Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers!!
Here in the United States, we are celebrating Thanksgiving, the harvest, our families, delicious food, and life in general. This recipe celebrates all of those, fully and simultaneously.
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As much as I love gingerbread cookies, I have to admit that I like actual gingerbread even more. I used to use a wonderful old recipe from Nathalie Dupree to make pans of gingerbread in the fall. Based on that recipe, I developed a perfect muffin that features all the richness and flavor of a classic old-fashioned gingerbread.
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I couldn’t have said it better than my mom did: It’s fall!! It’s time for Pumpkin Bread!
These perfect little guys are the best for popping into your mouth as you run out the door in the morning. Hot out of the oven, they fill the house with an unbelievably comforting scent of apples, spices, and homey goodness. Their edges are ever so slightly crispy, their centers are as moist and light as a cloud. You are going to be surprised by how many you can eat!
Here is a fun mini-muffin recipe that I made with some more ripe bananas I wanted to use up. It is based on my Banana Cake recipe, but I’ve added nuts and spices to make a tender, hearty, cozy morning treat.
My husband loves to cook up some apples around this time of year. It makes the house smell amazing, and his recipe is delicious! It’s great as a snack on its own, as a side to pork chops, as a topping on some vanilla ice cream, or as a sweetener for your morning oatmeal.
My brothers and I calculated it once, and I think we came up with the figure of 85% – we’re 85% Irish. My maiden name has an apostrophe in it, and the only bad part about being married is that I miss my apostrophe. 😉
I like to put together a special Irish menu every St. Patrick’s Day, and a couple of years ago I was inspired to try to re-create the amazing bowl of Guinness Beef Stew that I enjoyed one night in a pub in Dingle, on the west coast of Ireland, when I was studying abroad there. Now it’s become one of my favorite slow-cooker recipes!
Chili is just one of those classic dishes that reminds me of a chilly fall night when I was a little girl. No one’s recipe will ever compare to my mom’s because mom’s chili is the culinary manifestation of comfort and warmth. Mom always serves it on a bed of rice, topped with shredded cheese. It’s just the best.
People often ask me when I became so interested in baking and cooking. I usually say “pretty much since I was tall enough to see over the counter.” But that’s not entirely true, because I used to love to pull a stool up to the counter in the kitchen to help my mom with whatever she was baking.