Last month Cindy had a wonderful visit with the great Hôtel Silver collector and dealer, Ginger Kilbane. It’s always a pleasure to visit Hotel Silver headquarters which is nestled in the woods of Connecticut. It’s like a cottage hidden in the forest and filled with silver gorgeousness.
Muffins. Not always the most exciting thing going on in our kitchen, but my family has grown to love them – even the ‘healthy’ ones. As I’ve mentioned before (many, many times) I do my best to offer my children healthy options when it comes to meals and snacks. But I am not a short order cook, and unfortunately we don’t live on an organic produce farm. Also, my kids like cake and donuts and anything that is offered in ‘snack size’. That’s why I am so into these muffin recipes. Lucky for you, I’m sharing our favorite recipes here!
No one can set a table for entertaining quite like Ina Garten. She’s a master at making the table both elegant and comfortable. Sophisticated, yet welcoming you to sit, eat, and stay a while. With some of our favorite food-centered holiday celebrations coming up, we thought it was time for a quick ‘Get The Look’ with an autumn table setting.
Fall is finally in the air!! School and sports are in full swing, so we’re usually home on weekend for the kids’ soccer games, cross-country meets, birthday parties (you get the idea). Lucky for us most of our friends are in the same boat, so we decided to throw together a ‘little’ weekend dinner party. What started small ended up as a party for 16, complete with corn hole (it’s a bean bag toss game) and of course, some of Ina Garten’s great appetizers and side dishes!
During the summer months, we spend as much time outside as we possibly can and because it’s hot outside, our dinners tend to be simpler. This week, we had a few cooler days so I thought I would step out of my comfort zone and try something new that I’d never made before. I flipped through Ina Garten's latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook Cooking For Jeffrey and decided on Roasted Ratatouille with Polenta.
Kids are almost done with school, Father’s Day is this weekend and it’s finally starting to feel like summertime in NY. I thought it would be a good time to share one of our favorite summer drinks – courtesy of Ina Garten and my husband Brad - Jalapeño Margaritas. Brad loves spicy food. Loves it. So years ago, when I first got my hands on Ina’s Make It Ahead cookbook, I was thrilled to find her Jalapeño Margaritas recipe...
One of my favorite traditions in our house is the Birthday Meal. The birthday gal (or guy) gets to pick what they want to eat for dinner on their birthday. And, of course, they get the cake of their choice. For the past few years, my daughters have been really into Trifle cake. Thankfully, this year my daughter Lexi wanted a change so, together, we invented Melted Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. I promise, it’s better than the name suggests and you’ve probably had it before – just never gave it a name!
I love tomatoes. They are by far my favorite vegetable (or are they a fruit?). In the summer it’s a no brainer - the tomatoes are bursting with flavor and I can literally cut them up, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper and eat them right up. In the winter, it’s a different story. Thank you, Ina for your Roasted Tomato Basil Soup – the perfect way to enjoy tomatoes in February!
Since leaving for college, I’ve moved a lot. And along the way, I’m lucky to have collected a ton of recipes from friends and family, neighbors, and acquaintances. Looking through those recipes brings back memories and I always find something delicious that I had forgotten about. The problem? My recipes are a disorganized, cluttered, messy mess and when I want to find something specific, I can’t! Sound familiar to anyone else?
It’s mid-week and my husband has worked late the past few days. It’s just one of those times when cooking a full meal seems daunting, and also one of those times that I’m thankful I have recipes, from great cooks like Ina Garten's How Easy is That, stored in my head! This Baked Lemon & Herb Chicken is my version of Ina’s Lemon Chicken Breasts. Delicious and SO EASY!
