Tarragon and Chives

  I love making this pear and ginger quick bread.  The original recipe comes from King Arthurs Flour but over time I have made a few changes.  I always double the original recipe to make 6 mini loaves which are perfect for making ahead, freezing and gifting around the fall holidays.  The mini loaves are moist. dense with pear purée and spicy with bites of ginger.  They are very fall-ish, showing off their pretty deep golden color.   Oh and did I mention the deliciousness, they are full of delicious ingredients all baked into wonderful mini loaves for yourself and your friends. Ingredients and Recipe for Pear and Ginger Quick Breads makes 6 mini loaves 1&1/2 cups sugar 1 stick unsalted butter 2 eggs 2 cups pear purée, about 3 pears, note:  pears can be puréed without peeling, just remove the core and stems and purée in the blender or NutriBullet. 2 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoons vani

  I'm looking for you- red kuri squash.  When summer turns to fall, as the bins in front of my market fill with all the beautiful kinds of squash, like butternut, spaghetti, delicata, acorn, pie pumpkins 🎃  or red kuri, I'm thinking it's time to bake, make soup or pie.  Yesterday I made soup with the beautifully colored red kuri squash, it's so simple and rewarding.  Red kuri squash which is similar looking to a small pie pumpkin, only a deeper orange color, is known for it's smooth texture, buttery flesh and a light chestnut flavor.  I like to roast the squash after I've cut it in half and scooped out all the stringy seeds.  Then after it cools, I just peel off the skin and add it to my soup pot where I've already sautéed a few cups of mirepoix.  I add a cup of dry white wine, like a Pinot Gris and a quart of vegetable broth.  I simmer my soup until all the vegetables are tender and then zap it in my NutriBullet, I love the way it blends soups-all smooth a

  Procrastination is my thing, I had to study in the library when I was in school and once I sat down it usually took me 45 minutes to settle into my routine 📚.   I know that's awful.  I haven't changed, I still like to waste time.  I'm a time waster.  I did however give myself a pumpkin 🎃  facial this morning which has absolutely nothing to do with posting recipes on my blog.  The pumpkin facial smells really good out of the jar and it tingles on the skin for a few minutes, which is what you want.  However, I think I put too much of the pumpkin goo on my face because it smells so good and it's fun to dip into the jar but then it took awhile to wash the whole slimy thing off my face, not thinking that's good.  But, there is no reason I can think of why I shouldn't give myself a facial while I'm procrastinating, also makes my skin feel good. On to the black bean chili 🌶 - when I'm feeling like something healthy for dinner -I think of a bowl of spicy He

  I really want it to be soup 🍲 Weather but it's not.  It's not even 🍪  baking Weather.  Why is Weather capitalized?  I'm deferring to my MacBook spelling bar and if it wants to capitalize Weather -so be it. That's the kind of mood I'm in right now.  I would also like to know why I'm having paragraph issues with my blog right now?  I figured out how to fix the issue but it's always something new that acts up here, why -oh why doesn't anything stay the same?  Now that's a good question for you.  It's hot 🥵  here, let me check my Weather channel app, it's 91 and rising.  I made these vanilla cinnamon macadamia cookies 🍪  last year, they're crispy and good, but I never shared the recipe on my previous blog so here it is on the new one.  I just wish I had a few of these cookies 🍪 to make me feel better today 😂 Ingredients and Recipe for Vanilla Cinnamon Macadamia Nut Cookies makes 4 dozen cookies 12 tablespoons, 1 &1/2 sticks, unsal

  Everyone should have a grandmother who bakes banana walnut muffins with cinnamon sugar and mini chocolate chips, or anything with bananas and chocolate chips.  My grandkids are lucky like that but this time I baked the goods and ended up with a dozen muffins in my freezer which was great because my husband and I enjoyed them a few at a time for breakfast, sorry kids.  I particularly like this muffin recipe so I'm going to share it with all my fellow banana 🍌 baking lovers. Ingredients and Recipe for Banana Walnut Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar and Chocolate Chips makes 12 generous muffins  1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon  1/2 cup chopped walnuts 8 tablespoons or 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature  3/4 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed, about 1 cup 1/2 cup half and half for the topping 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar 2

  Biscotti is a cookie that is twice baked in the oven to be especially crunchy for dunking in espresso or a sweet wine, like vin santo.  I've been making this anise biscotti recipe for years and I think it's my favorite biscotti because I love ❤️ the anise flavor.  A sprinkle of sparkling sugar over the top make my anise biscottis festive and maybe even in the Christmas 🎄 cookie category.   Biscottis freeze really well and make great gifts 🎁  A freezer full of biscottis would make me feel more in control of life during this time of Covid and quarantine, what do you think? Ingredients and Recipe for Anise Biscotti makes about 4 dozen biscotti 8 ounces or 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature  1 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon anise extract 2-3 drops anise oil 2 & 1/2 tablespoons aniseed, crushed 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2  teaspoon fine sea salt 1 egg white, lightly beaten Sparkling sugar for sprinkling

  I'm happy with my dutch oven.  Especially when I open the heavy lid with a rooster 🐓 on top and see  fragrant short ribs braised with red wine, garlic, leeks, carrots, potatoes, thyme and bay leaves reduced to perfection for dinner.  Putting this braise together is quick and easy, slow cook in the oven for three hours et voila!  I particularly like making braised short ribs when the weather cools off, whew.  This Summer has been so hot I feel like enjoying what feels like free cool air.  I have all the windows open and I just love looking at the temperature inside my house, cool 😎  Ingredients and Recipe for Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs with Leeks, Carrots and Potatoes  serves 3- 4 4 meaty short ribs, dredged in Wondra flour, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  2 tablespoons olive oil  4 leeks, white parts sliced in half, rinsed and cut in 1/2" pieces 6 carrots, peeled and sliced 4-6 Yukon gold potatoes, cut in quarters 2 garlic cloves, smashed Thyme sprigs in a bund

  Blue Ribbon Apple Streusel Pie I love apple pie. 🥧  This kind of apple pie was my father's favorite and he's not the only one who loves a streusel topped apple pie.  Like many families,  I come from a multi generation clan of homemade pie lovers and this style of apple pie was always a standout.  Berry and peach pies, lemon meringue pies and pumpkin pies were also favorites.  I could never get into the mince meat pies though.  My grandmother who hunted for deer to make her famous mince meat pies around the holidays used venison neck meat, now that's authentic.  I'm thinking back to those family reunions where pie was always front and center on the dining room table, where it was always time for homemade pie served with a cup of strong black coffee.  I'm giving you this apple 🍏  pie recipe, so now you can bake your own pie, make the pot of coffee and invite your guests.  Oh and don't be afraid to gild the lily and serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  

  Blackened Shrimp with Kale Caesar salad  I have been wanting to make blackened shrimp 🦐 since 2018, just kidding-I'm not sure of the exact date.  I think I've been wanting to make blackened shrimp since my husband and I went to a cooking school in New Orleans and bought a jar of their "Joe's Special" spicy cajun spice mixture.  The spice mixture smelled fragrant and I couldn't find a use by this date stamp on the jar so I figure I'm good to go with the spicy blackened shrimp.  This weeknight dinner could not be easier or more delicious 😋 if you like spicy this is for you. I had the cajun spice mixture in my pantry, but it's easy to find a version of it in your market.  I used about a pound of medium shrimp which is enough for 4 people for a starter or 2-3 generous portions for dinner or my usual favorite- enough for 2 with leftovers for lunch.  Just a note- a lightly dressed kale salad served under the spicy shrimp adds a nice leafy 🥬  cooling gre

 slightly spicy minty marinated Japanese eggplant & over the top crop basil pesto Two Summer recipes and I know it's October  🎃 , but with the smokey 💨  skies and hot 🥵 temperatures, aka: red-flag  Warning ⚠️ end days of Summer I still have recipes to make and share with you.  Japanese eggplants are fun because they're easy to grow and very purple, a beautiful color. I like the way the long slender eggplants hide in their compact little bushes making you lift up their leaves and really search for your harvest.  I like the lushness of the sweet basil plants 🍃and their confidence to grow and grow right up into October.  Tomatoes are basically done and I have one more apple tree to harvest, maybe this weekend. I would make falafel and cover it with slightly spicy minty marinated Japanese eggplant.  I would also make potato gnocchi and smother it with over the top crop of basil pesto, thank you very much. hmmmm.. Ingredients and Recipe for slightly spicy minty marinated J