Cranberry Granita
· · · · · · · ·

Cranberry Granita

The post introduces a simple recipe for Cranberry Granita, a wholesome Sicilian dessert apt for holiday menus. The creation process is plain and stress-free: prepare ingredients, blend to a purée, sift, freeze, and break up portions. There’s an option to add it to cocktails, including a cranberry Bellini to pair with brunch. The author appreciates feedback on the recipe and shares an accompanying Pinterest pin for easy reference.

Pumpkin Spice Blend
· · · · · · ·

Pumpkin Spice Blend

Would you believe me if I told you that most of the “pumpkin” flavor you associate with pumpkin spice anything comes from the spice, not the pumpkin? It’s true. Pumpkin on its own has a very mild light and dare I say plan flavor to it. It begs for some warming spices to meet their true potential as the flavors we all know and love.

Best and Easiest Baked Potato Recipe
· · · ·

Best and Easiest Baked Potato Recipe

Today, I thought we could go back to the basics and review a simple skill that every good home cook should master, how to bake a potato.

I know what you’re thinking, why all the fuss about a baked potato? Well, let me start by saying if you’ve ever enjoyed a good supper club/restaurant-style baked potato, you know what I’m talking about. Those baked potatoes with skins that are irresistibly golden, and crispy with a satisfying hint of crunchy salt in each bite. The insides are perfectly light, fluffy, and steamy, ready to enjoy with a melty pad of butter, a dash of fresh chives, or maybe loaded up with all of your favorite toppings. If you’ve had that, then you know what the fuss is about. If not, trust me when I say it’s worth the extra time needed to make the potato.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
· · · · · · · · · · ·

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Let’s cozy up with a bowl of warm, butternut squash soup. Butternut squash and cool weather go together so perfectly. This soup is so cozy and the spices just warm you up even more.

My butternut squash soup is versatile. It can be ultra creamy or chunky depending on how you want the soup to be. Either way, it’s full of complex roasted butternut squash flavor.

This lovely butternut squash soup will round out your fall and winter meals. Serve it with sandwiches, salads, or just some freshly baked bread, throughout fall and winter. Keep the recipe for your holiday arsenal, too. I designed this soup to complement almost any savory meal you want to enjoy.

Can you eat squash seeds?
· · · · · · · ·

Can you eat squash seeds?

Absolutely! All squash seeds are edible. Everything from butternut to pumpkins. All too often squash seeds are dropped into the trash or compost bins. But not only are Squash seeds edible and easy to prepare, but they also make a wonderful, nutrient-dense crispy snack full of things like omega-3 fatty acids, protein, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.

Some favorites include roasted seeds from spaghetti squash, acorn, buttercup, butternut, turban, Hubbard, kabocha, and Delicata squash.

Scallion-Potato Pancakes
· · · · · · · · ·

Scallion-Potato Pancakes

Have you heard of Kartóffelpuffer? The kartóffelpuffer is a traditional German potato pancake that is usually served at Christmas time. Well, this is my mash-up of that pancake with some ingredients from traditional Chinese Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)

This is probably one of my favorite mashups of my and my husband’s cultures, it’s also one of my kids’ all-time favorite sides. I use the basics of the German potato pancake and replaced onions with scallions, then I added fish sauce and mushroom bullion to add an amazing umami flavor.

Summer Recipes and Ideas
· · · · · · · · ·

Summer Recipes and Ideas

Summer is flying by. We’ve been staying close to home this year, enjoying time with our family and taking advantage of what La Crosse has to offer. I grew up in Madison and used summers to travel and see family. So embracing what you have at home is something I hold close to me. I realized as I got older, how much I need to embrace both exploring other places, and appreciating what I have here.