigerator is stocked with the traditional excess of the season and I am baking Blueberry Tropic Oat Muffins, with warm notes of coconut and ginger. […]

Dad's Plain Bread Stuffing made with rustic sourdough bread in a ceramic casserole dish.

Dad’s Plain Bread Stuffing

Dad’s Plain Bread Stuffing is home cooking at its best. It takes a basic recipe from an old cookbook and, without any special ingredients, creates a side dish that always earns compliments.

A Thanksgiving menu, and decorative cover, from 1938.

Our Thanksgiving Menu – A Look Back to 1938

Looking at my father-in-law’s keepsake menu it seems little has changed in the past 75 years. Like today, 1938 found people feeling uneasy about fluctuations in an economy they wanted to believe was improving. They were also disturbed about world events, climate fluctuations and even the effects of the media on the minds of the masses. And yet, what was not uncertain in 1938 was the expectation of celebrating with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

A bowl of Navy Bean Soup served in Mom's Courier and Ives Ironstone bowl.

Navy Bean Soup

One of Aunt Betty’s signature dishes was Navy Bean Soup. This hearty soup is simple to make and quite practical. Inexpensive but tasty, it can be made ahead and left to simmer as guest arrive or family gathers. That gave my aunt ample opportunity to make everyone feel welcome as she exercised her gift of hospitality.

Cauliflower and Green Beans with Buttered Nuts and Crumbs on a plate with Chicken and Rice Pilaf

Cauliflower Medley with Buttered Crumbs

Testing Tradition With traditional meals and family favorites on my mind it can be a real challenge to think of new ways to add variety to the menus of the season. Recently, updating my Thanksgiving Menu Planner, I felt like I was in the company of old friends. Would they […]