I’m so proud of myself. I went to the gym first thing this morning. All the excuses not to go swam through my head but I went. It was my first  real accomplishment this year. I gorged over the past few weeks and now I can’t fit into my clothes and it sucks. I ate my way through [...]

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This is one of my all time favorite holiday recipes.  Puff pastry has got to be one of the best inventions next to my flat iron. There are a million fabulous things you can do with it. Let Pepperidge Farm do all the work and you take all the credit. Layers of buttery pastry are filled with [...]

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Leave it to Big Martha for the best pierogi I’ve ever had. The dough is fluffy but if you’re in a pinch for time or frightened that it’s too labor intensive- use won ton wrappers. Both methods received rave reviews. This time of year I crave comfort food and boy does this deliver. The combination of [...]

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Last night was my first disaster with puff pastry. I got sidetracked when defrosting my dough and the 100% humidity made it stick together. Instead of making individual servings, I rolled it out into a rectangle and worked with what I had. What a lovely dish but then again everything Ina makes is great. It was [...]

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I’m looking forward to making a caramelized pear and blue cheese salad today at lunch. If it’s amazing I’ll be posting it tomorrow morning. Last night between folding laundry and potty training the new puppy, I made some candied pecans for the salad. They’re not the shiny kind but the meringue encrusted kind that are perfectly sweet [...]

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There was Christmas music on the radio this morning. I love the holiday but please wait until after Thanksgiving to play Jingle Bells. I love Thanksgiving because its about giving thanks not presents and I don’t want to rush it. I’ve started going through my cookbooks for recipes that would impress last minute guests that [...]

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I can’t believe that it’s November. Where does the time go? I’ve already started on a few new recipes for Thanksgiving. I will definitely be serving this as an appetizer. I love the contrast in colors from the grill marks on the bread, red pepper puree, bright purple olives and the rich green arugula. The [...]

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These may look like little muffins but they’re really baked hush puppies. Talk about awesomeness dunked into Ranch dressing as an appetizer or side dish. I prefer a crispier crust top similar to the original fried snack, so next time I’ll coat the batter with some cooking spray before baking.  Cornmeal fritters baked into mini muffin tins are [...]

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I’m so boring when it comes to appetizers. I have my favorite few starters that now are just repeats. I needed something new and interesting to add to my repertoire. Ezra Pound Cake’s Baked Southwestern Eggrolls are a real crowd pleaser. I love cooking with Jason, so I wrangled him into my assembly line and the prep [...]

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I hate to seriously fry foods in my kitchen. The aromas waft throughout the other rooms of the house which I don’t care for and then I get confused with what to do with the used oil.  Closet Cooking’s Parmesan crusted baked zucchini sticks are perfect as an appetizer or side dish. They take minutes to make and [...]

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