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Hummingbird Thyme

All my followers: I have a new site for my blog.  For various reasons, I had to change the name.  It is now Hummingbird Thyme!    Please visit me there, follow, like, try my recipes!  Thanks so much for your continued support!

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Quick Chocolate Pots de Creme

Quick Chocolate Pots de Creme

Ok, everyone!  Here is the dessert for any, and I do mean ANY occasion.  It works for a group.  It works for adults.  Kids love it. It is fancy. It is casual. It is quick. It is easy. You can even make fantastic variations with virtually no risk. And, it is entirely possible you have all of the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator right this minute.  What is this magic, you ask?  I present…

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Ina Garten's Lemon Squares

Ina Garten’s Lemon Squares

When I was a kid, we so rarely ate any cookies or desserts that were not homemade.  My mom was an especially good baker.  We would come home from school and just detect the faint aromas of baking still in the air. That would be our signal to run to the cookie jar in hopes it was full of sweet treats.  Occasionally, it was empty.  Huh?  But we smell them, Mom!   Where are they?  To our pleasant…

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Pakistani Lamb Stew

I love spices.  I love everything about them – their rich colors, their incredible aromas, they way they make a dish that can transform a simple meat or vegetable into a memory of a favorite vacation or a visit to somewhere you’ve never been.  Magical. I love Thai spices, Mexican, Cuban, Indian, Cajun, you name the spice, I love it! And I will cook with it. Pakistani Lamb Stew Teresa and I often…

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Neapolitan Cake

Neapolitan flavor apparently has its roots in my favorite country (that I’ve visited so far) in the world – Italy. I can’t even hear the word Italy without swooning I love it so much.  Neapolitan refers to desserts brought to the US by Neapolitans, the residents of Naples, in Southern Italy. These desserts were layered, often frozen, with flavors easily found in Italy – Cherry, Vanilla and…

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Chicken with Mustard (Poulet a la Moutarde)

Chicken with Mustard (Poulet a la Moutarde)

Or, So Much FLAVOR! THIS is about the most flavorful, delicious chicken I have ever had!  A real keeper! I found this recipe in David Lebovitz’ My Paris Kitchen, a most excellent cookbook Teresa gave me for Christmas.  I love David Lebovitz.  I am a fan of his blog, http://www.davidlebovitz.com, which contains many wonderful recipes and interesting stories about his life in Paris.  I even made…

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Chocolate Pavlova with Fresh Berries

Chocolate Pavlova with Fresh Berries

We have all eaten meringue, right?  But have you ever had a cake made of meringue?  Called a Pavlova, after a famous ballet dancer, it is a light and delicate cake, baked until crispy on the outside while still lovely and spongey inside.  Topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, it is an outrageously beautiful and beckons to be tasted. But this is where I have to admit that I am afraid of…

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Best Brussels Sprouts

Or, Everything’s Better with Bacon! I remember the first time I ever had Brussels Sprouts.  Those brownish-green, soggy, sour, fowl-smelling things at least looked interesting and different from anything I had ever eaten before. But as I lifted the fork to my mouth, I began to have doubts.  Reasonable doubts. Ewwwww! They tasted like a punishment!  I decided right then and there I would never,…

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Lemon Chicken with Croutons

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

How many fantastic food combinations can you think of? Meatloaf and mashed potatoes?  Burgers and fries? Macaroni and cheese?  What about chicken an croutons?  Didn’t make your list?  Well, after trying this recipe, I’m pretty sure this will be a new favorite combination.  It certainly is in my house. Plus, it’s from one of my all-time favorites, Ina Garten, a.k.a. Barefoot Contessa.  Everything…

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Chocolate-Gingerbread Trifle

It was just about 6 weeks ago that I promised a second recipe, one that is so scrumptious, it would be worth saving and freezing the leftovers of my tasty Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake.  This cake is the perfect base for an impressive Holiday Trifle. I had just over half of the cake tucked away in the freezer,  just waiting for the perfect occasion. The perfect occasion is one which you don’t…

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Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Whenever anyone tells me that they don’t like a certain dish, oh, let’s say, Shepherd’s Pie, my response (usually to myself) is, “You just haven’t had good Shepherd’s Pie.” My kids are so tired of hearing me say this, they don’t even utter “But I don’t like …(whatever it is you just cooked).” But for most of us this is true.  Remember the vegetables of our youth?  That soggy cauliflower, those…

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Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

or, My Favorite Holiday Cookie!  Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons  For so many reasons, this cookie is my favorite during the holidays, and perhaps even all year-round. The very first time I made these delicious mounds of coconut and smooth, luscious dark chocolate, I was talking to my then 6- and 8-year-old girls about our decision to change the school they attended.  While the cookies were…

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Chocolate-Coconut Pecan Tart

Here’s a truth in my house:  my family truly could not care less what I make for Thanksgiving dinner.  It’s true. As long as I make this pie.  Yes, it really is that good! I have made it every year since I saw the recipe in 2001! I think my son may even request this pie as a replacement for his Birthday Cake.  It is also a spectacular Christmas or New Years dessert as well. So if you are looking…

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Korean-inspired Lettuce Wraps

or, So much flavor! So easy! So it’s just over a week until Thanksgiving, the holiday that centers around family, friends and, of course, food.  Not just any food, mind you, but a traditional menu of roasted turkey and stuffing, potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce and a green vegetable or two.  Plus pie. Most of us prepare a variation of this feast, but the main characters remain the same…

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Pan-Roasted Chicken with Pineapple-Chile Glaze

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Pineapple-Chile Glaze

Early last week, I received the highly-anticipated November issue of Bon Appetit.  Highly anticipated by me because it always presents new and interesting twists on Thanksgiving classics.  But just a few pages in, I stopped in my tracks…wait…what’s this?  Isn’t this the Thanksgiving issue?   Pan- Roasted Chicken with Pineapple-Chile Glaze I never made it to the Thanksgiving section. This chicken…

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Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake

or, It’s a two-fer How do you feel about gingerbread? I used to think it was a cute, albeit dry, cookie that was “just ok”. A little boring.  Or that dry square cake mom sometimes made from a mix, for which the whipped cream was the highlight.  Ho hum.  But then, I found this recipe that added chocolate to the gingerbread, and buttermilk for moistness. Well, now, that could be interesting. I made…

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Best Pot Roast Ever

Best Pot Roast Ever

Sooooo, Pot Roast…..yeeaah, doesn’t seem as luscious as a fabulous dessert like last week’s Key Lime Pie, or that crazy-good Ice Cream Pie with the Peanut Butter Graham Crust. But you know what? In a savory, autumn, comfort food way, it is soooooo luscious.  Roasted low and sllloooowwww, you won’t believe how moist, fall-aparty and beefy this one is. Just melts in your mouth.  And the gravy – I’m…

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