Many Thanksgiving gatherings include a green bean casserole. There is no denying the creamy goodness of such a casserole, but I wanted to test out a version using asparagus (a favorite vegetable in my family) with a homemade sauce. Parboiled asparagus, get coated in a generous amount of a cream sauce, and mixed…
Author: expepicurean
Maple Cashews
At family gatherings, my grandfather would always set out a bowl of cashews for a snack. My guess is that this tradition started my love of cashews, which is why I tend to be the offender who will steal them from the mixed nuts if given the chance. I use them periodically in…
Sausage & Kale Soup
This week, one of the books my daughter brought home for reading homework was Stone Soup. If you have never read the book, the story is about an impoverished town that comes together to share the small amounts of food they have to create a large and scrumptious kettle of soup. Reading about…
Spooky Sandwiches
Two months in to the school year and my daughter is bored with lunches. To spice up her lunch box AND do something fun for Halloween, I decided to make an easy Spooky Sandwich. I bought a set of food markers (I found mine at Walmart, but a craft store would also…
Food & Nostalgia
When I was little, my parents would throw a Christmas party that was the highlight of the year (in a child’s eyes). The house was decorated with trees galore and Santa was sure to make an appearance. Of course there was also the thrill of a banquet of food, treats, and dessert. One…
Gooseberry Salsa
I had mentioned that I went a little bit nuts with the purchase of exotic fruits a few weeks ago. This is my third, and final exotic fruits post for a while. The feature of today’s post is cape gooseberries. The gooseberries of my childhood were of the green variety, which grew in…
Smoked Salmon Alfredo
This week I had a taste for lox and all of the typical accompaniments – tomatoes, cream cheese, onions, etc. But instead of making a breakfast spread, I turned it into a Smoked Salmon Alfredo. The cream cheese was blended into a smooth sauce for spaghetti, which served as the base for my…
Fall Favorites Trail Mix
These days it seems that the arrival of fall is announced with pumpkin everything. Yet when thanksgiving rolls around, people are divided between pumpkin pie and pecan pie. This Fall Favorites Trail Mix allows you to stop the bickering. Homemade pumpkin granola, pecan pie M&Ms, caramel pieces, and raisins get tossed together…
Prickly Pear Syrup
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I picked up quite a few exotic fruits at my local grocery store. One was prickly pear, which is also known as cactus fruit. Once the spines and skin are removed, the pulp inside is typically pureed for recipes for easier removal of the seeds inside….
Bacon-Avocado Vinaigrette
Let it be known that I am not a gardener. I had tried container gardening about a decade ago, which turned out to be a complete disaster. I vowed to wait until I had more space and could have a raised bed garden. My husband and I finally got around to making a…
Shining Star Punch
I have been looking for starfruit for months, with an idea of doing a themed drink. I have used starfruit in the past to garnish a dessert, with a flare of celebration. I wanted to do a drink in the same vein, whether it be to celebrate a promotion, school accomplishment or other…
Banana Split Layer Drink
With the start of the school year comes the flurry of science fair projects. While my kids are too little to participate, my daughter is enamored with science and knows I love it too. She even bought me a kitchen science kit for Christmas (I guess you could say she knows me pretty…
