From the category archives:

Comfort Food

Riesling Chicken & Mushroom Casserole from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Thumbnail image for Riesling Chicken & Mushroom Casserole from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms October 17, 2012

Last Saturday Grace-Marie was having her Autumn Kitchen Casserole Party at the Cooking School at Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach and I was really looking forward to it. I love a good casserole, especially when I have to feed a crowd, like around the holidays. I could hardly wait to see what yummy dishes were […]

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Mushroom Stuffed Duchesse Potato Skins

Thumbnail image for Mushroom Stuffed Duchesse Potato Skins October 12, 2012

Today is October 12th. That means in a couple of days it will be Halloween and a couple of days after that, Thanksgiving, and a couple of days after that, Christmas. Time flies, doesn’t it? So I was thinking about what to cook for the holidays, especially appetizers. I like them because I can make […]

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Simply Made Chicken Soup with Comté Croutons From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Thumbnail image for Simply Made Chicken Soup with Comté Croutons From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms September 19, 2012

I recently got an email from Grace-Marie asking if I would come down to the school and help prep for one of her classes as she was short a helper for her Dinner at Six class. Well, when Grace-Marie calls, I hie. I usually don’t go to the classes at night because there is no […]

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My Mom’s Goulash

Thumbnail image for My Mom’s Goulash June 14, 2012

This whole story starts with me looking at the grocery list on the kitchen counter and seeing that a family member has written MAYO. Well, at our house, mayo is one of the staples that we do not want to run out of. In fact, it is one of the items that I always have […]

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Pecorino Romano Meatballs & Spaghetti

Thumbnail image for Pecorino Romano Meatballs & Spaghetti June 3, 2012

If I was Italian, I might be calling this dish Pasta with Sunday Gravy. But I’m Norwegian, Danish, French and German, so I get to call it the American name, Spaghetti and Meatballs. But whatever it’s called, I had a big craving to make some and eat it all up ASAP. We had a guest […]

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Really, Really Good Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing

Thumbnail image for Really, Really Good Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing April 22, 2012

I rarely crave chocolate. Not my thing. But about a week ago I got this yen for brownies. You know, rich, fudgy, dense, intensely chocolate. So I dug around for this old recipe of mine, and rediscovered it had whiskey poured over it. Whoa, I forgot about that part.  But even better. So I went […]

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Twisted Cookies ~ With Rolled-In Sugar

Thumbnail image for Twisted Cookies ~ With Rolled-In Sugar February 25, 2012

  My Mom and I made Twisted Cookies for the first time in 1959 from a recipe printed on the inside of a cake yeast wrapper. My Mom made bread from scratch, without a recipe, and this tricky and unique recipe using yeast was right up her alley. When I left home and married, this […]

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New England Clam Chowder

Thumbnail image for New England Clam Chowder December 16, 2011

The first time I ever saw a clam, I was about 5 years old, living with my Mom, Dad and little brother in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My father was very into fishing, which a lot of people are in Minnesota, as it is the Land of 10,000 Lakes. However, in this case he had been fishing […]

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Hard-Cooked Eggs on Toast with Béchamel Sauce

Thumbnail image for Hard-Cooked Eggs on Toast with Béchamel Sauce December 9, 2011

The day after Thanksgiving I was perusing the leftovers in my refrigerator, when, gasping with horror, I realized I had three hard-cooked eggs that I had been planning to use in an appetizer, but hadn’t had time to make. Now I had three eggs that I had to use within a day or they would […]

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Cornbread ~ Soft, Sweet and Buttery

Thumbnail image for Cornbread ~ Soft, Sweet and Buttery October 10, 2011

You wouldn’t think a thing as wonderful as cornbread would be something people would be ready to get in a fight over. But I have heard it said that there is something called Real Cornbread, that has no wheat flour or sugar and is baked in a cast iron pan. That is Southern Cornbread and […]

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Baked Eggs with Goat Cheese & Basil-Mint Pesto

Thumbnail image for Baked Eggs with Goat Cheese & Basil-Mint Pesto October 3, 2011

I should never go to a bookstore, because no matter what my original mission was, I invariably end up in the cookbook section. Without fail. I make a stack of all the new ones with beautiful photographs on the cover and find a place to sit where I can look at them page by page, […]

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Tomatillo Albondigas Soup & Two Tomatillo Tales

Thumbnail image for Tomatillo Albondigas Soup & Two Tomatillo Tales August 8, 2011

Tale One One afternoon last week my doorbell rang, which was a surprise, because I wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door and there stood a beautiful young woman with a toddler clinging to her knee, holding a huge platter piled with fresh vegetables. “Hi,” she said, “I’m your next door neighbor and I have […]

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Peanut Butter Cookies & the Gum in Hair Dilemma

Thumbnail image for Peanut Butter Cookies & the Gum in Hair Dilemma July 18, 2011

Ok, ok, I know everybody and their brother has a recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies on their blog, and they’re all pretty much the same recipe, but I want to have it here for myself. My go-to place, you know. Peanut Butter Cookies are one of the four cookie recipes I brought from my childhood, […]

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Banana Date Nut Bread ~ Perfect Comfort Food

Thumbnail image for Banana Date Nut Bread ~ Perfect Comfort Food April 2, 2011

My Mom used to make Banana Bread when I was a kid from a recipe in her Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was dense and good, and we would top it with a spread made of cream cheese and crushed pineapple mixed together. Banana Bread is definitely a comfort food for me, which I have needed […]

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Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Thumbnail image for Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms March 26, 2011

I was really looking forward to my recent visit to Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, because the theme was Italian Cucina Sunday Supper. Grace-Marie grew up in an Italian-American family, so her Italian dishes are always authentic and wonderful. She absolutely fulfilled my expectations with this succulent Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta with a Parmigiano and Mascarpone […]

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