It was a wet, cold day here, a good time fill the house with warmth and aromas from the kitchen. I had green salad on the menu for tonight’s dinner and was out of croutons, so it was time to make another batch.

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Good Morning, snowbunnies! Yes, I’m looking at an inch or two blanketing my lawns, mocking all the work in the gardens I did yesterday. Michigan! Don’t like the weather? Wait a minute, it will change! The boxed daffodil and hyacinths seem fine this morning, I unboxed them so they could see the sun that’s returned to us today. But I guess I’ll be indoors this weekend, grumblemumble. So let’s cook!

In honor of the Return of the Goddess of Spring, and all those other religious holidays that happen this week, I’m making a nice dinner for family tomorrow. and guess who isn’t coming! yeah! I’m going to make: spiral glazed ham, deviled eggs, a toasted bread with grated cheese and herbs, some stuffing/dressing and a gravy, candied sweet potatoes, a spring herb salad, and a very naughty “skookie” that someone in the family says is just perfect under ice cream. Haven’t made one of those before. I’m also going to try doing crab-stuffed deviled eggs, for the first time. I’m even going to make the mayo from scratch. Here’s the recipie I think I’m going to try:  Read more 

Does he deserve a pass, Sarah? No, he broke the law. He pled guilty. I accept that. But damn, castrate, kill, slaughter – Michael Vick (see comments, I also know these slogans were posted on placards outside the court house)? That is what I disagree with.  Read more 

Texas is home to some wonderful food.

I am partial to breakfast.  Read more 

Old-fashioned, filling, tasty food.

Cold mashed potatoes — about 3 cups
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter, melted
Salt
Pepper  Read more 

I’m swamped with work today, but I just took a quick lunch break and made some soup. I know it’s wintertime, but even though it’s cold, for me, this recipe is like a quick trip to tropical climes. And it’s fast! All you need is a blender.

One or two avocados
Buttermilk
Chicken or mushroom broth, the strongly flavored kind
Chopped cilantro
Diced ginger
Cumin
Chilies (pick your favorite)
Lemon juice

Blend at the highest speed. Enjoy! If you’re serving it to guests, you can strain it for effect. I like it slightly chunky, myself.

I can’t believe I just drank the whole blenderful, but then again, I never met a glass of buttermilk or avocado I didn’t love. Hat tip to the incomparable Ms. Jaffrey.  Read more 

You will need:

A six-to-nine pound untrimmed beef brisket
Two bottles of Claude’s Brisket Marinade OR

2 lb good honey
4 oz liquid mesquite smoke
6 oz soy sauce
4 oz roasted minced garlic
12 oz fresh lime juice  Read more 

Here’s to the old pagan tradition of wassailing the apple trees. From the Sulgrave Manor website we read:

” Apple trees were sprinkled with wassail to ensure a good crop. Villagers would gather around the apple trees with shotguns or pots and pans and made a tremendous racket to raise the Sleeping Tree Spirit and to scare off demons. A toast was then drunk from the Wassail Cup. Wassailing was meant to keep the tree safe from evil spirits until the next year’s apples appeared.

Oh apple tree, we’ll wassail thee
And hoping thou wilt bear
For the Lord does know where we may go
To be merry another year
To grow well and to bear well
And so merrily let us be
Let every man drink up his glass
And a health to the old apple tree
Brave boys, and a health to the old apple tree”

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[Prompted by Why do Republicans have disgusting eating habits?, alert reader The Other Sarah posted the following recipes in comments. And surprise! They don’t involve eating corporate swill. I’ve turned it into a blog post, so we can add it to our growing recipe book.]

Pumpkin pie spice is not hard to make. If you have ever made Russian spice tea or chai tea you know how to make pumpkin pie spice. It’s essentially 3 parts cinnamon and 2 parts ginger to 1 part each of allspice and clove and nutmeg. You need about two tablespoons for a really nice gallon of spiced cider; a teaspoon and a half will cover the average custard (pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut/acorn squash puree) pie; it will also fulfill the need for seasoning in a 9-inch loaf of zucchini or pumpkin bread.

And since it’s flu season, here are two receipts for homemade remedies that actually don’t taste awful and help the scratchy throat, etc.  Read more 

A couple years back I got invited to cook for some very nice, but very ‘normal’ American friends of my mom. They relied on the traditional media for their information, and the war was just getting going. Of course I can’t keep my mouth shut ever, so I was looking for a way to get the conversation turned to the war and what was really happening, in the hopes of educating some folks who’d otherwise not hear a strong and well informed anti-war perspective.  Read more