there is a lot of pressure having thanksgiving at your house! even though it was a small group (my parents and us) it’s in my top two favorite holidays and i wanted it to be special. i have a tendency of going over the top but i think i managed to keep it in check…
In The Kitchen
cheesy brussel sprout bread
my grandma was always good at “whipping up” recipes. i remember one time she brought a crushed pineapple hot dish that had crunchy salty toppings and it was insanely amazing. we only got to enjoy it once because she didn’t write down the recipe and just whipped it up on the fly! then there was…
cranberry christmas cookies
i’m calling these cranberry christmas cookies because if i’m going to think of what the holidays smell like, it’s cinnamon and cranberries. maybe chestnuts roasting on an open fire but there is none of that in these cookies. as “hunting season” approaches i’ve been cooking and baking up a storm to send a bunch of…
cauliflower mac and cheese
it’s become a habit, good or bad (yet to be determined) that sunday night after the chores and prep for the week are complete, we make a comfort meal. last night it was meatballs with left over gravy and crusty toast and the week before that it was this cauliflower mac and cheese. i added…
easy apple cobbler with coffee caramel
this fall i’ve barely touched the pumpkin puree and have been CRAVING caramel apples. instead of ice cream (which hudsonville pumpkin pie ice cream is a revolution) i’ve been going for the caramel apples with peanuts. i typically do not even like nuts. but i make that my sunday night snack. joe and i have…
crispy pork belly and herby potatoes
before work this morning i woke bright and early and headed off to the fulton street farmers market. guys, life has been moving at a face pace and every wednesday or friday morning i’ve been busy with something. i got to take a quick walk up and down the aisle this morning gathering just a…
leftover jam simple cobbler
towards the end of the week i am always left with half bottles of this or that sauce, one or two of this veggie etc. i hate waste so i try to be creative and use what i have left so i don’t end up throwing things away and letting them expire. it’s so hard…
how to have a low maintenance garden
last year, i toiled. i toiled so hard for my garden. i was 8 months pregnant in my bathing suit and husbands gym shorts moving around on a beach towel pulling weeds for hours and hours. when otto was born and we spent 9 days in the NICU my garden just went to…. weed. it…
peach bellini jam and blue cheese
i don’t think it’s a secret that if it’s covered in cheese, i want it. my dutch great grandma once said “if given the choice between chocolate or cheese i will always choose cheese”. so it’s hereditary. i love cheese really but nothing beats a good cheese plate. you don’t need a ton just some…
lemon curd berry tart
this weekend we stayed home and had time to lounge around the house and dare i say…relax?! guys it’s so hard for me to sit. i’ve alway struggled with rest because there is just so much that i love to do and it’s hard to stay in one place. but one thing i love to…
favorite canning resources
it’s june in michigan and that means… it’s time to start canning or “preserving”. every single year i go bananas thinking i’m never going to get to taste a single strawberry ever again and i can like a mad woman. like seriously if the apocalypse comes, head to the farm i have jam to feed…
Simple Steak Rub and Dinner
a few years back on a business trip i went to this restaurant in dallas called smoke. you guys… mind blown. i’m not a “big steak” kind of gal but i am when there is something that intrigues me about it. like ummm a coffee rub? coffee!? delightful. i can never get enough coffee in…