• Cranberry upside-down cake

    When I was planning my Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner menus, I knew I had to have delicious desserts for both… but I didn’t want anything that would require a lot of work. I decided to make a peppermint ice cream cake for Christmas (which was delicious but also a huge mess, so I need […]

  • Cranberry-apple fluff

    You can have your raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. My favorite things run more along the lines of cranberries, green apples, marshmallows and glitter. And this side dish has the first three. Plus sugar and Cool Whip. It’s basically perfect. If you read my old blog, you’ve seen this recipe before, and you […]

  • Cherry-pecan scones

    If you think scones are dry, hard and better suited for use as a doorstop than an afternoon snack… then you haven’t tried these scones. These are flaky, tender, buttery, full of cherries and toasted pecans. They’re perfect for tea, or for brunch, or for anytime you want something delicious.   They’re also easy — […]

  • Gingerbread men and pumpkin dip

    I know the holidays are technically over… but since most of the U.S. is buried under a thick blanket of snow and we’re not even a full week into January, I think it’s still perfectly acceptable to eat some gingerbread men with pumpkin dip. These gingerbread men are pretty easy to make — though you […]

  • Short rib lasagna with celery root béchamel

    A few months ago, my mother-in-law took a cooking class at the Cincinnati Women’s Club taught by a chef from a fancy Italian restaurant in town. She learned how to make a delicious, very gourmet lasagna. Then she made it for us when we stayed with her on our way to Toby’s college homecoming. You […]

  • Poinsettia (cranberry-champagne cocktail)

    I hope you’re getting your sparkles and champagne ready: It’s New Year’s Eve, the most glittery, bubbly, fabulous holiday of the year! And if you have some extra champagne, or if you just don’t like bubbly by itself, you can make your New Year extra pink. We sipped these easy cocktails on Christmas morning, but […]

  • Winter fruit salad

    While I would have been perfectly happy with a bunch of cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I thought it might be nice to have some options, including fruit. And since I almost always make the same fruit salad, I wanted to try something different. This fruit salad is simple to make and perfect for guests, because […]

  • Cinnamon rolls

    When I was growing up, we would be allowed to open one Christmas present on Christmas Eve (before we went to church), then we had to wait until Christmas morning to open our presents. But once we got a little older we started opening all our presents after church (and after midnight, so it is […]

  • Pumpkin-pecan fudge

    Y’all, Christmas is less than a week away, and I haven’t baked a single cookie all month! I am so sorry for the woeful lack of recipes around here lately, and I promise I will make it up to you in the next few days. I decided to start today with pumpkin fudge, because it […]

  • Buttermilk mashed potatoes

    My mom makes the best mashed potatoes. They’re not fancy, they don’t contain carmelized shallots or fresh herbs or bacon bits… just potatoes, sour cream, milk and plenty of butter. So it’s not really a surprise that Toby’s dinner of choice tends to be pork tenderloin, cheese biscuits, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and a […]