Gardening That Grows With Me
My family prefers pecan pie over pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and our gathering is too small to make two pies. I, however, love pumpkin pie. For a fall Saturday dinner I decided to give in to the pumpkin craving by making a pumpkin cheesecake parfait. While not a low-sugar dessert, this parfait recipe is not… Read more »
This recipe is based on Alton Brown’s chicken piccata recipe from his chicken thigh YouTube video. I’m writing the ingredients and steps here (simplified) so I don’t have to watch the video for the 9th time! INGREDIENTS 6-7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 cup flour 1-2 t freshly ground black pepper salt, as needed to… Read more »
These Boursin cheese and onion puff pastry appetizers are perfect for a cocktail hour or party. They’re simple to make but look and taste like something you’d order at a restaurant. I made these for our Saturday evening cocktail hour, and they were a definite keeper. Using store-bought puff pastry made preparation easy, and I… Read more »
The first time we had a French Gimlet, we did a taste test, comparing it with a Gin & It. We really didn’t care for the Gin & It, which is basically a gin martini made with sweet vermouth. That makes sense, since we are not fond of martini’s or all alcohol cocktails. The French… Read more »
I think the first true cocktail I ever really liked was an Aviation. I’m not counting the Vodka Collins I drank proficiently (prolifically?) in university, which was mostly spiked lemonade. Our version is made with Empress Indigo Gin, a popular choice for giving the Aviation its beautiful purple colour. INGREDIENTS 2 oz indigo gin ½… Read more »
I went back and forth on choosing one final gin cocktail for our 1930s-inspired cocktail party and settled on the Clover Club. Dating back to the early 1900s, it fit the vintage theme, while offering guests another sour cocktail that was a little more approachable than some of the stronger classics. It has a beautiful… Read more »
When I decided to host a 1930’s inspired cocktail party, one of the drinks I wanted to include was a Bee’s Knees. Then we visited Spirit of Niagara Distillery in Niagara-on-the-Lake and loved the Lavender Bee’s Knees on their cocktail menu. While there, we picked up a bottle of KVAS Lavender Jasmine Syrup, also made… Read more »
This was a fun one in our house. The first time we made a Sidecar cocktail we made it with Hennessy XO (Extra Old) cognac because that was what we had on hand. It was smooth and bold at the same time. When planning our cocktail party, we thought that the XO might be on… Read more »
I have loved The Thin Man movies since I was a teen, watching them on Bill Kennedy at the Movies on WKBD. So when I decided to throw a cocktail party, I was inspired by Nick & Nora Charles and the 1930s. The Nick & Nora Glass Since becoming interested in making cocktails at home,… Read more »
This is my fourth or fifth try at making candied pecans that taste buttery and sweet but are still crunchy like the Costco candied pecans we can no longer get. I ended up using eggs whites, a small amount of melted butter and mostly white sugar to keep the crisp texture. Ingredients 1 lb (450… Read more »