This Smoky Pumpkin Turkey Chili is total fall comfort cooking. It combines the mellow flavor of pumpkin with a bunch of warm flavorful spices plus a smoky kick of chipotle pepper. This chili will warm you right up on a cool fall evening. In fact, I think this would be a great dish for a…
Winter
Cottage Pie
This cottage pie is a rustic and homey one-pot meal. It’s filled with beef and vegetables in a rich gravy and topped with a thick crust of buttery mashed potatoes. A very old kind of dish, dating back to the 18th century British Isles (when the potato was just being introduced there), the cottage pie…
Irish Stout Beef Stew
If you’re looking to serve something other than the usual corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, this Irish Stout Beef Stew is a delicious option. Morsels of tender beef, and chunks of sweet carrots in a rich gravy with a slightly malty flavor – so good! And even if you’re not a beer…
Braised Red Cabbage with Pears
Braised red cabbage is one of my favorite side dishes – especially when it’s chilly outside, and I need a vegetable dish to accompany a hearty meal, like a roast or some homemade pierogi. It’s also a beautiful, colorful dish that’s perfect for any holiday table. This recipe is one that I wrote for Capper’s…
Meyer Lemon Pie – a Seasonal Winter Dessert
I adore citrus fruits in the winter. I mean, with all of their vibrant orange and yellow and pink colors, they just look and taste like a bit of much-needed sunshine. And as luck would have it, most citrus fruits actually are in season all throughout the winter months. So right about the time I…
Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joes
It’s been a few years now since it occurred to me that fulfilling my craving for a good, old-fashioned Sloppy Joes sandwich doesn’t necessarily involve opening a jar of premade sauce. I mean, what’s a Sloppy Joe but a sandwich with cooked ground beef (or other meat), plus some seasoned tomato sauce? But it did…
Kielbasa and 15 Bean Soup
I love soup and I also love beans. But soup with beans? Perfection. In the case of this soup, I used a mix of 15 beans (because I couldn’t choose just one kind!) and added some veggies and a bit of smoky kielbasa. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with this soup – frugal, filling, and oh-so-tasty….
Key Lime Snowball Cookies
I come from a long line of Christmas cookie makers. Like my mother and grandmother before me, the holidays awakens an urge in me to bake – I am talking dozens and dozens of cookies. December inevitably turns into a cookie avalanche around here. Luckily, cookies make great gifts. I give them to the neighbors…
Stocking the Winter Pantry
Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been in the process of cleaning and reorganizing my pantry, and stocking it up for the remainder of fall and the upcoming winter (including the holidays.) I confess it’s a real chore. As much as I try to keep my pantry tidy and neat, it inevitably turns to chaos. Bits of this…
Autumn Butternut Squash Salad
I’ve been busy this past week working on my Thanksgiving menu. I typically have the usual Thanksgiving staples on the menu – turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc. – but I also like to change it up a little every year with some different sides and desserts. One thing I always try to include is some…