are you the type of person who puts fruit on your salad? i have never been able to do that. something about the sweetness in my lettuce. nope. i like dried fruit but not fresh fruit on my salads. I kind of thought the same thing about vegetables in general until i whipped up this…
In The Kitchen
three things to make with wild ramps
i’ve been reading about ramps for years and the first time i had them they were rolled into homemade butter from the local epicurean in downtown grand rapids. they are so crisp and garlicky they make everything just pop. last year on our way home from northern michigan we stopped and grab some from the…
smoked wood margarita
do you ever have a meal that you just remember for years and years? i have had a few of them but they are rare. one was on a business trip in dallas texas to a restaurant called smoke. which tragically closed last year due to a sale of the building. i had the most…
kung pao roasted cauliflower
last week I ate at a restaurant that had tempura battered cauliflower that was served in a big bowl with a spicy sweet and sour sauce and sprinkled with green onions and it was absolute heaven. it was so good i ate the entire bowl. it was cauliflower so it doesn’t count right? I needed…
Everything Enchilada Recipe with Our Family Products
After a long time away from home there is nothing I crave more than being home and cooking in my own kitchen. Joe and I love to cook together as part of our weekly ritual. We have wanted to get together with friends for a while so we decided to have a Cinco de Mayo…
bacon wrapped pimento cheese jalapeno poppers
i have been on a little bit of a pimento cheese obsession lately. i’ve been ordering it at every single restaurant in town and in my opinion the best pimento cheese is by zingermans in ann arbor but they wholesale it. so if you are in the grand rapids, michigan area you can access it…
honey lavender and lemon shortbread cookie sandwiches
i got a taste of spring yesterday. michigan finally graced us with some none snow 50 degree almost spring weather. it made everyone around here a little crazy. maybe it’s the fact that it’s been so dark and dreary for so long or maybe it’s because we could finally walk around outside without our faces…
recipe for the perfect lavender syrup
joe and i had an opportunity to take a cocktail class last week sunday night at the downtown market in Grand Rapids. They have a tiki one coming up and I am thinking we are going to sign up for that one too. I learned so much, I was actually surprised at how much I…
simple homemade potato chips
sunday nights are our night to nest up at home, cook a fun dinner and rest before the business of the week rushes in. we like to try new recipes and make simple things homemade. we thought it would be fun to try our hand at homemade potato chips. not only that but to make…
better than anything cake
ok so those familiar with this cake know it’s real name is “better than sex” cake but since my grandma reads this as well as multiple family members i just figured let’s go with anything. i mean, it’s subjective right? ok i’m done going there. back to focusing on better than anything cake. typically my…
eggless sugar cookie recipe
one last sugar cookie recipe coming at you for 2018! i picked this one by shelby on instagram. This is from the kitchen of mom m. which was written on yet another butter printed recipe card which is a dead giveaway that it’s good. i was very intrigued that this recipe called for powdered sugar…
christmas cookie grandma Ethels recipe
this is the second batch of cookies that I whipped up from all your recipes. I’m hoping to get one more in before the holiday season comes to a close to take to some friends. guys i’m having so much fun with this project and I can’t wait to share with you a project my…