July 2010

Curried Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Walnuts

I first had this Curried Chicken Salad at a networking event I attended a couple of years ago. It was so good, everyone wanted the recipe and now it’s a favorite to use for leftover chicken. I modified the original a bit with the addition of some dried cranberries and toasted nuts; they added some [...]

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Lavender Lemonade Martini

My daughter works at Nordstom’s and each year they host a nice dinner for staff for the holidays. After the most recent one last Christmas season, she came home with instructions, “You have to make this lemon lavender cocktail that I had at Beatrice and Woodsley!” It was like a lemon drop martini but with [...]

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Barbecued Baby Back Ribs Throwdown

I’ve been using a grill for a long time; first helping my Dad as a kid (back in the days of cavemen and dinosaur meat) and for many years perfecting a lot of dishes outdoors. I’ve even cooked a turkey at Thanksgiving on my grill! But I had been slow to come to ribs; guessing [...]

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Better than Starbucks Maple Scones with Toasted Pecans

I used to enjoy visiting one of the local Starbucks near me (six that I can think of in a 3 mile radius and TWO in one shopping center!) for meeting a client during the week or a friend on Saturday morning. It wasn’t for the beverage so much; I get whole bean coffee from [...]

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Cilantro Serrano Mexican Rice

I first made this dish to take to a friends Mexican themed barbeque. It is unbelievably good…and the perfect party dish because it’s served at room temperature. I don’t quite remember a dish that I’ve had as many requests for; it’s that good! I had a barbecue last night and I did my own ribs [...]

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Leopold Brothers Tart Cherry Liqueur

I love this liqueur! I recently sampled it at a Spirits tasting held by a local cheese shop and now it’s a sure thing to become a staple in my bar. It’s great on the rocks but my favorite way to serve it is adding it to my ‘house’ sparking wine, Cristalino Brut Cava which [...]

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And we have a winner!

I know I promised I would announce this yesterday but what was I thinking…seems I spaced it was a kind of sort of holiday so here I am today! I appreciate all of the kind comments and the new readers and hope you will stick around and enjoy more goodies I’m sure I will be [...]

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The BEST Coffee Cake Ever

I was having coffee and thinking about what to make for a neighbor when I saw a tweet from The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond aka @thepioneerwoman) that said, and I quote, “The Best Coffee Cake Ever. I say that with confidence, boldness, and crumbs all over my chin” – so of course I was intrigued…I [...]

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