So Easy Fresh Pumpkin Puree
Canned pumpkin isn’t the only game in town. It’s easy to make your own pumpkin puree, and the fresh flavor can’t be beat! As I was wrestling with this pumpkin, trying to cut through it — all the while thinking of several people who have commented that they enjoy winter squash recipes, except for…
Tex-Mex Dressing
This is a super simple dressing I created for my Tex-Mex Chopped Salad. While you can use your favorite store-bought ranch, I like this easy-to-make and healthier version. It is delicious and, combined with the salsa, offers a bit of a kick and just the right flavor to enhance a variety of southwestern dishes. Use…
Eastern North Carolina Barbecue Sauce
We are usually the tomato-based barbecue sauce type in this family. However, a very dear Southern friend shared her favorite vinegar sauce with me a while back and it was a complete hit! Her recipe has just the right amount of tang and makes for one delicious sandwich. I asked my friend, Lisa, if…
Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche
Irresistible dulce de leche is easy to make in your slow cooker. Plus you can control the consistency, making it soft set like pudding or drizzle-able for use as caramel sauce. Over the years, I read several times that simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk on the stovetop for several hours would magically transform…
Lemon Tahini Dressing
Loving big, hearty, healthy salads as I do, I often get ideas in my head about flavors I think would taste great together. Cooler weather means the arrival of all sorts of root vegetables and winter squash, not to mention a myriad of greens. I created this nutty-tasting dressing to stand up to the flavors…
Balsamic Pesto Tomato Sauce
A few special ingredients join forces with ripe tomatoes for a memorable sauce that’s deceptively easy to make. The taste of marinara sauce made with in-season tomatoes is divine. Finding the time to peel and seed the required tomatoes, however, can be enough to make you buy a jar! I decided to try a new…
Chocolate Mascarpone Spread
The past few weeks have been fun ones in the world of food! My friend Ann from Sumptuous Spoonfuls has been working her way through the alphabet. Logically, she began with A. Each day she chooses a food that begins with a new letter and shares all sorts of recipes from fellow foodies which include…
Summer Tomato and Leek Sauce
A simple, summer sauce is the perfect way to enjoy a bounty of vine-ripened tomatoes and works beautifully as a light pasta or pizza sauce or as a flavorful topping for chicken or fish. My original plan for this sauce was to use red onion, until I saw some baby leeks at market. Leeks provide…
Citrus Vinaigrette
To me, this dressing is the perfect summer vinaigrette. The taste is light and crisp and allows the flavor of summer-fresh fruits and vegetables to shine. Originally, I created this to compliment a salad with mint, feta, and blackberries although it is perfect whenever you want a hint of citrus with just enough sweetness and…
Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing with Greek Yogurt
This recipe has been in my box for years, but I stopped making it because it was so laden with…well…fat. Recently, I decided to revamp the recipe and was thrilled with the result. This creamy dressing is absolutely delicious with a fraction of the fat and calories of the original. Moreover, this salad topping is…
Avocado Wasabi Sauce
A simple wasabi sauce dresses up grilled tuna beautifully. It’s quick and easy and makes an otherwise unadorned tuna steak special. Since I started adding avocado to my wasabi sauce, I love it ten times more and always find delicious new ways to use any leftovers. (And I no longer wait for just tuna to…
Thai Ginger Peanut Sauce
In my quest to seek out and shine a light on one delicious recipe each week from other cooks, something from my friend Ann (yes, another Ann!) of Sumptuous Spoonfuls fame, caught my eye. I adore Thai flavors, love all things peanut-ty, and haven’t made anything which fits that bill recently. Having some ingredients that…
