I love cashews. I think they are my favorite nut, perhaps because they had a seat at our holiday get-togethers growing up. My grandfather would set them out in a bowl where the adults had gathered and I couldn’t resist snagging a few for myself. They are perfectly salty and creamy, and I…
Author: expepicurean
Lucky New Year Penne Pasta
The start of the New Year brings renewed, optimistic goals in addition to wishes of good will for family and friends. As I mentioned in last year’s lentil salad post, there are some food dishes that are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day as a symbol of good luck. One such dish is…
Christmas Chestnut Salad
“Chestnuts roasting over an open fire . . .” croons a popular Christmas tune. Roasting chestnuts is often associated with the holiday season, however I have found the task tedious and more work than it is worth to taste the tender treat. That is why I was thrilled to find the whole roasted…
Dark Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon
When Santa visits our house, he likes to drink a warm mug of hot cocoa. Not just any cocoa, mind you, but a dark chocolate variety, which happens to be his favorite kind of chocolate. He also likes the hint of Saigon cinnamon, which keeps him guessing what makes the cup of hot…
Chicken, Wild Rice, and Mushroom Soup
In the winter months my family is a huge fan of soup. It is an easy, warm meal that we enjoy for both lunch and dinner, plus it is one of the best ways to get my kids to eat a variety of vegetables in one sitting. Typically, my go-to recipe is chicken…
Carrot Cake Snickerdoodles
It has been awhile since I posted a kid-inspired recipe, but these Carrot Cake Snickerdoodles stem from a question asked by my 4 year-old daughter. The conversation went something like this: “Mom, why does Santa only eat cookies? Shouldn’t he also eat vegetables?” “Good question. Yes, he should. Should we put vegetables in…
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Each week my church small group does a potluck lunch and we rotate the entrée. Amazingly, we all love – and tend to gravitate towards – Mexican inspired dishes. A group favorite is chicken enchilada casserole. Since it is such a hit I figured it was about time I experimented with a recipe…
Spiced Pecans
Ever since I can remember my family has been making these spiced pecans for Christmas. The recipe is a slight adaptation of the one found in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. The most notable change is that we have always made it with four-times the amount of nuts as compared to the original…
Blackberry-Hibiscus Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is usually a staple at a Thanksgiving meal. The bigger debate around this popular side dish is typically canned, jellied version vs. homemade, whole berry cranberry sauce. While I like both, I really enjoy the flavor variety you can add to homemade sauce. Plus it is super easy. For this year’s…
Maple Hazelnut Fudge
In my opinion, it is never too early to start experimenting with recipes for holiday treats and goodies. When time allows, I like to prepare a spread of cookies and invite all my friends over for a cookie & tea party a few weeks before Christmas. With two little ones I haven’t been…
Autumn Bellini
I happen to love shopping at the warehouse stores, though sometimes they can result it much larger quantities of items than you really need. For example – canned pumpkin. Visions of pies and breads danced in my head as I picked up the package of three, 28 ounce cans. Of course I’ll use…
Sweet Potato and Curry Corn Chowder
For the first course at my Thanksgiving meal I usually start with a festive salad, but this year I wanted to try a soup. While smooth, root based soups typically abound for the holiday meal, I wanted to go for a chunky, curry corn chowder. One of the key ingredients I wanted to…
