holidays & recipes: 4th of july guests for breakfast & the belgium waffle

July 4th. Independence Day. The day when all Americans celebrate their freedom. From one region of the United States to the next traditional foods are prepared with the anticipation of backyard feasting and evening fireworks. Growing up on the East Coast, we often had many out of town guests, some opted for the “Hotel” experience and others dug in their heels (or sneakers) and spent the night at our house. Being the host or hostess can be hectic, I know this all too well.  What a better way to serve your guests with homemade waffles? We finally perfected the waffle batter over the years, this is, hands down, one of our favorite recipes.  You might want to buy another waffle iron depending on how many guests you have, but we usually have three going at once with a party of six or more (guests are hungry from the long trips... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: mother’s day cupcakes with swiss meringue buttercream

A month ago, when I started planning ahead for May’s subject matter I had a typical Mother’s Day post in mind. A lot can happen in a month. I feel compelled to share a particular story with you because I have experienced a paradigm shift, which has me viewing Mother’s day in another light. Three weeks ago I was informed I’d need medical testing done. I went into panic mode. My blood pressure jumped to a dangerous level and I couldn’t control my emotions. My husband was calm, reassuring and a rock. My children were on edge, but held it together. I called my brother to tell him and he told me about his very dear friend who could relate. I asked my brother to have her call me. I needed to talk to someone because I could not get a grip on my emotions. I felt out of control.... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: mother’s day cupcakes with swiss meringue buttercream

A month ago, when I started planning ahead for May’s subject matter I had a typical Mother’s Day post in mind. A lot can happen in a month. I feel compelled to share a particular story with you because I have experienced a paradigm shift, which has me viewing Mother’s day in another light. Three weeks ago I was informed I’d need medical testing done. I went into panic mode. My blood pressure jumped to a dangerous level and I couldn’t control my emotions. My husband was calm, reassuring and a rock. My children were on edge, but held it together. I called my brother to tell him and he told me about his very dear friend who could relate. I asked my brother to have her call me. I needed to talk to someone because I could not get a grip on my emotions. I felt out of control.... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: mixed berry tartlet with crème anglaise pastry cream

Today is Earth Day. Hopefully, like New Years, everyone is making a resolution. Maybe you will resolve to recycle or use your car less or grow an organic vegetable garden. Hopefully, everyone will do a good job of sticking to that resolution. One year I made an Earth Day resolution that my family railed against. I decided that I was going to become a vegetarian and, therefore, everyone would become a vegetarian. As you can imagine, in a household of men who were accustomed to eating meat, this went over like a lead balloon. I had an epiphany during early spring of 2008. I was trimming chicken for dinner. It is well known throughout my family that I abhor touching raw meat. I don’t like the way it smells or feels. This is odd for someone that loves to cook and even odder for someone who enjoys a good burger,... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: mixed berry tartlet with crème anglaise pastry cream

Today is Earth Day. Hopefully, like New Years, everyone is making a resolution. Maybe you will resolve to recycle or use your car less or grow an organic vegetable garden. Hopefully, everyone will do a good job of sticking to that resolution. One year I made an Earth Day resolution that my family railed against. I decided that I was going to become a vegetarian and, therefore, everyone would become a vegetarian. As you can imagine, in a household of men who were accustomed to eating meat, this went over like a lead balloon. I had an epiphany during early spring of 2008. I was trimming chicken for dinner. It is well known throughout my family that I abhor touching raw meat. I don’t like the way it smells or feels. This is odd for someone that loves to cook and even odder for someone who enjoys a good burger,... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: celebrating earth day with beetroot jam

We’ve written about canning foods in another post, but we feel that canning possibilities are endless and canning is the perfect subject for another Earth Day post. Packaging is a huge problem. Not only do we pay more up front when products are enclosed in fancy or excessive packaging, but we also pay more in the long run. According to a fact sheet found on Green Networld.com “packaging accounts for 50 percent of all paper produced in North America, 90 percent of all glass, and eleven percent of aluminum.” That is a lot of resources devoted to something that is going to be thrown away. According to other sources, all that paper, glass and aluminum (packaging) accounts for 1/3 of the trash in landfills. Purchasing items without packaging can be challenging. We can do our best to find products that use minimal packaging and hopefully what is used has been... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: celebrating earth day with beetroot jam

We’ve written about canning foods in another post, but we feel that canning possibilities are endless and canning is the perfect subject for another Earth Day post. Packaging is a huge problem. Not only do we pay more up front when products are enclosed in fancy or excessive packaging, but we also pay more in the long run. According to a fact sheet found on Green Networld.com “packaging accounts for 50 percent of all paper produced in North America, 90 percent of all glass, and eleven percent of aluminum.” That is a lot of resources devoted to something that is going to be thrown away. According to other sources, all that paper, glass and aluminum (packaging) accounts for 1/3 of the trash in landfills. Purchasing items without packaging can be challenging. We can do our best to find products that use minimal packaging and hopefully what is used has been... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: earth day with a spring green risotto recipe by the barefoot contessa

In 1962 a book called Silent Spring was published. Written by Rachel Carson and originally published as a series of three articles in the New Yorker, the book discussed the effects of insecticides and pesticides on songbird populations. Her book helped spur a movement that led to environmental legislation. Silent Spring celebrates its 50th anniversary. Written during a time when mainstream America was largely unconcerned and/or unaware of environmental issues Silent Spring became a New York Times bestseller and was published in 24 countries, selling 500,000 copies. Rachel Carson lit a spark that grew into a fire when the first Earth Day took place and that fire is growing still. The first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, was created to increase public awareness of global environmental issues. Approximately 20 million people participated. Senator Gaylord Nelson (Wisconsin) was the force behind Earth Day. He was an environmentalist who witnessed the destruction... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: earth day with a spring green risotto recipe by the barefoot contessa

In 1962 a book called Silent Spring was published. Written by Rachel Carson and originally published as a series of three articles in the New Yorker, the book discussed the effects of insecticides and pesticides on songbird populations. Her book helped spur a movement that led to environmental legislation. Silent Spring celebrates its 50th anniversary. Written during a time when mainstream America was largely unconcerned and/or unaware of environmental issues Silent Spring became a New York Times bestseller and was published in 24 countries, selling 500,000 copies. Rachel Carson lit a spark that grew into a fire when the first Earth Day took place and that fire is growing still. The first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, was created to increase public awareness of global environmental issues. Approximately 20 million people participated. Senator Gaylord Nelson (Wisconsin) was the force behind Earth Day. He was an environmentalist who witnessed the destruction... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: an easter follow up

There are several occasions to look forward to throughout the year after Christmas. There’s Valentine’s Day, and after that, it’s Easter. I know the religious significance of Easter should never be overlooked. It’s the day wherein we remember how Jesus rose from the dead after he sacrificed himself to save mankind. I’m no religious fanatic but I am a Christian woman and I come from an Interfaith-International-Interracial Family (even though I find it hard to reconcile my sailors tongue despite being Christian) it’s always good to believe in something. It gives us faith and hope which helps life not be so difficult in times when we really need a miracle. There was a brief period, a little over three years where I simple didn’t know what I believed in, but it didn’t take long for me to find faith again. {The Fabric Easter Eggs are Made Fabric with Adhesive, or... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: an easter follow up

There are several occasions to look forward to throughout the year after Christmas. There’s Valentine’s Day, and after that, it’s Easter. I know the religious significance of Easter should never be overlooked. It’s the day wherein we remember how Jesus rose from the dead after he sacrificed himself to save mankind. I’m no religious fanatic but I am a Christian woman and I come from an Interfaith-International-Interracial Family (even though I find it hard to reconcile my sailors tongue despite being Christian) it’s always good to believe in something. It gives us faith and hope which helps life not be so difficult in times when we really need a miracle. There was a brief period, a little over three years where I simple didn’t know what I believed in, but it didn’t take long for me to find faith again. {The Fabric Easter Eggs are Made Fabric with Adhesive, or... Read the Rest →

 

holidays & recipes: free giveaway and happy easter with tangerine and pink plus crepes with lemon curd

Easter is the time to be grateful for our blessings, and our little way of showing thanks to all our valued readers is through a Tangerine and Pink Easter Party pack giveaway! Included in the pack are: 1. Scalloped Cupcake Wrapper 2. Cupcake Wrapper 3. Two Watermark Logos 4. Easter Card and Thank you Card 5. An Easter Egg Banner which can be made easily by using some ribbon and a hole punch 6. Cupcake Toppers You can downloaded the pack for free over here (link to zip file Click on Link and download should begin). You can use most of these designs for any occasion and these are all psd layered files so your name and other details can be edited in the Watermark Logo. Orange and Lemond Curd Mascarpone Recipe Below. Enjoy and Happy Easter! {Free Easter Card Printable} {Free Editable Watermark or Logo} {Free Square Favor Box... Read the Rest →

 

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