Monthly Archives: November 2011

Roll up Pies

Thanksgiving is over. Turduckens have been eaten. No more pie till Christmas. Whew! Now the mad dash to the next holiday.

I mailed my Christmas cards out 2 days after Thanksgiving. I know. . .just smack me now. I have always done my Christmas cards in November. My goal is always to have them out no later than 12/1. This year I did them even a little earlier than usual since I knew there would be a lot to do for Thanksgiving.

Since starting this blog a little over a month ago I have kept it very secret. The thing is that a blog is very narcissistic. It’s me, me, me all the time. And as much as I wanted to muse about my time in the kitchen and share recipes with people, I was nervous about putting myself out there all the time to everyone. I am not that kind of gal. I like to keep my life to myself.

If you are reading this in the week after Thanksgiving  it’s likely you got a christmas card from me. My sweet and supportive husband has been gently prodding me to go public and he suggested I just put the web address to the site in my christmas cards. I decided that was a splendid idea.

So. . . .drum roll. . . ta da! I’ve officially gone public.

Since we are going to make it all about me now,  I’ll give you a little snap shot of my childhood. The Roll Up Pie. This is one of those go to images in my head when I think back on my childhood favorites.

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Orange Cake and a Happy Anniversary to Tim

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, Tim!

Two years ago today we had the most enjoyable wedding on the beach in Florida. It was laid back and just right. I’m so very happy to have married my best friend and an all around wonderful man. I love you, sweets.

And as unhappy as she would be with me for sharing this with the world. . . today also would have been my mom’s 60th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

We lost her 4 and a half years ago. It’s been hard to not have my mom around. Tim and I used her birthday as our wedding date to honor her memory and make her a part of our day. It made me feel better to consider her a part of things for my wedding. I miss her everyday and wish I could be throwing her a huge birthday party for her 60th.

In honor of these two important people in my life, I made mini orange cakes with raspberry filling and orange buttercream.

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Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter

It’s almost Thanksgiving! Can you believe this year is almost over? And can you believe Christmas is right around the corner? Yikes. . .it’s enough to make me want a warm pumpkin biscuit slathered in orange honey butter.

These are part of Thanksgiving dinner in my world this year. They are soft and delicate and the butter is delicious. It’s been a few years since pumpkin biscuits were on the holiday menu so this year I thought it was time to revisit them.

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Mushroom Risotto with Roasted Buttercup Squash

I love risotto. I have been making it for years. . the same basic recipe. It’s one of those things I learned to make really well and made over and over. It was one of the first things I ever made my husband when we were first dating. I’m pretty sure it was one of the things that made him first fall in love with me. After 6 years together it is still the dish he requests when I ask him what he is in the mood to eat. Some couples have a song, but I sort of think of risotto as our food. Unfortunately for him, after making it a zillion times, it is not usually my go to dish anymore. Sometimes I forget all about it for long stretches of time.

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