Avoca’s Shepherd’s Pie and Brandied Cranberry, White Chocolate and Oatmeal Cookies

November 27, 2009

In the US, it’s the day after Thanksgiving today — which means it’s also now officially Christmastime! So I won’t waste any time giving you this cookie recipe, an adaptation of my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but this time with a festive twist to them with the brandied cranberries. For any Black Friday shoppers, […]

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Homemade Italian Sausage Patties with Goat’s Cheese Polenta

November 26, 2009

The first Thanksgiving I spent in Ireland, in 1999, I was very blasé about it beforehand; I still remember that I’d planned to make enchiladas that night. But at the last minute, I got a little weepy and ran out to the grocery store to see what I could find that might be more fitting, […]

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Fettucine with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts and Christmas Rocky Road

November 25, 2009

If greens are the outcasts of the vegetable world, then Brussels sprouts must be out-and-out exiles. I think they look like little alien heads, but I love how Kitchen Scraps portrays them, as Mr. B. Russell Sprout, “who lived in a red-brick townhouse on a cobblestone lane near the bank where he worked. Even the […]

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Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Irish Soda Bread

November 24, 2009

How does Ina Garten do it? She can take any recipe and somehow make it 10 times better than any other version. What’s her secret? Maybe it’s that she often roasts vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness, and she’s not afraid of butter or cream either — and lots of it. I’ve been making […]

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Salmon with Maple Mustard Sauce, Apple, Potato and Onion Gratin, and Sauteed Carrots

November 23, 2009

I love routine. The start of a new school year every September or a new semester in college always threw me for a loop for the first couple of weeks, until I settled into a new schedule. When my daughter was born, I felt like I was going crazy by the time she was six […]

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Roasted Cod with Shiitakes and Soba in Miso Broth and Lettuce Dressed Asian-style

November 20, 2009

Sometimes my heart sinks when Reuben asks for “something light” for dinner. More often than not, I want to tuck into a full plate of something hearty, hot, and filling for dinner. “Light” is not appetite inducing to me, except on the hottest of summer days. But, like cooking for vegans or picky eaters, I […]

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Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash with Bacon

November 19, 2009

I grew up in Texas and, despite my Illinois born and bred Yankee parents, I developed a true love for Southern soul food. I crave okra, gumbo, hush puppies, and barbecue all the more because it’s hard to find these culinary gems here in Milwaukee. Of all the things I crave, however, collard greens are the […]

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Pork Vindaloo, Roasted Cauliflower, and Cucumber Raita

November 18, 2009

I love Indian food, but the more I research my favorite recipes, the more I realize they’re about as Indian as chop suey is Chinese. For example, Scotland lays claim to my favorite “Indian” dish, chicken tikka masala. My runner-up “Indian” favorite, pork vindaloo, is actually Portuguese in origin. I was drawn to vindaloo dishes […]

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