I love maple syrup. Yes, I love it drizzled over pancakes and waffles—but I also love baking breads, muffins and cakes with it and glazing carrots, squash and ham with it. This time of year, when baking and roasting take over the kitchen, maple seems to be a natural for me. And, I do mean natural, for I am talking about the real deal—not the pseudo syrup. [Read more…]
Every food has a story. It is a story of family and friends who gather in love, and the story etches a connection that transcends miles and generations. Remember the earliest family dinner you can—hidden way back in your memory and you will discover you can almost taste it. Can you smell the meat roasting or the cake baking? For me, I can almost taste the syrupy (no runny) golden peach preserves that dripped off my grandma’s biscuits and I can still smell the pot roast that my mom made nearly every Sunday. [Read more…]
‘Tis the season and one that I adore–apples, apples and more apples. They are everywhere and seem to be multiplying quickly. The crisp, sweet taste of a red jewel or the sensation of cider on the tip of your tongue produces life long memories.
It was fun to reminiscence about days gone by and share the recipe for Stephenson’s Apple Fritters on the Kansas City Chowtown Blog. Be sure and check out my new favorite spot for delicious cider and cinnamon sugar apple donuts on the Kansas City Chowtown Blog. Once you have cider and apple butter in your stash, I hope you will consider making these Apple Cider Cupcakes. We shared these on our blog before, but they definitely have earned a repeat performance. We have served these sweet morsels at many a public event with rave reviews. [Read more…]
Kathy and I continue to pinch ourselves when we think about our whirlwind trip to London. It was spur of the moment and as we already described, we had an incredible time.
We were walking and exploring Notting Hill with our hosts and they suggested we grab lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Recipease Cafe. Well, ok, you don’t really “grab” anything in Europe, but we did stop in and explore this remarkable cooking shop paradise and enjoyed lunch, too. It was one of those lunches that will stay forever in my mind’s scrapbook of food experiences.
I had an avocado sandwich with the following description:
Smashed spicy avocado £6.95V
Avocado, Worcestershire sauce, toasted London bloomer bread & cherry tomatoes.
Add outdoor-reared streaky bacon £7.95
It was the perfect antidote to calm my nerves from travels, presentations and new adventures.
As I have blogged about before, lunch is always a challenge. I decided it was time to recreate that tasty avocado sandwich and since I have discovered the perfect old world bread, it was a snap. No more lunchtime blues.
2 ripe avocados, peeled with seed removed
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes
Cherry tomatoes
1 or 2 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, optional
2 slices old world bread, toasted
In a small bowl, mash avocados with Worcestershire sauce. Add red pepper flakes.
Spread onto toasted bread fairly thick. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes or crisp bacon.
It is chili season. No doubt about it. Just this last weekend, while in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, at my family—the Ensminger family –reunion, we enjoyed chili while the wind howled and snow accumulated on the slopes. [Read more…]
