Grilled Vegetable Kabobs

This was the side dish for my Impromptu Dinner Party. Having grown up with an acre sized garden in northern Michigan, I am no stranger to garden fresh vegetables with every meal.  There were many fond childhood memories with that garden.  I still shutter at the thought of biting into a freshly plucked jalapeno pepper [...]

Tomato Feta Salad with Basil Parsley Vinaigrette

This was the salad served at my Impromptu Dinner Party. Life has thrown several twists and turns this week, which has kept me fairly distracted.  Admittedly, I’m just now catching up on writing the rest of the posts for my Impromptu Dinner Party.  I know, I know.  I should have written these in advance, and [...]

Impromptu Dinner Party: Brent & Ty Take Over

After returning home from a wonderful trip in Toronto, the last thing I wanted to do was eat in yet another restaurant.  I craved a home cooked meal and the comfort of relaxing in the backyard, without the annoyance of servers asking us if we were American based on what we ordered.  While trying to [...]

Crab Rangoon – The Four “F’s” of Failure

I have something really important to say that has been eating me up inside for weeks.  If I don’t share it with the world soon, I just might explode like the three Easter Peep’s I “accidently” left in the microwave. I have a weakness for Chinese buffets. Insert heavy gasping and moaning here. Don’t ask [...]

Pear Lettuce Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

This was the salad for my Saturday Dinner Party. Ok, I’ll admit it.  There have been very few restaurants in Pittsburgh that have inspired me to recreate a dish I have ordered.  I can see the hate mail filling my inbox now.  You see.  It’s not that I think Pittsburgh restaurants are bad…I just haven’t [...]

Pesto Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

This was the appetizer for my Saturday Dinner Party After a brief tour of the house, our guests gathered in the dining room where white wine was chilling and the red was breathing in an elegantly shaped decanter.  The aroma of lemon and rosemary danced above me as I emerged from the kitchen with a [...]

Artichoke and Spinach Dip

I love artichoke and spinach dip.  But most recipes I have found contain at least 15 lbs. of cream cheese and 5 gallons of mayonnaise.  Such ingredients will almost always guarantee a heavenly experience.  I, on the other hand, like to save some of my appetizer calories for dessert. So when Stacey from Stacey Snacks [...]

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Around this time of year, I always end up with a list of people that should receive some sort of holiday token beyond a simple card.  You know the one’s I’m talking about.  The teacher, neighbor, dog walker, landlord, coworker, bank teller, old high school sweethearts, extended family members, mail carrier, religious figure, and the [...]

Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cookies

When it comes to holiday cookies, I prefer the classics.  Give me a chewy chocolate chip, frosted sugar or rich peanut butter any day.  But there are times when I want to change things up and create a cookie that is pure decadent flavor. For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing with my Classic [...]

Hoisin Pork Stir-fry with Egg Noodles

Ever have one of those days when you open the refrigerator and realize you have a random jar of sauce from a recipe gone by?  That’s what happened to me when I noticed a jar of Hoisin sauce in a dark corner of my refrigerator.  The remaining amount was so small; there was no way [...]

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