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January 11, 2016
At Home with Friends

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Espresso Brownies with Espresso Ganache

These brownies should be marked “For Adults Only”. They are deep, rich, dark chocolate with an intense hit of espresso. There is espresso powder in the brownie and in the ganache frosting. You don’t usually think about a chocolate dessert at Thanksgiving but this is the perfect last bite to follow those traditional Thanksgiving flavors […]

January 7, 2016
At Home with Friends

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Melissa Clark’s Chive Mashed Potatoes

We all know Thanksgiving is fairly labor intensive. Anything you can do ahead is a plus. It never occurred to me that it was possible to make mashed potatoes ahead until I read Melissa Clark’s recipe for Mashed Potato Casserole. I admit I had doubts, so I tried it out a few weeks before Thanksgiving. […]

January 4, 2016
At Home with Friends

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Zucchini Boats Stuffed with Mushrooms & Zucchini

One of the first cookbooks that I ever bought, that I still have, was Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I was living at home, still in school, and my mother did all the cooking. I don’t remember what possessed me to buy the book but I do remember my first recipe was […]

December 31, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Cranberry Relish Two Ways

I am a big fan of Cranberry Relish, not just for Thanksgiving. It’s great on sandwiches and even with Greek yoghurt for breakfast. For Thanksgiving, I make two different versions. The first is really my favorite, with frozen peaches or mango and crystalized ginger. I always made it with frozen peaches until the year I […]

December 28, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Baked Ham with Bourbon Pecan Glaze

My dear friend Dano requested a ham for Thanksgiving. I said what I usually say, “Of course, I’ll make ham for Thanksgiving, in addition to the turkey.” I didn’t tell him that until this Thanksgiving I had never baked a ham. My only memories of my mother baking a ham involved a canned ham decorated […]

December 17, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Dried Cranberry, White Chocolate Chip Cookies

No matter how lavish and enticing my desserts are, I find there is always room for a cookie. I think cookies remind us of our childhood: Cookies and milk, the cookies that were tucked into our lunch box, the cookies made by the school cafeteria, the smell of homemade cookies baking in the kitchen. So, […]

December 14, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Gingerbread, Pumpkin Mousse Trifle

I do love pumpkin pie but I get bored making it every year. Also, the part I like the best is the pumpkin filling which I usually eat out of the crust. For the last few years, I’ve played around with alternatives to pumpkin pie. This year, I tried something completely new: a Gingerbread, Pumpkin […]