Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • We made this following Ocean Spray’s recipe:  http://www.oceanspray.com/Recipes/Corporate/Sauces,-Sides-Salads/Homemade-Whole-Berry-Cranberry-Sauce.aspx. Bring 1 cup each sugar and water to a boil, then add 12 oz of cranberries (washed and drained).  Once the mixture boils, reduce to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes.   We added the zest of an orange and 1-2 inch of fresh ginger (half microplaned and half julienned) during the simmer stage. We will enjoy this with roast chicken this evening. (Dec. 2014)

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  • Caramel corn with a dash of cayenne. Recipe from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/spicy-caramel-popcorn/. My modifications: Rather than pop ½ cup kernels on the stovetop, I used two regular sized bags of Newman’s Natural microwave popcorn. I reduced salt to 1 ½ tsp (the recipe calls for 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp) and used ½ tsp cayenne. Also, it was hard for me to tell when the caramel was finished cooking by color, but 10-15 mins was the right amount of time. (Oct. 2015)

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  • Preheat oven to 375 (see Note below). To prepare the squash, microwave for 2 minutes (to soften the rind), cut it in half vertically, and remove seeds. Place each squash half cut-side down on a cutting board, and then cut into ¼ inch slices. Place on a olive-oil sprayed cookie sheet (we used two). Drizzle with more olive oil (about 1-2 tsp), trying to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast in oven until browned (about 45-50 mins), turning pieces over midway. Original recipe from Yummly here: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Roasted-Acorn-Squash-1336280. (Oct. 2015)
    Note: The Yummy recipe called for 325, but we found that temperature too low to brown the acorn squash sliced. We found 375 to be the correct temperature in our oven.

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  • Preheat oven to 400. Place four halved and cored pears, cut side down, on a 9×13 baking dish. Split a vanilla pod and place the pod halves among the pears. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the pears, then sprinkle generously with sugar – about 1 mounded tsp per pear half (here, vanilla-infused sugar). Dot with butter (about ¼ tsp per pear half) and then bake in oven for 20 mins. Then turn over (cut side up) and sprinkle cut half with more sugar (½ tsp per pear half). Let roast for another 5 minutes, then broil on low for a few minutes until lightly browned. General guidelines from The Splendid Table: http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/roasted-pears (Oct. 2015)

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  • Peel, core, and slice (into ¼ inch thickness) 6 large apples (preferably a mix of sweet and tart varieties), and place in a large Dutch oven. Add ½ cup apple cider, juice, or water (here, apple cider) and ½ tsp cinnamon. Cover and simmer until apples are mashable with a spoon (about 20 mins). Purée with an immersion blender until smooth, and then serve. This recipe is from Yummly: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Homemade-Applesauce-1037650. (Oct. 2015)

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  • We garnished with dried cherries instead of raisins. We also browned the chicken, single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet, under the broiler on “high” for about 5 mins. Recipe here: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-and-rice-one-pot-meal/ We often reduce the salt from 3 tsp (1 Tbsp) to 1 ½ tsp (½ Tbsp). (Oct. 2015)

    Note: The recipe recommends 4 skin-on, bone-in thighs and 4 skin-on, bone-in drumsticks. We sometimes use a mix of 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (which roughly equal the weight of 4 thighs) and 4 skin-on, bone-in drumsticks or 2 breasts and 6 drumsticks.

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  • This recipe calls for a young banana, one that is closer to yellow/green than yellow with mottled brown spots. Drizzle some olive or coconut oil (here, 1-2 tsp almond oil) in a large wok on medium heat. When oil is heated, add 1 banana sliced into ¼ inch penny slices, spreading each slice out. Brown on each side (about 1-2 mins per side), noting that the slices may be hard to flip as they soften. In the mean time, whisk together 1 Tbsp honey with 1 Tbsp water. Once banana slices are browned, remove wok from heat and then pour the honey-water mixture overtop the bananas, letting honey mixture sizzle. Plate the bananas and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Recipe here: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/_fried_-Honey-Banana-578871 (Oct. 2015)

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  • Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/winter-minestrone-recipe.html We used thick-cut bacon (cut into matchsticks, browned, and set aside before the first step of the recipe and the added back in at the last step) and increased the beef broth from 3 ½ cups to 4 cups. We also used a very small sprig of rosemary to avoid overpowering the dish. (Oct. 2015)

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  • Soulful and garlicky home style dish. Recipe here: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dakjuk (Sept. 2015)

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  • Recipe from Yummly: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Apple-Pie-Baked-Apples-1095311. We squeezed fresh lemon and lime juice over the filling and the inside of each cored apple to prevent browning. We also baked leftover filling in mini-loaf pans. (Sept. 2015)

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