All fall long and well into the winter, produce from the amazing squash family is abundant in gardens and grocery stores, food stands and farmers markets. Beside the best-known pumpkins and butternut squash, there are cushaws and delicatas, acorn squash and spaghetti squash, Hubbard and Kabocha — all slightly different in taste and texture andContinue reading “Carrot and Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash”
Author Archives: christinanifong
Even Better Than the Original Chex Mix
My mother is an incredibly generous cook. When I was growing up, I swear at least once a week she made her signature Tollhouse Cookies to give away. At Christmastime, our kitchen became a veritable cookie factory. These days, she lives 3,000 miles away. But when she flies in, she always arrives with a batchContinue reading “Even Better Than the Original Chex Mix”
Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
I have exactly one cookbook that I absolutely, positively could not live without. It’s Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook. I love it because it’s plant-based and it uses herbs and spices in a way that make my vegetables sing. I’m sure there are other cookbooks that could make similar claims, but Moosewood landed in my hands when IContinue reading “Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread”
Kale and Tomato Hoppin’ John
Growing up, greens and black-eyed peas were as big a part of my New Year’s Day as packing away the Christmas decorations and listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 Year-End Countdown. My family ate them because it was tradition and good luck — and likely because it was an easy dish to pull together afterContinue reading “Kale and Tomato Hoppin’ John”
Harvest Trail Mix
We all need snacks, right? Something to get us through an afternoon slump or the mid-morning tummy growlings. But we also all know that helping ourselves to the doughnut tray or seeking out a Snickers isn’t really the way to go. Enter: trail mix. With an investment of just a few minutes, anyone can stirContinue reading “Harvest Trail Mix”
Simple Snickerdoodles
Sometime since becoming a mom, I was introduced to the joy of Snickerdoodles. They’re a sugar cookie, but with cinnamon, too. The best versions are light and buttery, the perfect after-school snack or end to a lovely meal. Over the summer, I sampled oh-so-many recipes, in search of my absolute favorite. In the end, IContinue reading “Simple Snickerdoodles”
Ginger Crinkles
Looking back through my mother’s cookbooks, I can find at least three dog-eared Ginger Cookie recipes plus one for Gingerbread Cake, oh and there’s a Spice Cake recipe as well. I distinctly recall each of these desserts and I remember loving them all. So this year, as winter set in and I began craving the homey, holiday tastes ofContinue reading “Ginger Crinkles”
Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole
Our garden gives us green beans. We blanch and freeze them. Then, come Thanksgiving, we’ve got what we need for that holiday staple, Green Bean Casserole. But it seems a shame to slather our garden bounty with a can of condensed mushroom soup. So here’s what I make instead. It’s so flavorful, you’ll beContinue reading “Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole”
Mushroom Adventures
It was about this time of year, several years ago, that my husband and I decided we were ready to take on a new botanical project. The garden was winding down and the season of dreaming of spring was nearly upon us. Maybe a catalogue came in the mail? I’m not sure what our inspiration was. ButContinue reading “Mushroom Adventures”
Carrot-Chip Sheet Cake
Some of my kids’ favorite muffins are chock full of carrots, pineapple and coconut. So it stands to reason that they’d like carrots in their desserts, too. This recipe is one part sheet cake, one part quick bread. It’s carrot cake without the cream cheese icing. Any way you slice it, though, it’s all around delicious. MakesContinue reading “Carrot-Chip Sheet Cake”