Apples and onions just go beautifully together and if  you add a cider-bourbon reduction? Amazing.  This is a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or any autumn meal. It would be great with ham as well. In fact, after I made it I thought that cut in a small dice it would be perfect over grilled chicken breast.

Remember that roasting vegetables gives them a sweetness that can’t be achieved in any other manner.

O.k. I bet you are wondering why I would call this Pumpkin Pie Noir aren’t you? It isn’t just the color here. I intentionally caramelized everything so that the filling was dark and sticky and very intense pumpkin.
Now, usually when I am making a pumpkin pie I stick with the Libby’s recipe. I know, I know…in a rut..but there is just not that much that can be improved there for a traditional pumpkin pie. This time, though, I wanted something that was sultry, and smooth, and sophisticated…sort of like the Libby’s recipe wrapped up in black leather, you know?

You have …read more

Mmm…pumpkin recipes…are you looking for moist? How about earthy-spicy? How about something to make your house smell like the Yankee Candle Company? How about if I throw in easy as well?
Yeah. You want this cake.

Now that you know how easy it is to roast your own pumpkin you can create magic in the kitchen with this recipe.  And…did you know…Pumpkin and vanilla are supposed to be very…VERY attractive scents to men…you must keep that in mind and use this recipe responsibly.

How has your week been? Are you gearing up for the holidays?

As we move into October it is time to start thinking about cookies and other Holiday baking. 50 Best Cookies and 50 Best Cookies Scene 2 are both good places to start. Remember that you can easily freeze cookie dough OR baked cookes and they will be fine for the holidays. Start picking up extra baking supplies so you will have them on hand when you want them.

Chocolate Espresso Sandwich Cookies
Boston Cream Pie Cake
Salsa Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Apple Sausage
Black Bottom Mini Caramel Cupcake Bites
Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
Triple Threat Brownies
Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli
Fruit …read more

I know..I know..I should have done this all ready.
I hope you have had the most awesome  Easter ever.  We had a picnic after church with tables and tables and tables of food.  I had made the Holy Cow cake but forgot to get the Butterfingers so I used pecans instead. This is the picture of the one I blogged last year.

After the picnic I came home and took a very long bath with a LUSH Chocolate bath fizzy, used my chocolate exfoliating bath gel, and  moisturized with my chocolate shea butter body cream.
Even though it was only 3 or so …read more

I always find the day after Christmas a bit of a let down.  It’s funny, this year I was battling the blues going in to Christmas so the Day After thing hasn’t been so bad.  I am not sure if that is good OR bad!
I don’t cook the day after a big food holiday.  I generally just leave the fridge door open (figuratively) and let everyone graze on whatever is left.  That means that Kyrie is probably high on sugar right now, Nick has eaten  nothing but fruit salad, Marc hasn’t eaten at all, and everyone else is somewhere in …read more

 
Yes folks, it’s what you have been waiting for all month…the incredible..the colossal…the stupendous..the amazing…The Potato Ho Down.  Now, put a little starch in your life and check out these great recipes from the most notorious Potato Hos in the known world.
If the titillation is too much and you feel you simply must join in the frolic next month check out the official Potato Ho Rules.

 
When I was growing up we did not have President’s Day.  We had two separate holidays, one for Lincoln and one for Washington, usually giving us two four day school weeks in the middle of February.  You ate cherry pie on Washington’s Birthday, and a rolled chocolate cake made to look like a log on Lincoln’s Birthday.  Life was good.
I love the vintage cookbooks.  This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens 1959 Holiday Cookbook, which is to my left,  falling apart, even as we speak.  The pictures in it are fantastic.   Not because the food looks so mouthwateringly good, …read more

Nope…I didn’t forget at all. I have a busy day today, but at some point I am going to make time to do these. I will make the dough and freeze it unbaked in teaspoon size balls. After it is frozen I will put all of the balls into a ziploc to wait patiently until needed. If you freeze the cookies unbaked it also helps keep the kids out of it.
These are awesome. My husband’s favorite cookie as he was growing up. I like to dip half the cookie in melted white chocolate and add red and …read more