This cookie has been an uphill battle! I have tried for two years to perfect a persimmon cookie. TWO YEARS! I don’t particularly care for “cakey” cookies. I prefer a chewy, crumbly cookie. However, the persimmon pulp is SO wet that it, combined with the baking soda create the perfect environment for the creation of…
Tag: holiday
Great Grandma Olga’s Fruit Cake
Fruit Cake. Two words that have been known to strike fear into the hearts of men. Even convincing my co-workers to TRY it was met with resistance. “I don’t really like fruit cake” and “fruitcake has always sounded disgusting to me” were just a couple of the comments. I’m convincing, though! I say “But, you…
Holiday Brie en Croute
“To fill the bowl and roll out the banel, Have ourselves a fling!” This is a lyric from one Christmas carol of many about gathering with friends and family to warm our spirits by each other’s fires throughout the holiday season. When we are invited to a party, bringing an appetizer to share is a lovely…
Hot Buttered B!tch
Every year when it’s time to decorate for Christmas, I turn on the movie Elf, I gather my family and make myself a hot buttered rum. This is one of my traditions! There is something about un-boxing my cherished Christmas treasures between sips of a warm mug of spiced Christmas cheer, that really rings in…
Today we feast… Again
The Thanksgiving leftovers are nearly as coveted as the original meal! Sandwiches, soups made from the carcass… as much a tradition as any of it. I’m sure so many of you out there, just like me, pile your leftovers on a sandwich. My dad likes it open faced. White bread, turkey, turkey gravy. He’s a…
Gravy and Cranberry Sauce: Back to Basics
I have been asked by multiple readers if I could show them how to make turkey gravy… without a packet. The concept seems so easy to me that I never thought to post it! Since it’s easy peasy, I decided to add another ultra simple Thanksgiving staple, cranberry sauce! Or, as my youngest son refers…
Walnut Pie & Maple Whip
You can’t go wrong with pie that tastes like a candy bar, right? I didn’t think so. This pie could be called “Aunt Pennie’s Pie” in my family and we’d all know what you meant. This is the simplest pie I have ever made and the result is a fantastically sweet and nutty pie with…
Dear Family, I will miss you this Christmas…
I have never been away from home for Christmas. I know, for many, that is more comon than not. I have always listened to the words “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me…” And felt sorrow for those who cannot be with their loved ones. Service men and women and people who…
Persimmon Cranberry Bread
‘Tis the season for bread! Savory, sweet, crusty, crumbly or cakey… Gimme! The women in my family gathered each year for “candy making day”. It was definitely candy making, BUT there was a massive amount of bread going down! I mean a couple hundred five inch loaves. They were machines, I tell you! The classics…
Pumpkin Thai Curry Soup
You want soup? I’ll give you soup! I knew the minute that I began to prep the pumpkins that I would be making soup with some. I knew I wanted it to be sweet and a bit spicy with Thai flavors. What I did not know, was that it would be SO stinkin’ easy! Seriously…
Perfectly Mashed Potatoes
You all must be wondering why I see fit to post about something as simple as mashed potatoes. I mean, don’t I know that everyone knows how to “mash” potatoes? Well, I have experienced less than amazing smooshed spuds and I’m here to set the record straight. Cool your heels, people! Stop trying to reinvent…
Holiday Roasted Brussels Sprouts
When the Rock Star and I started dating, he had a serious aversion to Brussels sprouts. I mean, making gagging sounds and the whole bit. Turns out his mom, like so many others, had ruined him for a myriad of vegetables by serving them as boiled to mush, flavorless nightmares. It wasn’t until I put…
The Swearing Mom's Guide To Life 