Archive for February, 2009
by TT on January 30th, 2012 | Soups & Stews
Having one person that is vegetarian in our house doesn't make meal planning difficult, usually. When there are four or more of us for dinner, I simply substitute the meat item with a non-meat protein, and everyone is happy. In fact, quite often I make two of the non-meat protein, as I enjoy a good number of vegetarian items.
The tricky times are when there are only three of us dining. It feels more cumbersome to make two different entrées for a party that small. Our of deference to our vegetarian, I make a meal that is vegetarian and (hopefully)
by TT on December 9th, 2010 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Soups & Stews
With the cool fall weather turning into cold winter weather, we have spent many weekend days purchasing groceries, canning, and cooking. Early in the fall, we bought a half-bushel of apples and made apple butter and dried apple slices. Between the two recipes, we used the whole bag. It went so well that we decided to buy a second half-bushel and make some more apple items.
In hindsight, purchasing a second half-bushel may have been too much. We didn't need to make more apple butter, as we already had many jars in our pantry. We made a couple batches of dried
by TT on July 7th, 2010 | Recipes, Soups & Stews
It is hot.
That's about all I feel inspired to write at this moment. With temperatures in the high 90s and lots of humidity, the weather is less than comfortable. As my mom (who lives in Florida) explains, I just am not used to these wonderfully warm days. That is true. I like warmth, say 80s, and I can do without the humidity. However, I don't get to pick the weather.
To add to the excitement of the heat, one of my home's central air conditioning units decided this would be a good time to need new parts. The good news is
by TT on March 1st, 2010 | Recipes, Soups & Stews
In the past week, I don't believe I've seen the sun for more than a few minutes a day. Looking at the extended forecast has become monotonous, with day after day showing predictions of snow and rain. Granted, our accumulation has been little to none, but the weather has been dreary. After days of gloomy skies, I decided to warm our home and ourselves with bowls of steaming hot soup.
Reviewing our store of meat in the freezer, I had limited options. We had ground lamb, veal medallions, and chicken wings. Chicken wings seemed like a bad choice, and ground meat
by TT on February 22nd, 2010 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Soups & Stews
So, the last recipe that I'll be posting from our
belated Chinese New Year dinner is the simplest. As I was writing my articles last week, I thought about the order in which I should publish them. I'm glad that I had a moment of clarity and considered how hectic Mondays can be and saved the shortest recipe for last.
Mondays are busy due to the nature of my job, but this Monday is extra busy. First, it is February break, which means that I have a 12 and 13 year old hanging around the house, and although they understand
by TT on January 7th, 2010 | Recipes, Soups & Stews
For our family Christmas celebration on Saturday, my husband made a beef roast. Even though we had a dozen people for dinner, there was plenty of leftover beef. So, what better to do in the winter than make soup?
For the kids I made a simple veggie-beef-noodle soup. For us that sounded way too bland and boring. And as their afternoons were filled with practices and they needed to eat earlier than us, it was the perfect reason to make two pots of soup. With no wrinkled nose ingredients to avoid, the obvious choice was French onion soup.
I have made French
by TT on February 11th, 2009 | Healthy Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups & Stews
With soup typically served once a week during the cool months, it is easy to become bored with this dish. However, to reduce repetition, a different family member gets to choose the soup each week. With several different taste preferences, this helps to encourage creativity and new flavors.
This week, our 12 year old was tasked with choosing our soup. He started to fall back upon one of his favorites, corn chowder. However, I have made that soup already this winter and wanted him to think a little more. To help him with his decision, I told him to choose an
by TT on February 10th, 2009 | Restaurant Reviews
Ending a weekend in the mid-Atlantic area, my husband and I traveled to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. With a couple hours until our flights at BWI, we decided to get some lunch and tour the harbor.
After walking the harbor and enjoying the unseasonably warm February air, we decided to have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. We had dined at one in Palo Alto almost a year ago, so we were prepared for the portions.
When we entered the restaurant, it seemed a little disorganized, with the hostess station placed around the corner from the doorway. Once there, we were asked
by TT on February 5th, 2009 | Breakfast Dishes, Recipes
Last weekend, we had a quiet Sunday morning. Although we were having a few friends over for the Super Bowl later in the afternoon, we had nothing scheduled until then. We had done all of the necessary shopping on Saturday and the prep work for the party didn't need to be done until afternoon. As many of these days don't come our way, I decided to take advantage of the slow pace.
I started the Sunday by vowing to stay in pajamas until noon, at least. I also thought it would be a great day for a leisurely breakfast. I didn't
by TT on February 3rd, 2009 | Recipes, Salads, Sandwiches
Winter continues in New Hampshire. As I write this post, I am watching both snowflakes and temperature drop. With multiple snowstorms and ice storms already occurring, winter feels long this year.
I know, I live in New Hampshire; we are supposed to have cold temperatures and snow-covered yards. If I were to live somewhere tropical, I would miss watching snowflakes glide to the ground and seeing light shimmering on an icicle. However, sometimes it is nice to visualize a warmer climate for a little while.
Last week I decided to bring a tropical feel to our house via dinner. Having bought a
