Every summer I plant a rainbow of cherry tomatoes in my garden. This tomato, basil, feta crostata recipe is a delicious way to enjoy them. It is based off of a tomato tart recipe that is one of my mom’s favorites. Her recipe uses a…
One thing I’ve missed in the pandemic is going to the movies. My favorite place to see a movie is the Plaza Theater. Sure, during the pandemic they set up a drive-in in the back parking lot. And I LOVED seeding Clint Eastwood in Fistful…
We also checked out downtown Ellijay. It has some cute shops and restaurants. If you find yourself near Cantaberry at lunchtime, stop by. Their tomato basil soup is fantastic.
If you’ve been to Poole’s you know they restaurant and hill behind it are filled with brightly colored pigs with the names of customers who have stopped by for a visit. We couldn’t resist getting a pig to commemorate our weekend. Perhaps we’ll go back this fall during apple season to see where the pig from our mother/daughter weekend got placed on the Pig Hill of Fame.
I asked my sister what she wanted for her birthday dinner and she did not hesitate. Her immediate response was “ham and cheese pie”. In our family, ham and cheese pie is the ultimate comfort food. With so much ham and cheese, how could you…
I’ve know that eating fish is really good for you, but for some reason fish just was never in my regular cooking rotation. It is hard to change your diet. So, last year to help me eat more fish I signed up for a Wild…
I love sweet potatoes. They are a super food and they are yummy. What’s not to love? This roasted sweet potato recipe has become one of my favorites. It is easy enough to make on a weeknight and healthy enough to e eat any time you want.
Adjust the amount of crushed red pepper to your taste – I use 1/4 teaspoon which adds just a touch of heat. If you like your food really spicy, add more.
Skip to detailed instructions and pictures.
Step 1. Heat oven to 400°. Stir together the honey, crushed red pepper, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Step 2. Peel the sweet potatoes then dice them into 1/2 to 3/4 inch squares. Toss them with olive oil and kosher salt. If you want to prep the sweet potatoes ahead of time, after you toss them in olive oil you can let them sit on the counter for 30 min. or so. Just make sure you toss them in the oil immediately after cutting them up or they will turn brown. If you want to cut them up earlier than that see these tips on peeling and cubing sweet potatoes ahead of time.
Step 3. Spread sweet potatoes evenly on a sheet pan. Roast at 400° for 20 min. Stir once during roasting about half way through. (This helps them roast more evenly.)
Step 4. Remove pan from oven. Pour honey mixture over the sweet potatoes and stir to coat. Return the pan to the oven and roast the potatoes for another 5 more minutes until sweet potatoes are done. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
I didn’t realize how much I needed a beach trip until I got there. My friend, Wendi, talked me in to a girls’ weekend at Seagrove Beach. Seagrove is on the Florida Panhandle along Hwy 30A. The beaches along 30A are gorgeous. They can be…
Happy Chinese New Year!! I decided the best way to kick off the Lunar New Year was with dumplings. So, tonight I ordered takeout from one of my favorite restaurants on Buford Highway, Northern China Eatery. In my humble opinion, they have the best dumplings…
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but who has time to make a healthy, tasty breakfast during the week? Since I don’t, this egg cup recipe has become my go-to weekday breakfast. I make them on the weekend and store them in the freezer. During the week, I just zap one in the microwave for a couple of minutes for a fast breakfast that is packed with veggies and protein.
This recipe is adapted from South Beach Diet’s Crustless Quiche recipe. I tweaked the recipe to make them a little tastier. The most important change – use real eggs, not liquid egg substitute. Real eggs taste better.
Equipment note: In the original recipe calls to bake these in a 12-cup muffin pan. When I did this, I had issues with the egg sticking to the pan regardless of how well I greased the muffin tin. That’s why I started cooking them in ramekins instead – they come out easier. Use six 8-oz. ramekins* for this recipe. One ramekin = 1 serving. If you use a muffin tin instead of ramekins, adjust the cooking time to 20-25 min. They will cook faster in the muffin tins and 1 serving = 2 muffin-sized cups.
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Every January when it turns cold I just want to hibernate. Hibernation calls for comfort food and one of my favorites is my mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce. It is quick, easy, and yummy. Through the years I’ve adapted the recipe to kick it up a…
When I do my holiday baking, these chocolate espresso crinkles are at the top of the list. They are tied with the apple cake or my favorite. I am addicted to these cookies. The original recipe came from Cooking Light. However, since several people on…
It is a holiday tradition in my family to bake goodies to give to friend. For me, it just isn’t Christmas until the house is filled with the smell of cookies and cakes being baked for friends. Of all the holiday treats I give at Christmas, my favorite is this apple cake. My mom makes it for all of her friends, so I think it is her favorite, too. Filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples, it is addictive. I like to use nice crisp apples like Granny Smith or Fuji. They stand up well during the baking so you have nice chunks of apple when you take a bite of cake.
The original apple cake recipe came from Prescriptions for Good Eating, a cookbook published by the Whitfield-Murray County Medical Auxiliary as a fund raiser in 1964. My uncle gave a copy to my mother when she got married to make sure she knew how to cook some of his favorite dishes. It has been one of my mom’s go-to cookbooks ever since. I love this cookbook because it predates computers – all of the recipes are handwritten copies signed by the contributor. Every Christmas when I bake apple cakes for friends I am thankful for Cora Rogers and her delicious apple cake recipe.
Skip to equipment notes and detailed instructions below.
Step 1. Preheat oven to 325°. For this recipe, use either a 10″ cast iron skillet or 2 medium loaf pans. Prepare the pan(s) by lightly greasing with shortening and then dusting lightly with flour. If you are using loaf pans, you can line the pans with parchment paper instead.
Step 2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside.
Step 3. Peel apples and dice into small (about 1/3 inch) pieces. You should have 3 – 3 ½ cups of apples. Do not cut up the apples too far in advance or they will turn brown. To avoid the dreaded brown apples, my mom puts the diced apples in water until she is ready to add them. If you do this, be sure to drain the apples well before adding them to the batter.
Step 4. Cream together sugar and shortening until well blended. Add eggs one at a time then vanilla, blending well after each.
Step 5. Next add flour and mix in on low to medium speed until just starting to get incorporated. (Do not over mix!) Add the apples and mix just until they are incorporated evenly through the dough. (Did I mention – do not over mix!)
Step 6. Pour into cast iron skillet OR 2 medium cake pans. Bake for about 1 hour – until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and cake starts to pull away from the side of the pan. Let cool for 10 min before removing from the pan to serve. See these tips for getting the cake out of the pan.
Step 7. If you are giving cakes as gifts, put in a clear gift bag and tie with a bow OR wrap in aluminum foil and top tie with a bow.
With all the rich Thanksgiving foods last week, I’ve been craving salads this week. In the Fall when the pears are ripe, this spinach, pear & Manghego salad with maple balsamic dressing is one of my go-tos. The secret is to use a perfectly ripe…
I know it is Thanksgiving week and I should be posting a recipe for a beautiful roast turkey. But… this is a weird year. We are having a smaller crew (6 people) but we are skill cooking a 13 1/2 pound turkey. That means lots…
I love my mom’s flank steak marinade recipe. It is so easy and most of the prep happens the night before. This makes it a great choice for a dinner party. You marinate it over night and just grill it the night of dinner, leaving you free to focus on sides or cocktails with you guests! If you want to kick it up a notch, slice some mushrooms and sauté them in some of the marinade and top the steak with your mushrooms.
Pair with green beans, roasted asparagus or a salad.
See detailed instructions & pictures below.
Step 1. Stir together first six ingredients (soy sauce thru salt). Put steaks in a glass dish or ziplock bag. Pour marinade over steak. Marinate in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours, preferably overnight. Turn occasionally to make sure the marinate gets all over the steak.Step 2. Before grilling, remove steaks from fridge and let sit for 30 min to come to room temperature.
Step 3. (optional) Clean & slice mushrooms. Add to sauté pan and pour on 3-4 tbsp of the steak marinade. Cook over medium heat for 20-30 min until cooked through. If the mushrooms start to dry out, reduce heat and add a little water to get mushrooms to the desired consistency.
Step 4. Turn grill to medium and preheat. Oil the grates. Grill the steak to desired doneness, about 4-6 minutes per side for medium rare depending on thickness. Take off heat at about 135°, temperature will rise another 5° will it rests. For more tips on grilling flank steak, see this post from Kansas City Steak Company.
Step 5. Loosely tent the steak with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 min. Slice the steak on angle against grain into 1/4″ slices. (See this video on how to slice flank steak.)
Step 6. Serve steak and top with mushrooms.
