The perfect dessert for Father’s Day. Add a little dollop of sour cream or whipped creme fraiche to tame it down. Yep, it’s a dessert for those with a sweet tooth. Most dads I know love pie and my dad was no different. Use frozen blueberries if you can’t find fresh. I find frozen berries so much easier when baking. This recipe is so easy! So good!
How we love cakes! Simple Cakes! Take a tour through our cakes to find your favorites.
A celebration as we close out the year. Blog improvements have been made along the way but not without a few hang ups! Being a HGTV groupie and believing in do-it-yourself projects my blog is no different. But as we all know sometimes do-it-yourself backfires … not that we aren’t better for it … more knowledgable perhaps. It’s interesting my most popular blog posts have developed their own layout. And not good! Please, your patience would be so appreciated as I adjust and tweak these issues. To solve this I will be reposting a few recipes. In the meantime enjoy these Top Twelve of 2020.
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If you’re into Pot Roast you won’t cook any other recipe after trying this one. Seriously! A one pot stovetop meal with little prep and 5 hours undisturbed cooking. The meat is beyond juicy, and vegetables so savory delicious with just a bit of carrot sweetness. I love the seasonings used in the Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe. Â So, I’ve duplicated to some degree. I’m not sure why but cooking stovetop makes it so much easier. Here’s an oven version but this stovetop is so much more. It just can’t be beat. Delicious enough to serve a holiday crowd without apology!
We’re passionate about our Portuguese Festa Sopas! This typically once a year Festa is celebrated throughout the San Joaquin Valley (and many other locations). BUT we love to make Portuguese Sopas at home throughout the whole year. The recipe varies a bit from place to place but the basic ingredients remain the same. When I posted our family’s recipe some years ago passions ran high. Others’ remembered differing recipes. I can assure you the Willitts’ (Perry-Freitas) recipe is authentic. This hearty dish has a unique flavor and is not always successfully duplicated at home. Dan (my brother), who put the recipe together for my post, helped with the cooking for these Portuguese Festas in Visalia for a number of years. It’s one thing helping to put food together for hundreds, and then another converting to a small dish accurately just by taste testing. He has completed many taste tests in creating this dish. I’ve tested this latest recipe. It’s exactly as I remember!Â
Thanksgiving dinner Turkey and Stuffing has been on my menu for decades. Over time I’ve tried many different roasting methods and stuffing recipes. The meal has always turned out well but most compliments come with these following recipes. First, buy the best turkey … quality does make a difference. Fresh is preferred. It need not be processed with injections or other treatments … prefer it not be, actually. Using the popup, if present, to check doneness is up to you but I suggest a meat thermometer for true accuracy. What is the biggest complaint about roasted turkey? The breast meat is too dry. This is why I love Martha Stewart’s butter/wine roasting method. I cut the corners a bit but the result is moist and tender. As for the stuffing, I’ve often made my own bread cubes using whatever bread I might have saved in the freezer over several months … you know, the crust no one wants, end pieces, leftover corn bread … always quality breads, no crackers. (When my mother-in-law, an admitted poor cook, made her turkey stuffing with saltines … I don’t know what I expected, yes I do! … but it turned out well. I’m still amazed to this day but then I was very hungry and appreciative. We did a lot of fasting that trip.)
When my daughter became a vegetarian (progressed to vegan) I knew I had to find a different dressing recipe, one cooked separately from the turkey that maintained a great taste. I tried Rachel Ray’s Cranberry Pecan Dressing recipe … converting it to vegetarian and later to vegan. It worked beautifully baked separately, and stuffed loosely into the turkey cavities as well. There are some short cuts I take today when preparing Thanksgiving I wouldn’t have taken years ago. I will never give up homemade pie crusts … these often take a pie from good to amazingly delicious. So, what have I given up? Making the bread cubes. I now find myself buying William Sonoma’s … Even pre-seasoned. Yep, WS brand does make a difference.
Now, let’s jump into these recipes. Great recipes for the beginner as well as experienced!
Halloween isn’t just for kids! Here are rich and moist Devil’s Food Cakes that will please the whole family!
Simple additions can take your BBQ from ordinary to amazing! Start with a simple garlic butter to slather on your veggies, steak or bread. It’s easy and you no doubt have the ingredients. Beat together 1 cup (softened) salted butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 teaspoons dried parsley (or 2 T fresh), 1/2 teaspoon dried chives (or 2 t fresh), 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Sprinkle with a bit of grated Parmesan (optional). For the wedge salad add a Blue Cheese dressing for plenty of tang or change out the blue cheese with Feta. This Blue Cheese dip seconds as a dressing, here.
Try these to the delight of your family or guests.
marinated ribs
basil spread
bearnaise
mushroom cheese
french dressing
blue cheese burger
milk mayonnaise
blue cheese
dressings
ketchup
chicken marinade
avocado spread