May 072014
 

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere Agency has sponsored this post on Johnny Iuzzini and Macy’s. All thoughts and words are my own.

This past weekend was the Kentucky Derby, which is held right here in town. The Derby is a huge event in and of itself, but the entire city parties for at least a couple of weeks ahead of time. Celebrities roll in, charity events are held, and there are lots of associated things to do, also.

Chef Johnny Iuzzini, Macy's Culinary Council

So when I heard that one of the events would be a cooking demo at our local Macy’s, conducted by Johnny Iuzzini, one of their Culinary Council members, I was pretty excited.  When I found out that I’d also get a few minutes before the demo to interview him, I was even more excited.  I’ve been a fan of Chef Iuzzini’s work for quite a long time and I was interested to see what he would have to say. Continue reading »

Nov 162013
 

Thank you to Gooseberry Patch for providing a review copy of their “Hometown Harvest” cookbook so that I could share this stuffing recipe with you.  All words and opinions are my own.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always held at my maternal grandparents’ house.  My grandparents, my great-grandmother, my parents and brothers, my aunt and uncle and their kids, plus any significant others or other guests would all end up split between their kitchen and dining room to share a meal.  The food options were endless and not only was there no chance of anyone going hungry, most of the time there were enough leftovers sent home with each family to provide meals for three or four days.

Since starting a family of my own, Thanksgivings are now most often split between my husband’s Aunt’s house and our place.  Depending on the location the items that I need to make can vary.  This year, for example, we’re guests instead of hosts, so we’ll be bringing an appetizer, a side, and a dessert.

Sourdough Mushroom Stuffing Recipe

Sourdough Mushroom Stuffing Recipe from the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook "Hometown Harvest"

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Sep 102013
 

Thank you to Gooseberry Patch for providing us with a copy of the new 101 Stovetop Suppers cookbook which inspired this spaghetti with homemade meatballs recipe.

I’ve mentioned before that spaghetti is one meal that we have fairly regularly.  It’s hard to get tired of noodles covered in delicious sauce, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and paired with some garlic bread.  I’m not sure if spaghetti is considered a comfort food, but if it’s not, it absolutely should be.

I do usually brown some ground beef or turkey to add to the sauce, and occasionally I’ve even picked up a bag of frozen meatballs to warm up in the sauce.  But for some reason, I don’t recall ever making homemade meatballs specifically for spaghetti.  I’ve made them plenty of times as part of my Mom’s German Meatballs recipe, but that’s it.

Homemade Meatballs Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Stovetop Suppers Cookbook

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Jun 212013
 

Thank you to Goosebery Patch for providing a copy of Game-Day Fan Fare so we could try some waffle recipes.  All thoughts and words are 100% my own.

I’m kind of in love with waffles lately.  Which some (my parents) might consider odd, because I didn’t care for waffles growing up.  I actually didn’t love pancakes all that much, to be honest.  If I had breakfast, I wanted eggs and toast, maybe some bacon.  But in college on Saturday mornings they had a waffle bar and I started to dip my toe into the world of waffles.  I wouldn’t say I was a groupie, but they were on my radar.

But for the last few months they’ve been on my mind more than ever.  So when I saw that they made waffle plates for my Griddler, I knew it was fate.  After weeks of being out of stock, I finally scored a set and have been a waffle-making machine over the last few days.

Waffle Recipes: Canadian Bacon Waffles

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Feb 152013
 

Bubbles’ birthday party is next weekend and I’ve been working on our menu.  Most of the party ideas I found earlier were for sweets and decor; only one of them was for something to go with the meal.  And while Minnie Oreo pops and cupcakes sound delicious, I think our guests might also like something savory.  Appetizers, dips, and finger sandwiches all came to mind as they’re usually easy to throw together and people can graze while they talk and hang out.

My husband makes a great cheesy sausage dip that we often have for family gatherings and tailgating but I thought maybe for this party we’d have something just a bit different.  I don’t want to serve my guests anything I haven’t tried before, though, so for the last few days I’ve been cooking up small batches of dip to sample.  One that I found that I like is the Pleasing Pizza Dip submitted by Jennifer Crsip to Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round.

Slow Cooker Recipes: Pizza Dip from Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking All Year 'Round

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