White Bean and Pasta Soup

Tina15 Comments

Did you survive your food coma yesterday?  What is it about Thanksgiving that makes it socially acceptable to shove your face with food?  Perhaps it’s because there is so much delicious food served in one day.  Yes, let’s go with that. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling guilty about all the calories that I consumed yesterday.  I suppose I could have done worse.  I made apple pie (coming to the blog soon!) and I only ate it for dessert.  I say “only” because I could have also gobbled it down for breakfast, pre-dinner snack, or pretty much just taken a …

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These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Tina4 Comments

I’ve been in the kitchen a lot lately.  That is, A LOT more than usual because of all the holiday cookie baking going on over here!  🙂  Since my kitchen tools are working overtime, I thought this might be a good time to give them the spot light that they so well deserve.  Plus, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite things with you. Measuring cups and spoons.  A few years ago my husband bought these measuring spoons from the King Arthur Flour store.  In the beginning, he used them exclusively, while I continued to use my …

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Butter and Jam Thumbprints

Tina14 Comments

Flour is my nemesis.  It seems like every time I set out to bake something tasty I have a nasty fight with the flour.  I don’t mean I end up wearing it or it gets all over the kitchen, I mean I’m always left guessing how the recipe I’m looking at happened to measure the stuff. These cookies are a great example of how everything can go wrong in a matter of minutes.  Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic, but when you follow the recipe and end up with sewer cap sized cookies instead of what you expected you get …

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

Tina40 Comments

Guys, meet the best cheesecake in the world.  Cheesecake, meet the world.  Have I had every cheesecake in the world to know that this is the best?  Nope, but I’m that confident. Why do I love thee?  Let me count the ways… One.  This cheesecake has the perfect texture.  It’s creamy and dense, but not overly so.  When you prepare the batter, make sure all the ingredients and especially the cream cheese are at room temperature.  This will help give you a smooth velvety texture. Two.  I can finally make a cheesecake without cracks on top!  “We never think this would happen for …

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Carrot Vichyssoise

Tina15 Comments

One day I’m drinking frozen beverages to keep cool (on vacation) and the next day I’m eating hot soup to keep warm.  Wow, that messes with me. I am trying to adjust to anything colder than 85 degrees F weather (I miss Turks & Caicos).  Plus, it’s freakin’ cold out, yo!  Sorry, about that.  I’ve been channeling my inner hip hop ever since bumping into Coolio at the JFK airport on the way home from vacation.  I was totally freaking out inside.  We exchanged smiles but I wasn’t brave enough to strike up a conversation or ask for a photo. Anyway, one …

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