New Year's Recipes
Baked Coconut Shrimp
Crisp, golden, and served with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce, baked coconut shrimp are perfect as an appetizer or entrรฉe and may be prepped a few hours in advance. Crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle, these crisp, golden shrimp are baked instead of fried and will vanish off an…
Spanish-Style Marinated Olives
An impressive appetizer recipe that takes five minutes to prep and adds something special to any cocktail hour, cheese board, or antipasto platter. Irresistibly snack-worthy and giftable too! For many of us, olives plucked straight from the jar are incredibly satisfying. They are salty, meaty, and even deliver a dose of monounsaturated fats, fiber,…
Cinnamon Honey Butter
This copycat version of Texas Roadhouse restaurantโs popular cinnamon honey butter recipe is a delightful spread for rolls, bagels, toast, muffins, cornbread, and sweet potatoes. Makes a lovely addition to a food gift too. Every year, Cindy, a former coworker of my husband, experiments with a variety of new recipes for her annual holiday…
Vanilla and Caramel Iced Coffee (or caramel vanilla!)
A cafรฉ-worthy drink comes together in minutes โ faster than a Starbucks drive-thru and more economical too. You can use this recipe as a guide, choosing an easy-to-make syrup, and adjusting the coffee strength, sweetness, and creaminess to taste. A recent New York Times article asked the following question: Does anyone drink hot coffee…
Mini Lemon Pies
Cool, creamy, sweet-tart mini pies are the perfect hand-held dessert for gatherings and can be made in advance with a few key ingredients! When life gives you 🍋🍋🍋…make mini lemon pies! During the first year of COVID, with two small children to wrangle, we often ended up ordering our groceries. It was certainly more…
Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust
If you’ve struggled to create a gluten-free graham cracker crust that stacks up to the regular version, your wait it over! The first time I made a gluten-free graham cracker crust several years back, I simply replaced the regular graham cracker crumbs in my traditional recipe with a gluten-free alternative. Cup-for-cup gluten-free flours tend…
Baked Tomato Bruschetta
Canned tomatoes work beautifully in this fresh-tasting, crowd-pleasing appetizer thatโs easy to whip up any time of year. I’ve been making these tasty bites for more than 20 years, and they still haven’t lost their luster. A simple tomato mixture (which may be prepared in advance) is scooped onto toasted baguette slices (which may…
Cold Pan Seared Pork Chops
No more tough, dry pork chops! A clever technique guarantees tender, juicy meat every time, and you won’t believe how easy it is. When cooked properly, a thick, lean pork chop can be juicy and so full of flavor. All of us, however, have likely been served more than one pork chop thatโs dry…
Homemade Crostini
Crisp, golden crostini are easy to make and form the perfect base for a wide variety of hors d’oeuvres. Delicious for general snacking too! The day I prepared this easy recipe for a photo shoot was โone of those days.โ I woke up to no heat and a 59โ (brrrr!!!) house. Outside temps, by…
Baked Havarti with Dill
A crisp, golden crust and gooey cheese are the hallmarks of this irresistible appetizer โ and you won’t believe how easy it is to prepare! I have a stash of stained and tattered recipe cards (always a good sign!), which I consistently return to when I need something quick, foolproof, and guaranteed to please. Baked…
Cranberry Simple Syrup (and bonus cocktail recipe)
This easy-to-make syrup adds festive color and seasonal flavor to a variety of cocktails and mocktails. Makes a lovely gift too! Taking a few minutes to prepare an infused simple syrup is an easy way to create the type of cocktail that garners big bucks at trendy restaurants. And while I most often use…
Green Beans Almondine
Nutty, buttery, and bright, this perfectly seasoned dish can be partially prepped in advance. Easy enough for a weeknight dinner but 100% worthy of a holiday meal. Truly so much more than the sum of its parts! Somehow, I managed to graduate college before ever tasting the traditional green bean casserole. The classic holiday…
