Monthly Archives

November 2012

Thai Chicken Soup and “gag-me-with-a-spoon” Family Favorites

When I found out this month’s theme for Recipe ReDux centered around vintage dishes, I immediately turned to my favorite vintage item in my kitchen, the 1985 family cookbook. Lovingly typed and bound by my aunt 27 years ago, this cookbook is one of my most cherished possessions. I can barely remember the family reunion, the only one we’ve ever had, but the photos and history contained in this book…

Continue Reading...

3 Great Recipes for Brussels Sprouts

The very first time I posted about brussels sprouts, they were still considered a “hated” vegetable.  Every time I mentioned them, noses would turn up in a wrinkle and for good reason.  The “haters” had only ever had their brussels sprouts over-cooked and steamed to death.  I didn’t blame them for turning up their noses.  But then I challenged them to try again.  Roasted this time, with crunchy brown bits…

Continue Reading...

Winter Wonderland Birthday Party

Yesterday I had the fun task of photographing a sweet friend’s birthday party.  Living in Phoenix, we don’t see snow very often (or ever), so they had the idea of making a “winter wonderland” in the park with fake and real snow for the kids to play with. We set up a felt background with fake snow for a photo booth with a basket of mittens, scarves and hats. Then…

Continue Reading...

Thankful Thursdays: Week 45 – The sun’ll come out tomorrow

Last week, I celebrated each day.  Full of energy, determined to make the most of each day.  I started numbering the days, thankful to get to two days of feeling good.  Then three, then four.  By the end of day five, I was exhausted.  I was sure it was just because of the busy week, anyone would be tired.  Then Saturday the migraine came.  I’ve had it off and on…

Continue Reading...

Don’t be intimidated, making a frittata is easy!

I’m not sure why it took me so long to learn how to make a frittata. Maybe I was intimidated by the word “frittata”. It sounds kind of fancy. Or maybe it was because for a long time I didn’t have an oven proof pan. As a newlywed, I learned to cook on a nonstick starter set. As we traveled around the country from baseball town to baseball town…read the…

Continue Reading...

Hazelnut Basil Pesto

If you’ve ever met me, you might know I tend to geek out a little bit when it comes to local food.  In fact, you might even call me a farm groupie.  There’s just something about knowing where your food comes from and having conversations with the people who grow it.  Imagine my delight when we moved to Gilbert and I found out we were a quarter of a mile…

Continue Reading...