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”
Author Archives: christinanifong
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”
Sweet Potato Hash
A little sweet, a little heat, with an egg on top. Oh yeah. This recipe is flavorful and filling. Serve it as a side to some pan fried pork chops or heap it on your plate with a slice of toast and a dish of homemade applesauce. In the fall of the year, after theContinue reading “Sweet Potato Hash”
Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
I’ve heard raves of my Paprika Potatoes recipe ever since I posted it. So now here’s an equally easy, equally tasty, nutritionally even better recipe using sweet potatoes. You know what makes this recipe stand out? You get to leave the potato skins on, saving minutes and increasing goodness. Time to fire up that oven.Continue reading “Roasted Sweet Potato Fries”
Warm You Up Chili
I once won a neighborhood Chili Cook-Off with my vegetarian chili recipe, which mixes bulgar wheat with the typical kidney beans and tomatoes to give a chewy, filling feel. These days I’m cooking with meat and chili is a great one-pot meal that can feed a crowd, but I’ve struggled to find a recipe I was happy with. SoContinue reading “Warm You Up Chili”