Irish Soda Bread

My husband’s father is Irish-American and his mother was Italian-American, which means my husband grew up with an appreciation of both cultures, but a table topped with Italian dishes. When our family began our own holiday traditions, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day was among them. But there was no cherished Irish Soda Bread recipe to be handedContinue reading “Irish Soda Bread”

Cranberry Orange Sauce

I made my first-ever cranberry sauce a few Thanksgivings ago. I have to admit, I was pretty smitten. These days, it’s not hard to find whole, fresh cranberries at many stores. But if fresh aren’t available, frozen whole cranberries will work too. I have tinkered endlessly with this recipe, trying to find the perfect balanceContinue reading “Cranberry Orange Sauce”

Sugar-Coated Pecans

Add these to a salad or scatter them alongside the pickles and crackers on your cheese board or set them out before you serve your meal as an irresistible snack. In any case, they’ll bring a little fancy, a little salty, a little sweet to your table. The secret is starting with top-quality nuts. AndContinue reading “Sugar-Coated Pecans”

Layered Chocolate Cake

This super moist, incredibly delicious dessert has graced many a holiday table at our home over the years. My girls discovered it at the Two Peas & Their Pod website and have stirred it up over and over — for birthdays and Christmas and, yes, for Valentine’s Day, as well. So if you’re looking forContinue reading “Layered Chocolate Cake”

Ham Roast With Blueberry Sauce

We often roast a cut of local pork for our holiday dinners. It feels festive but not fussy, and it leaves lots of room for sides. This ham-blueberry-honey dish has graced more than its share of celebratory tables, often alongside scalloped potatoes, mashed butternut squash, corn pudding and apple pie. But it works just asContinue reading “Ham Roast With Blueberry Sauce”

Bacon Rosemary Corn Pudding

Corn is a popular side dish at our house, with corn soufflé, corn chowder, and cornbread all favorites. In choosing menus for holiday meals this year, we came across this gem, which we made, then promptly gobbled up, my mostly vegetarian youngest eating it as her main dish on more than one occasion (while pickingContinue reading “Bacon Rosemary Corn Pudding”

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Filets

We opted for salmon rather than turkey for Thanksgiving this year and we considered choosing fish again for Christmas before settling on a locally raised ham roast. But as we turn the corner into January and our instincts to eat healthfully kick in full-force, this salmon recipe is one to reach for. You’ll want toContinue reading “Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Filets”

No-Cheese Queso Dip

I have long been a hummus fan. But a new cookbook is taking hummus’s main ingredient, tahini, and turning it on its head. The Tahini Table has recipes for pesto and sorbet, granola and sheet pan dinners, all with tahini as the star. I sampled several recipes from the book. This is the one IContinue reading “No-Cheese Queso Dip”

Pretty Pumpkin Cheesecake

Perhaps pie is not your jam. Or maybe you’d like to shake up your holiday dessert table a bit. In any case, this pumpkin cheesecake says fall flavors and delicious all swirled into one. I have made it for several Thanksgiving dinners over the years. It never lasts very long. Ingredients For the crust 1Continue reading “Pretty Pumpkin Cheesecake”

Scalloped Potatoes

We plant our seed potatoes in March and harvest them in July. We store a big box of local potatoes through the winter and can usually find baby potatoes at the farmers market by early summer. To say potatoes are a staple on our family’s table year ’round is an understatement. But this dish ofContinue reading “Scalloped Potatoes”