I can smell the stuffing baking in the oven. I made it tonight so that it will be all ready to go tomorrow. I just hope I can resist tasting it until then; cornbread dressing is one of my favorite things, ever.

It's been another grey, dreary day. The rain has been light, but steady. All in all, a good day to stay indoors, cook, and watch ( Read more... )

I have now made chicken & dumplings three times ( Read more... )

I have achieved collards! Had to go with the pre-washed, pre-cut bagged stuff but, you know, given what a PITA it is to clean fresh greens, I am not complaining. I will be using Alton Brown's recipe from the Good Eats episode Field of Greens, which I have never tried before. But Alton is a Georgia boy, along with being a fantastic cook, so I ( Read more... )

Grrr. Publix had no collard greens. I have black eyed peas, and sausage for biscuits and sausage gravy, but no collards. This will not do. It is almost New Year's Day, and we must have black eyed peas and collards on New Year's Day, it is Tradition. Here in the South, black eyed peas are eaten on New Year's Day for good luck, while collards ( Read more... )

I am on a quest to learn how to make Chinese BBQ pork buns. There is no dim sum to be had in this part of Florida. In fact, I suspect there is no dim sum to be had in the entire state. If I want it, I will have to make it myself ( Read more... )

Yardwork + humidity = UGH. I pruned the orange tree, and the ailing carrotwood tree, plus weeded the herb bed and the jasmine. Got about half the branches dragged to the curb when I ran out of steam and had to stop. The big clue that it was time to quit? When I tried to take a drink of Gatorade and my hands were shaking so bad I could barely ( Read more... )

I haven't made this in a while, but for some reason I am craving it today. The original recipe called for plums, but I found that to be way too sweet and substituted mangoes. Goes great over rice as a main meal if you're a vegetarian, or as a side dish with Jamaican jerk chicken if you're not.

( Black beans with mango and peppers )

My first attempt at a meat pie. My crust was lopsided and the filling came out a bit dry, but it tasted pretty darned good.

( Tourtiere recipe. )

I am having a mad craving for Middle Eastern food, yet we have no Middle Eastern restaurants in the area. This may require a trip to the grocery store for falafel mix. What I really want is lamb kibbi, but I would have to make it myself. This recipe looks like a possibility, though I don't think I'm brave enough to try it tonight.

My mother made this pretty much any time she hosted a dinner party. After she passed away, I taught myself to make it, and it quickly became a staple of the annual Christmas party at the book shop where I worked. This will be the first time I've made it for family.

( Mom's cheese ball recipe )