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jillbcooks 11/20/2009 5:22:00 PM
I am a big fan of hostess gifts—flowers, wine or little treats are my favorites to give for casual get togethers. When invited to someone’s home for more formal meal, a hostess gift is customary. I never expect them, but am delighted when I receive one. The point of a gift is to show appreciation for a host’s thoughtfulness and to “give back” an experience that the host can enjoy later. My favorite things to give are homemade muesli or granola, a book or a plant. My favorite hostess gift that I have ever received was a drawing made by a 4 year old tucked into a frame. Of course it is displayed in a place of prominence in my...
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cookies, scones, truffles, Thanksgiving, danish, hostess gifts, wine
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jillbcooks 11/17/2009 8:00:00 PM
Are you a Black Friday shopper? Up at the crack of dawn to snag unimaginable bargains? I’ve always loved the thrill of holiday shopping and on the day after Thanksgiving, especially. Being out and about, we’d usually catch lunch or dinner someplace, especially if one of us was in from out of town and wanted to go to an old favorite haunt. So, I have only recently discovered the joy of leftovers. As a kid and teenager, I’d rather have pizza than leftovers, but as an adult, I understand the joy of turkey piled on leftover dinner rolls slathered with mayonnaise. When it comes to leftovers, I gu...
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soup, Thanksgiving, turkey ala king, leftovers, Black Friday, turkey
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jillbcooks 11/10/2009 8:37:00 PM
I have to admit that when it comes to food, tradition is my master. The thought of seeking out new ideas for the holiday table has crossed my mind lately, but, to me, it really just feels like deviation from some unwritten plan that I’ve actually already made up my mind to follow.
Growing up, it was turkey at Thanksgiving, a hot and cold buffet on Christmas Eve, and traditional Italian food on Christmas. I realize that my predilections are not shared by everyone, namely my husband, who grew up with a totally different set of family holiday food traditions than I did. Being Jewish, he has no register for what a traditional Christmas is like, so it was through...
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tourtiere, Christmas dinner, holiday traditions, Red Snapper
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jillbcooks 11/5/2009 8:21:00 PM
Last weekend, my husband and I headed off on a day trip to Red Wing, Minnesota to find a bite to eat, window shop and take in the scenery. We stopped into a bakery (well, because I can’t resist small town bakeries) and I was impressed and delighted by a whole display of Halloween breads.
I would love to learn how to do this, especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Check out this funny ...
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bread, sculpture, Minnesota, bread sculpture, Red Wing
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jillbcooks 11/4/2009 6:12:00 PM
Inspired by fellow blogger Catherine (and trying to stick to my goal to eat at home more often), I have been looking in my pantry, refrigerator and freezer as I plan dinners. I try to use up what I’ve got, and I like to look at it as a little challenge.
A few weeks ago we had guests over for dinner, and one of the guests brought beer, which my husband and I very rarely ever drink, so there were a couple bottles hanging around in the refrigerator. It occurred to me that even though I might not drink them, I might be able to cook with them. With the clock “falling...
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Halloween, beer cheese soup, fall foods, comfort food
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jillbcooks 10/29/2009 5:26:00 PM
My husband says I have two superpowers—one is a canine-like sense of smell and the other is the ability to take any food and make it as delicious (and caloric) humanly possible. I have to admit that I am not a fan of no-fat and low-fat preparations. I think of someone like Paula Deen who has an unabashed love of butter, and I think I am not exactly that enthusiastic about my particular predilections, but I at least acknowledge them.
So, I love that Halloween is on a Saturday this year because it offers an opportunity to celebrate the day in a way that time will allow us to indulge...
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waffles, Halloween, candy corn, Paula Deen
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jillbcooks 10/28/2009 5:43:00 PM
After uploading photos to Flickr a few weeks ago, I spent some time exploring other Flickr members food-related photo streams. I came across an amazing set of photos of three dimensional Halloween cookies. I’ve seen 3-D cookies before, like Christmas trees built from a variety of different sized stars. The cookies I saw on Flickr were built from two pieces with matched notches that fit together.
You can buy fancy cutters that have the notch, or use very plain cutters (like pumpkins or round ornaments) and use...
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sugar cookie dough, Christmas cookies, three dimensional cookies, Halloween cookies
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jillbcooks 10/22/2009 5:48:00 PM
There are some polemic topics that seem to divide people. Are you a dog or cat person? A vanilla or chocolate ice cream fan? A slow cooker fan or a cook who scoffs at the thought of cooking in one?
Slow cookers are often associated with homey comfort foods rather than gourmet meals. One of my favorite cookbooks is Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook, which offers more innovative recipes than those that give slow cookers a bad rap. While my husband has a fondness for stew meat, a packet of onion soup mix and water that cooks on low all day long, that is not my picture of a good dinner. If you find yourself avoiding the slow cooker (...
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easy dinners, beef roast, slow cooker
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jillbcooks 10/20/2009 6:16:00 PM
I love fun food field trips. Ben and Jerry’s. Utz Potato Chip factory. Eli’s Cheesecake World. Factory tours are terrifically fun, educational and often very inexpensive or even free. This past weekend we happened to be in Wisconsin and stopped into the Bass Lake Cheese Factory in Somerset. The place isn’t too large, but offers a retail store and tasting room and a great view to ...
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cheddar cheese, macaroni and cheese, butter jack cheese, food factory tours
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jillbcooks 10/15/2009 5:09:00 PM
A couple weeks ago I wrote about how I desperately wanted Russian Tea Cake cookies. I made them on a whim and was very happy to eat them. Strolling through Sam’s Club last weekend, I saw large boxes of Betty Crocker cookie mixes in flavors I hadn’t seen before. Among them? Yes, Russian Tea Cakes. I decided to buy the box and give it a try—it cost about $6 for two mixes in the box.
I was impressed by how easy these mixes were ...
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butter, walnuts, cookie kit, Russian Tea Cakes