Happy Halloween everyone!  Halloween has always been my favorite holiday… why?  I think it had something to do with all the candy!  I also like the fun surrounding it – being creative with pumpkins, and coming up with new treats to use up the leftovers.  Pumpkin is food, and I don’t like to waste it! [...]

Here’s a hearty fall soup recipe to warm you up… Potato Leek Soup!  It’s quite simple to make because there are only 2 main ingredients: potatoes and leeks (plus stuff you probably already have in the pantry).  From start to finish, this soup is usually done in less than 30 minutes, so it makes a [...]

Now that Halloween is approaching, store shelves are filled with all kinds of sugary candies and chocolates. (There is a reason why this is my favorite time of year…)  I love chocolate… but right now I’m trying to be a little bit more healthy and not indulge in candy/chocolate ALL of the time.  (Moderation!)  I [...]

At home, I have this old beat up bundt pan from the 1980′s – it has dents all over, and the inside is really scratched up.  Despite the condition of the pan, it was one of my favorites… mainly because it’s one of the first cake pans I used when I learned how to bake [...]

Steak Diane was a popular American dish back in the mid to late 20th century.  This was a pan-fried steak (often prepared tableside) served in a sauce made of pan-juices and flambéed with brandy or cognac.  These days, you don’t see Steak Diane on many restaurant menus… but it remains a delicious way to prepare [...]

Last week, some friends gave us a bag of guavas from their backyard tree.  The guavas were perfectly ripe, and very fragrant… Great timing, as I was planning to make some fall jams and jellies to give away during the holidays! While some guava jam recipes don’t call for added pectin… I think it’s a [...]