I'd like to say right up front that I love pimento cheese. Although I was born in New Jersey (if Princeton counts as New Jersey) I think I've always loved the quintessentially southern treat since I first encountered it on rubbery store-bought white bread made into crustless sandwiches when I was a little girl transplanted to Virginia. In the old days, one used to be able to buy "good" pimento cheese at the grocery store, which, I'm very sad to say, is no longer the case. I've made it a little game to look at the ingredients on containers of pimento cheese I've stumbled upon in recent years, and, frankly, have been horrified with some of the completely unacceptable things I've found listed. Believe me, cream cheese has no place in real pimento cheese.
Read moreTarragon Chicken Thighs
Somehow or other, I'd not exactly forgotten about, but hadn't made these wonderful chicken thighs for quite a while untilI was reminded of them earlier this week.
I saw the package of thighs beckoning me and thought, as Mark Trail would say, "What th' ?" How had I misplaced this old standby?
Read moreHappy Mother Frittata
What a lovely way to round out a perfectly stressful week. I have to say that, of course, nobody's life is a bed of roses and, while my literal roses were blooming happily away this week, other things in my world were sad and stressful. Therefore it is with great joy that I can report that a happy Mother's Day dawn broke here this morning, full of challenges, hopes, possibilities and a regained sense of optimism. Helping this new attitude along was all the love that came my way this week culminating in, among other things, my delicious and happy brunch creation, forthwith known as Happy Mother Frittata.
Read moreChocolate Macaroons
By now perhaps you're starting to realize that I get passionately obsessed about things. Yes, certainly things happening in my kitchen. That's a given. However , what you may not know is that I'm also obsessed with my garden. And, just like in the kitchen, I'm a completely (well, almost completely) self-taught gardener. I must acknowledge, however, that my mother took great pains in teaching me how to properly prune roses, always on President's day.
This week I've been spending lots of time outside the window of my kitchen in my garden and am particularly pleased with my peonies which are just starting to bloom.
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