Hanukkah Recipes
Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes
Light and creamy mashed potatoes can be dairy-free, fuss-free, and utterly delicious. A sprig of optional rosemary adds a little something extra! Do mashed potatoes make infrequent appearances on your dinner plate because they feel like a hassle to make? Or do you steer away from some of the customary ingredients? This spin on…
Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Butter
The heavenly aroma of sweet apples and warm spices fills your kitchen with this versatile fall favorite that can be sweetened to taste. The generous batch freezes well, and you can even bake with it! Maybe you’ve shied away from apple butter because it seems limited to toast and plain yogurt. If those items aren’t…
Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Balsamic Honey Glaze (or just carrots)
Need a healthy, prep-ahead side for your holiday table? This colorful dish has you covered! Don’t have parsnips? Use all carrots. Lately things have been looking rather orange around here. Tis the season, I suppose! Root veggies, winter squash, and Halloween-themed eats provide a golden glow that feels fittingly fall. (For those who are missing…
Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce or Simple Au Jus
Golden on the outside and pink in the middle, a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin will be the centerpiece of any special dinner. The recipe offers a less expensive alternative, as well as tips on how much meat to purchase per person. My husband and I had been friends for many years before we began dating, so I…
Favorite Flourless Chocolate Cake
Decadent and delicious, this flourless cake will be a special addition to any holiday table and is also a good option for those who need a gluten-free dessert. When it comes to chocolate cake, I’ve always preferred light and fluffy over rich and dense. When my husband and I married, I wanted a chocolate…
Chocolate Caramel Matzo Brittle
Sweet, salty, and crunchy, this traditional Passover treat will be a crowdpleaser any time of year! Good recipes have roots in the most unexpected places. Standing on the sidelines of a lacrosse game last year, the grandmother of my son’s good buddy and teammate mentioned a seasonal recipe she likes to make for family…
Cider Baked Apples
The sweet aroma of warm spices and baking apples is matched only by the flavor of this easy-to-make recipe. Enjoy for breakfast with a dollop of yogurt or for dessert with a scoop of ice cream – or anytime in between! Growing up, my family ate apple dumplings for dinner once or twice every fall.…
Easy Scalloped Apples
An easy-to-make alternative to applesauce that can be enjoyed as a side dish, over oatmeal, mixed with yogurt, or even as a cheater version of apple crisp. (Just sprinkle with granola!) The inspiration for this recipe goes all the way back to 5th grade and THE BEST after-school playdates. In the dwindling days of summer…
William’s Habanero Hot Sauce… and a hot sauce taste test
Though we often cheat and hope for no frost (or April snow, as was the case this year), the safe time for backyard planting where I live is always said to begin on Mother’s Day. Ever since my husband and I bought our first house, we’ve planted a garden. There is something so satisfying about…
Beef Pot Roast
There’s something special about the aroma of a roast as it slowly cooks to fork-tender perfection. The savory smell is homey, comforting, and makes me want to curl up on the sofa with a good book. Curiously, I recently read that one’s sense of smell accounts for 75 to 95 percent of a food’s perceived…
Aunt Glenna’s Flourless Fudge Pie
Certain days are easy to remember. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, and Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in May. For my family, there’s another annual occurrence penned in our family calendar for the Sunday before Thanksgiving–The Apple Pie Auction & Variety Show. First Presbyterian of Lancaster—our family church—hosts the evening in the…
Baked Horseradish Carrots
Thanks to the easy horseradish sauce and crisp topping, even those who don’t love cooked carrots have gone back for seconds of this colorful dish. Recently, I conducted an informal poll, asking a dozen or so people what comes to mind when they think of carrots. Bunnies and celery were often mentioned, but so…
