With February focusing attention on fancy dinners and romantic opportunities, let me hasten to suggest that both of those things can happen at home and keep more money in your wallet. Or at least allow it to be used for that amazing chocolate and wine you have for dessert!
Enjoy the spirit of the holidays by sharing a cup of warmth and sweetness with your family and friends. But lest you worry that will leave you exhausted and ready for a long winter's nap, take a lot of the work out of it for you and add an extra sparkle of fun to your loved ones' day!
Even though we've actually had a taste of summer-like weather already, it's really just the beginning of the spring season. Here to remind us of that are fresh bouquets of beautiful asparagus. The earliest crop bring us tender, juicy spears that are thin and want just the lightest touch before being served. To that end, a simple spring pasta dish featuring these lovely points d'amour is presented for your dining pleasure!
Lest you think the only iconic flavors of the season involve pumpkin and spice, it's time to make some scones brimming with roasted butternut squash, sun-kissed tomatoes, and autumn's favorite herb: sage. These fall-inspired scones are at home for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Even though winter's in full force and what many of us want to do is hibernate, our busy lives say otherwise. Get dinner on the table and still have a bit of time to catch your breath with a fantastic Cajun Shrimp Pasta dish that is ready in minutes.
This is a great meal to prep in advance and grill when the mercury rises to the point where you don't want to cook inside. Tender grilled chicken and vegetables get a long bath in a complex and delicious marinade before finding the heat.
A quick soup that tastes like it's taken all day to make. Perfect for cold days and packed with everything we crave as Old Man Winter hands us cold days and even colder nights.
As we say goodbye to summer and welcome fall, side dishes can become one of the easier things to get on the table quickly. Whether you are slicing tomatoes onto a plate or tossing some beans from the garden with a spicy dressing, sides are where it's at!
A winter nearly devoid of snow and full of far more grey than seems necessary requires drastic action. Ideally, with something involving caramel and chocolate. Maybe a cookie crust. No, not a trip to the grocery store for a candy bar. It's time for something sweet from the kitchen!
This fantastic blend of chickpeas, tomatoes, aromatics, and chile peppers is slow roasted in olive oil until perfect for … well, everything. Spread it on toast, add it to salads, serve it over rice or pasta, or just eat it with a spoon!
A wonderful way to entertain family and friends in an outdoor setting is with a backyard barbecue party. With proper planning and the right environment people will be talking about your party all summer. Important factors to think about when entertaining are things like the barbecue grill, seating, lighting, and of course the menu planning.
If you've ever wondered about cooking with stinging nettles and done a bit of poking around on the Internet, you've probably found a lot of recipes for soup. Now, I love soup, but I also recently sautéed some and included them on a pizza that was brimming with bacon, cheese, and garlic. I don't think I'll be turning my nose up at nettles ever again!
Infuse brownies and the frosting on them with your favorite dark beer to assemble a decadent treat that will become a sweet standard in your home. Move over, green beer, this is a better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
Topping the list of items for New Year's Resolutions appears to be losing weight, hands down. We all want to be slimmer so that when summer rolls around, we're not rolling around. Being satisfied when you are finished with your meals helps tremendously. To that end, get some insight into foods that experts claim will help you keep your New Year's Resolution, dissolve your muffin waist, reduce your love handles and flatten your belly.
Are you concerned about using wine in your cooking? Do all your dishes end up swimming in Merlot or drenched in Chardonnay? Not sure how to balance the natural flavors in your food with the wine you have in your home? Get some great advice about how to do so without covering the flavor of your food and, before you know it, you'll be visiting your wine rack as often as you visit your spice rack when turn on your stove!
A downright festive breakfast or brunch dish for between the holidays, these crepes are easy to make and you can easily double or even triple the recipe if you are feeding a crowd.
A trip up north to celebrate birthdays introduces others to the joys of Bacon Belgian Waffles. If this is something you've yet to experience, I highly recommend choosing a lazy weekend morning and get ready for a treat. Make them mid-to-late in the morning and enjoy alongside cups of hot coffee and fresh sliced melon. Before you know it, you'll be planning weekend brunches featuring these waffles monthly or more often still!
Spring is a great time to freshen your interior and it doesn't have to break the bank. Whether it's metallics, specific colour tones, textures, there is likely something to appeal to everyone and bring your decor into 2018.
Forget take out. You can just keep things all in the kitchen when you put together your favorite Chinese restaurant favorites right at home. A handful of ingredients and less than half an hour of effort will get you one of your favorites on the table.
Flavor-packed Mexican chorizo, roasted hatch chiles, and tender sweet corn come together to make stunning tacos. Get ready to give a nod to a Tex-Mex dish inspired by the produce of early autumn.
