There is something delightfully wonderful about puff pastry. It’s flaky and tender, satisfying and comforting. Puff pastry reminds me of France, for its similarities to croissants … It’s fantastic. If I could, I would eat it daily. But it’s also quite caloric, and I don’t think my waistline would ever forgive me. Still, for holiday parties (whether it’s these winter holidays or another holiday through the year), it’s fantastic for h’or deuvres.

One great party food idea: Puff pastry tarts. You can either do it the traditional way in a tart pan or make freeform ones like these. Slice each one into eight rectangular pieces before serving and you have a lovely pre-dinner bite (or cocktail party bite). Mix up the fillings … there are so many possibilities.

The tarts you see here are of two varieties. The first is Simple Roasted Butternut Squash with a mix of sliced havarti cheese and grated parmesan. It had a wonderful sweet-savoriness to it. The second tart is more of a dessert tart with sliced fresh pears, blue cheese and caramelized onions. It’s absolutely addictive and decidedly sweet. I could have eaten the whole thing myself … but of course, the kids liked it too.

What’s your favorite tart filling? Share!

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Butternut squash represents a very rare class of foods for my household: it’s a vegetable that my husband loves. Really, those are in short supply. But our traditional way of making it — with sweeteners to make it candy-like, that is — gets a little old. So lately, I have been trying to find new ways to cook it.

The interesting thing is that butternut squash takes on a whole new and different flavor when you season it simply with salt and pepper. In fact, when cubed it becomes quite versatile. This recipe can be used as a side dish. Or, you can toss some of it with pasta. Or, cold leftovers can become a yummy salad topping.

Don’t you love a dish that has so many possibilities? I’ll be sharing another way to use this squash tomorrow. Be sure to check back. Read the rest of this entry…

Saturday was going to be a busy day. I knew that before I went to bed on Friday. Will had a birthday party to go to. We had plans of getting a Christmas tree (which didn’t happen … who knew that tree sellers would close before 7 p.m. on a Saturday, two weeks before Christmas. Sigh.). There was cleaning to be done and organizing. But I woke up wanting scones in a bad, bad way. So I made them anyway.

The interesting thing about scones is how unbelievably easy they are to make. You sift (I use a wire whisk – it makes sifting a breeze), beat and stir a little. Then you pat it all down and slice the dough into wedges. It takes 10 minutes, max.

But I have to admit, scone dough can be a little confusing. It’s dry and crumbly in a way that can make you so uncomfortable. You can’t help but wonder if it’s really moist enough to bind together. Even as someone who has made scones in the past, I find myself wondering if it’s just not going to work this time. But the key is to trust – trust that the crumbly dough will hold together once you pat it down and cut it … and really. It will.

I used to only make drop scones – the ones in perfectly deformed mound shapes. The first scones I ever ate came in that shape, so I stuck with it. But honestly, wedge shaped ones are just easier, especially if you use a pizza cutter to slice them. And the wedge shapes are so pretty too.

And one last thing: if you think scones are dry, spit-stealing little hockey pucks, then you’ve never had a good, just-made scone. Sure, they do get that way after a few days. But freshly baked, the crunchy outside gives way to a soft, warm interior. They aren’t sweet like a muffin, instead taking on a more biscuit-like flavor that’s enhanced with the shots of sweet and tart from the mix-ins. With coffee, a scone is just divine.

See also Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins.

Honestly, I blame my slight obsession on the Meyer Lemon Scones on In Good Taste. They got me thinking about buttery, rich, soft but dense scones … and I just had to have them. Not that I regret it. I love these scones … and they are perfect for Saturday mornings, even if it’s a busy one. Read the rest of this entry…

One of my favorite things to do every holiday season is to make tons and tons of treats to give to my friends and family. I literally spend days baking, and love every second of it. I typically will place each type of treat in its own treat bag and then put them all into a larger basket. But there are many ways you can package things for smaller and larger gifts.

Here’s a few ideas:

Boxes/Tins

Use for brownies and cookies. Wrap them in parchment or place in a sealed bag before putting into the box or tin. This is best if you are giving one type of treat. (Shown: Ikea, $2.99 for a set of three) Read the rest of this entry…

Sometimes, you taste something – just a little bite of it – and it blows you away. That was the case with this dish. It was rich, buttery even (although there is no butter in the recipe) and absolutely mouthwatering. It was one of those things that the kids devoured so fast that I did a double take. Really, it was just that good.

The fish itself? It was good and had a nice flavor. That alone? Not amazing. But the pan sauce that you drizzle over everything? That was what made it spectacular (insert fireworks here).

I used thin wild-caught cod fillets that were on sale at my local grocery store. I served it with Basmati Rice Medley from Trader Joe’s (love that!). It would go really well with a side of roasted broccoli. This meal — including rice and a veg — can be made for well under $10. High flavor at a low cost? Love it.

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Let’s talk comfort food.

Comfort food brings us to that warm, happy, good place, the one where we feel safe and warm and loved. It’s food that reminds us of happy times, or just warms us on a cold, wet winter day.

Today definitely falls into that cold, wet winter day category. Although late last night my weather source was predicting maybe two inches of snow, we woke up today to no school and six inches of heavy snow outside. And it’s been raining. That makes this day perfect for a warm, comforting soup like this one.

I love pureed soups like Potato Leek Soup and this one, especially when the weather is like this. They are easy and filling and taste so good.

This soup starts with some sweet onions, cooked in olive oil until just soft. (Psst! See the photo? I was attempting a motion shot of onions sliding off the cutting board into the pot. Apparently I need more practice on that one.) The onions are mixed with carrots, butternut squash and an apple, for a little sweetness. Then, it’s all boiled in vegetable broth, seasoned and pureed down until it’s smooth.

As for the taste, it has notes of pumpkin pie (which I adore) and of good mashed squash. It’s savory, with a tinge of sweetness. It’s just divine. I served it with some salted crispy shallots on top and that totally made it an OMG for me.

And the kids? They loved it too. As Will said, it’s a win-na!

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It’s really hard to believe that I went for so many years without ever tasting a single sweet potato. My mother didn’t like them, and by extension neither did I. As far as I can remember, I think I had my first one at about age 19 in the fry form (cause seriously, anything in the fry form has to be good, right?).

Since then, I have discovered that I adore the naturally sweet and moist flesh. It’s just so good. And sure, the traditional casserole is delicious, but it’s the sweet potatoes themselves, seasoned and roasted, that I really love. And as luck would have it, Shawn and our kids do too.

I’m fortunate to have a very adventurous eater in Will, who’s now nearly four and a half. He’ll try absolutely anything, and has even been the catalyst for me trying a few new things (anchovies? those were Will’s idea). Paige tends to be less adventurous on her own, but she adores her big brother and will eat anything he does.

What’s great about this recipe is that it’s really quick and easy to make. Prep takes just minutes and it’s out of the oven in about a half hour. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Do you have kids? What kind of eaters are they (adventurous, cautious, etc)? Share in the comments!

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It goes without saying that I love me some dessert. Pie? Yes! Cake? Absolutely! Cookies and brownies? Oh, yes please! But that love does absolutely nothing for my waistline. (Or anyone’s, for that matter.) Frankly, most desserts are filled with calories and fat. Not a good thing.

Good news though, there are lighter desserts you can indulge in now and again. Made with the right ingredients (think high nutrition, low-bad-stuff), it’s possible to make a tasty, satisfying dessert without ruining that great workout from earlier.

These Chocolate Cereal Bars fit that bill. They are as easy as can be, with just five ingredients (full disclosure: this recipe is a riff on the Crispy Rice Treats recipe on the marshmallow bag). Choose a cereal that works for you, preferably something unsweetened or lightly sweetened. For the ones pictured, I used Cheerios Multi-Grain. Delish!

Do you have a favorite light dessert? Share in the comments! Read the rest of this entry…

As an experienced blogger (I’ve been blogging here for four years!), I think more about the timing of topics when posting now. I didn’t used to. When I first started, I wrote about what I wanted to, no matter when it was. After all, I can’t be the only one who still makes some Christmas treats a few days after Christmas. Right? But honestly, although writing after-the-fact recipe posts about seasonal items might help some people, it really helps more people if I post earlier so that it can benefit the maximum number of people.

It was with that thought that I wondered if I should save this post for closer to Christmas or even next Thanksgiving. But these enchiladas were really good. I love enchiladas but absolutely hate the canned enchiladas sauce. If you’ve never had enchiladas with homemade sauce (which is super easy to make!), then you are totally missing out. I swear. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind this leftovers recipe, even though Thanksgiving was a full week ago.

Speaking of which, surprisingly, I ended up without an excess of leftovers this Thanksgiving. At least of the turkey variety. Of what was left, I gave some to my guests, made a Shepherd’s Pie and used the remainder to make this dish: smoky, rich turkey enchiladas with a zing at the end. These aren’t spicy per se, but they do have some heat at the end.

Are they kid friendly? That depends. I think Will would happily eat these with some avocado, but I think Paige would scoff at the heat. Does your child appreciate a touch of heat when it’s tempered with a cooling bite? If so, then they will probably enjoy this. Otherwise, keep it for the adults.

Hey, it’s okay to have an adult-friendly meal sometimes too, right?

If you are out of turkey, don’t worry, you can make these with leftover chicken too.

Do your kids like a little heat? Share in the comments!
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Gosh, I love these meatballs. Made with ground turkey, which is a little lighter in calories, they are filled with flavor and bathed in a sweet-savory sauce. Over rice, the whole concoction is just awesome.

The first time I made these meatballs, Paige was a newborn who counted her age in weeks. She was tiny and sweet. A few weeks ago, we celebrated her second birthday. Now, she is a sweet and fierce little girl. Doesn’t time fly? It feels like yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital. Sigh.

Back to the meatballs. I came across this recipe recently while looking through my archives and realized that it’s been a long time since I made it. So long, in fact, that Paige has never had it. Knowing that Will, Shawn and I love it, I made it — and Paige loves it too.

I can’t tell you how fast Will and Paige cleaned their plates … and that’s a big thing. We don’t belong to the clean plate club here, instead insisting only that the kids eat until their bellies are full and they’ve tried a little of everything on them. So clean plates? That’s a good and significant sign.

Now, I know the ingredients list is long. But I swear, it comes together quickly and has a ton – a TON – of flavor. As for the special ingredients: rice vinegar and fresh ginger. Rice vinegar can be substituted with a mild vinegar, if it’s not something you normally use. As for the ginger, do buy fresh. It costs pennies for a small nob.

Earlier this year, I picked up a good tidbit about fresh ginger from Melissa D’Arabian of Food Network’s $10 Dinners. When you purchase fresh ginger, peel the whole thing right away. Then stick it in a resealable bag and freeze it. It will last a long time and be easier to grate.

Don’t you just love little tricks like that? I do!

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