One of my favorite aspects of watching cooking competition shows from other countries is seeing how our food differs. Whether it be a difference in ingredients or just a different way of preparing the same ingredients. It's a great way to keep interest and variety in your meals. The other day, I was watching a … Continue reading Scalloped Apples
Christmas
Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
What is holiday baking without some sort of sweet treat dreamed up by Tieghan Gerard? I've already sung the praises of Half Baked Harvest on this site, so there's no need to do it again; her flavors are consistently phenomenal! Honestly, these aren't my favorite spiced molasses-based cookie. I reserve that honor for my good … Continue reading Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies
Two of the sweet treats I've wanted to make for a long while are Linzer cookies and cranberry orange curd. So when I saw another online baker combine the two ideas, I got excited! Linzer cookies are very traditional. Hailing from Austria, they are a shortcut version of the Linzertorte, originally noted in 1653. Nowadays, … Continue reading Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies
French Mendiants
These traditional Christmas treats are called Mendiants, hailing from the country of France in the Middle Ages. Mendiants are basically discs of chocolate topped with dried fruits and nuts. They're incredibly tasty and insanely easy to make! A quick history: The name, mendiant, comes from the Latin word, mendicans, meaning beggar, referring to the Roman … Continue reading French Mendiants
Sugarplums
We all know the "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" in The Nutcracker, and that children have "visions of sugarplums" dancing in their heads on Christmas Eve. But have you actually tried traditional Sugarplums? I certainly hadn't, and I was curious! So when I found a recipe for sugarplums in one of the Beekman 1802 cookbooks, … Continue reading Sugarplums
Spiced Pear Oatmeal
Pumpkins and apples are usually the stars during autumn, but pears are easily one of my very favorite fruits when the days get shorter. This Spiced Pear Oatmeal is so tasty - as well as hearty - it makes a fantastic breakfast for a cold fall or winter morning, or even during the holidays! This … Continue reading Spiced Pear Oatmeal
Taller Christmas Tree Hack
Wishing you could get a taller Christmas tree, but it doesn't fit into your budget right now? Sometimes a single foot of height difference between two artificial trees can cost hundreds of dollars, and that can be hard to justify, even when you can afford it! So this year, I racked my brain for a … Continue reading Taller Christmas Tree Hack
Russian Tea Cakes
These little nutty shortbread cookies are found in several different cultures throughout the world. In Russia, they're made with hazelnuts and called Tea Cakes. In Mexico, they're made with almonds and called Wedding Cookies. In the Southern USA, they're made with pecans and called Pecan Sandies. And sometimes, usually at the holidays, they're simply referred … Continue reading Russian Tea Cakes
Sugar Plum Cream Cheese Danish
The only thing I like more than Starbucks' Sugar Plum Danish during the holiday season is the freedom to make it at home all throughout the year, using cleaner ingredients, and for much cheaper! I'm including two different options: one using premade puff pastry from the grocery store, and the other for those who wish … Continue reading Sugar Plum Cream Cheese Danish
Spiced Plum Jam for the Freezer
In the Northern Hemisphere, plums ripen in the summer months, typically between July and September. Yet, plum is such a popular flavor for the November and December holiday season, especially when you include warmer spices, like clove and cinnamon. What better way to celebrate Christmas in July than to make homemade Freezer Plum Jam, plain … Continue reading Spiced Plum Jam for the Freezer
Mainstay Kitchen & Home 