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Take Out Knock Offs
During the early days of the pandemic, we were really good about eating at home – we had to be. Then we went through a phase where we supported local restaurants and ate out or brought back food from some of our favorite spots. Now that it’s December, we have come full circle. Eating out is a little more difficult again, with increased restrictions on mask-wearing. We are also trying to hang on to the budget that tends to get away from us this time of year. That’s not to say we don’t still eat out or bring back take out, but we are trying to be a bit better.…
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Thanksgiving’s Forgotten Meal
Most families will be having a very different kind of Thanksgiving this year. Traditionally, this is our biggest family holiday, with most of my side of the family coming to town for the weekend. Sadly, this year it will just be our local family, a whopping 8 of us altogether. In years past, we are usually buzzing with activity early in the day, with family popping in and out of my front and back door, prepping food for the early afternoon main-event meal. Our family likes to eat THE meal around 2 p.m., and then a light dinner in the evening, consisting of turkey sammies in all of their glory.…
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Elevated Weeknight Sandwiches
I have a problem. Just like Oprah, I LOVE bread. I love freshly baked loaves of sourdough, French baguettes, nutty 12-grain loaves and even crumpets. I cannot resist sweet breakfast bread loaves like cinnamon swirl or cranberry nut. If I enter a grocery store and that freshly-baked-bread smell hits my nose, I am a goner. I set myself up for a failure of self-control last week. I had to give blood for a routine doctor visit, and it was a fasting blood draw. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would swing by Trader Joe’s. Having not had proper breakfast, I fell hard for the bread isle. It…
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Soup for Sniffles, Aches & Pains
The Covid pandemic has left many lasting effects on us all. Small businesses are hurting still and sadly some have closed. Local schools are still largely remote, or meeting in person very differently than before. Every time you sneeze or cough in public, you feel like a leper and wonder to yourself if the virus has found you. This week, I was doing my thing, running errands to grab report cards and school photos, minding my own business, when BAM! My body started to ache all over. I tried to ignore it, but something was trying to take me down. Could it be the dreaded Covid?? No fever, no cough,…
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Healthy Halloween Fare
2020 has been a doozy of a year, no matter who you are or where you live. Being that Halloween this year is on a Saturday, will have a full moon AND it is the night we gain an hour for Daylight Saving time, I am anticipating it could be a strange night. Most neighborhoods around here plan on carrying on with trick-or-treating, with a few adjustments. We will be putting candy in individual bags, and handing them out at the end of our driveways, rather than approaching each threshold. So, all the little (and not so little) ghosts and goblins with still get plenty of sugar this year. Knowing…
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Seasonal Fries
Apples aren’t the only seasonal thing in at the farmers market. Root vegetables are also having their moment. Sweet potatoes in particular are in abundance. There are many ways to serve up sweet potatoes – bake them, roast them, stick ‘em in a stew. But sweet potato fries are always a crowd pleaser. We have been having a debate in our house since last year about whether or not to purchase an air fryer. I am generally all for the latest kitchen gadgets that make cooking easier. But it appears that most air fryers are large, countertop appliances and my counter space is already at a premium. Last week, many…
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Apple Butter Magic
I am still loving the apples. I have made my second batch of applesauce already. The apple turnovers lasted about a day. But there is so much more magic to be made with these delicious humble apples, the jewel of the season. Lately, when I mention making applesauce, everyone asks, “What about Apple Butter?” Well, honestly, I have never made apple butter. I love it, and there is something ultimately comforting about it, but I guess I assumed it was really complicated. I imagined it being a complex recipe requiring canning, which still scares me too much to try. But I began to research apple butter and it turns out…
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Apple Season
The air is cooler now, and leaves are beginning to turn bright red, orange and yellow. It’s my favorite time of year. For many people, this is apple-picking season. In a way, it is for me, too – I pick them up from the farmers market. The Raleigh farmers market is a great place to find new varieties to try, and the farmers are very helpful and ready to answer any questions you may have. Sadly, because of COVID, we can no longer sample all the varieties, but it’s still a wonderful afternoon outing. We love apples and eat them raw, but it is also so satisfying to cook with…
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German Genes
If you are like me and have any German genes, you may have grown up occasionally eating sausage and sauerkraut. As a kid, it was definitely not my favorite dish – mostly because I thought sauerkraut was gross. German DNA may kick in more as you age, because now I like cabbage and sauerkraut as well as the beer that makes it taste even better. Since German heritage is celebrated more around Oktoberfest, I thought this was the perfect time to share an elevated version of this classic German dish. In case you wondered, Oktoberfest was originally a celebration of the wedding of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later…
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Finding Fall
We have just returned from an amazing adventure out West, to Creede, Colorado. The weather was amazing – crisp in the mornings and evenings and pleasantly warm in the afternoons. We left home when it was muggy and mosquitoey and entered an autumnal wonderland. Mitch has a co-worker who lives out there and he invited us to come experience Colorado and take a break for a bit. We visited at the very peak of the Aspens turning and it was gorgeous. We could not stop taking photos. While there, we had lots of adventures. We hiked, kayaked and generally explored. We took a ride on a steam train through the…
