October 2011
32 posts
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Great parties start with great hors d'oeuvres
Eye-appeal is just as important as flavor, and believe me, this little morsel tastes as good as it looks. Be prepared for everyone to fall in love with these.
Mini Corn Cakes with Spicy Mango Salsa
Pancake Ingredients:
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
2/3 cup corn...
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This scarecrow's part of a tradition
Every couple of years the scarecrow might get a new shirt and the hat changes from time to time. (Check out earlier post, “Somehow we lost the scarecrow’s hat”.) But the overalls, belt, burlap head and earrings are original. She first appeared on our front porch probably 15 years ago. It’s kind of a lot of work to put her together and I think there were a few years in there she didn’t make...
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Shrimp Pad Thai
We’ve really been enjoying this recipe lately. I’ve made it three times in two weeks! It’s super easy and I love the flavor. It’s not too sweet.
Shrimp Pad Thai - adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles (pad Thai noodles)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
...
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An envelope for my mother
I have a passion for lettering. I used to be a free-lance lettering artist, I taught calligraphy for a few years, and I’ve never known a time in my life when I wasn’t mesmerized by letter forms. If a friend or family member receives a card or letter from me, they can expect their name to be lettered on the envelope. I did this one yesterday for my mother. It took about 10 minutes.
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“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe...”
– Audrey Hepburn
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Mini Halloween chocolate cupcakes
I baked a big batch of these this morning and sent most of them off to work with my daughter. The house was warm and smelled of chocolate on this chilly, October morning.
I posted the recipe for my Chocolate Cupcakes a couple of months ago. Here’s the recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
Ingredients:
1 (1 pound) box powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or...
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End on a happy note
At my last job, my sugar cookies sort of made me famous. Whenever my friend Ed got the news that I had brought sugar cookies, I could feel his determined footsteps through the floor, on his way to my cubicle. Everyone else got just one, but Ed was always allowed more.
And what’s not to like about a sugar cookie with buttercream frosting? All year-round, it’s pretty much the perfect cookie. These...
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Imperfection is the key to these homemade noodles
I would imagine we all have favorite foods that have nostalgic or sentimental appeal. They need not be complicated or difficult to prepare, but they make us feel good when we eat them. Baked macaroni and cheese, dressing with wild rice and sausage at Thanksgiving, and cheese enchiladas are favorites of mine, but hands down, nothing beats homemade noodles.
I’ve been lucky enough to...
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Vodka Sauce
I’m trying to slip tomatoes into our meals every chance I get. Whether they’re part of a sauce, sliced on top of a pizza, tucked inside sandwiches, served on the side of scrambled eggs in the morning, or simply sliced thin and placed on a platter with a little salt and pepper, we’re eating them at every opportunity.
This creamy, simple sauce is typically made with canned tomatoes, but I figured I...
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