Ever get inspired to take a tried and true recipe and give it a bit of a twist? The acquisition of some thin-cut pork chops recently became the genesis of a new method for preparing pork chops that just might become my favorite approach. So, come on, it's time to just roll with it!
Americans eat over three billion pizzas a year. You can put a special spin on your own pizza enjoyment by growing your own pizza garden that includes everything from tomatoes to vegetables for topping to your favorite herbs. After all, gardens aren't only for your flowers!
Eggnog is synonymous with the holidays, but you don't have to stop at pouring it into a glass and raising it in a festive toast. It's a fantastic ingredient in all manner of traditional and nontraditional holiday fare. Why not try something on the nontraditional side with a festive Eggnog Dessert Pizza that has eggnog flavor baked right into the crust?
Your crockpot holds the key to a fantastic way to make a simple, spicy chili. Depending on what kind of salsa you use in the recipe (yes, I said salsa), it can be hotter or milder. It's also great if you just add the two turkey drumsticks from Thanksgiving dinner and peel and shred the meat and remove the bones before serving. As holiday shopping, entertaining, and decorating roar into full swing, recipes like this are great time and sanity savers!
Homemade bread was part of this year's Thanksgiving and part of this year's post-Thanksgiving leftover marathon. Who wouldn't love fresh bread one night, followed by delightfully decadent bread pudding for breakfast the next morning? It's official. The holiday season has begun!
About a week of contemplating results in a beautiful bowl of soup with a velvety texture and a flavor that brings together the essence of fall. Featuring parsnips and pears and highlighted with nutmeg-crusted goat cheese, it's a fantastic soup course option for your holiday entertaining or a comforting lunch alongside a grilled cheese sandwich. Bring on the snow -- this soup will keep you warm!
Nutmeg has a long and complex history. Once, Manhattan was traded for nutmeg and sugar in a deal involving the Dutch and the Brits. In the 1600s, its popularity with the rich and famous made it the iPhone of its day. Much blood and tears have been shed on its behalf and, yet, we turn to it in times of celebration and comfort.
Whether you are planning a traditional Thanksgiving with all the trimmings or planning something a little different or just having pizza and beer with loved ones, may your Thanksgiving holiday be filled with people you love and opportunities to spend time with them in ways that bring you joy.
The final installment in our ode to slow cookers brings us to something crockpots are great for: making soup. This time around, everything from potatoes to dried beans to kale find their way into a creamy soup that's the epitome of the chilly season before us.
Continuing our ode to slow cooking, we're taking on one of my favorite ethnic dishes of all time: carnitas. Carnitas are a Mexican specialty of seasoned pulled pork, traditionally fried in lard, with a pleasing mixture of tender and crispy browned parts. This simplified recipe avoids the deep-frying step, and takes advantage of the slow cooker's ability to produce very tender meat and pairs it with a quick trip under the broiler to produce the tender, caramelized meat that typifies proper carnitas.
