The Groom’s Cookie: Brandon

My cousin Ashley got married a little over a month ago to a really lovely man, Brandon. I was lucky enough to be in attendance and to get to do all the happy crying that entailed. Which, for the record, was a lot.

I love weddings. I unabashedly, unironically, utterly, and wholeheartedly love weddings. There’s so much joy and celebration, so much happy expectation, so much community…

Being able to witness people as they look at each other and say, “You’re my chosen family” is such an honor.

And, let’s be honest, the party that inevitably follows a wedding is fabulous too. Food, beverages, camaraderie; what’s not to love? I was also lucky enough to be invited to this part of Ashley and Brandon’s big day.… Continue reading →

[127] Damsel’s Heirloom Sour Cream Apple Pie

I’m just saying, blame Toni.

So, how did the PIE turn out? And how did I make it?

It turned out delicious! I won’t deny, I was pretty dubious about an apple pie with sour cream in it, but when I poked Toni for advice on apple pies, she mentioned her go-to recipe has cream in it and that baked in dairy often gives an “a la mode” flavor without the melty ice cream.

Well. I wouldn’t NORMALLY be in favor of skipping ice cream, but I knew the judges weren’t going to go for me demanding they not try my pie without ice cream. So why not?

I made the pie by doubling and tweaking the crust for Alton Brown’s pecan pie, and then using it for this particular sour cream pie in The Pie Town Cookbook straight.… Continue reading →

TBWC2C Challenge: Apple-Pumpkin Brown Betty

I’m not quite sure what possessed me to volunteer to be one of the home cooks for Zach and Clay’s Super Awesome Cover to Cover Challenge over at The Bitten Word. I actually almost passed on it. When they first posted it, I could have been somewhere in the first 20 volunteers, I suspect. However, I decided not to, as Bill and I were traveling for most of the cooking time.

When they posted their request for a few more volunteers, I looked at the schedule again. I considered that our vacation rental had a kitchen. And then I said, “Why not?”

Then I got my assignment, an Apple-Pumpkin Brown Betty (APBB). I told Angelique that when I saw the recipe, I was thrilled. You know, in a food hoarder sort of way.… Continue reading →

[121] Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes

Cover of The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

Wow. So, I had memories of making this recipe once or twice when I went to go do it for Thanksgiving. Thus, I was sure I had already posted it to the blog. You can imagine my surprise when I couldn’t find it in the archives, no matter what tags I searched, no matter how much “did I forget to tag it?” searching I did. Basically, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find it on the blog.

I finally found it in the “upcoming recipes” list to the right…

Now, I’m sure, you can imagine my chagrin.

Anyway, better late than never, I suppose. Of course, this means you’re going to get this recipe as if I made it for the first time for Thanksgiving.… Continue reading →

Roast butternut squash the way mom used to make.

Growing up, I loved butternut squash. We didn’t, to my recollection, have it often but I thought it was one of the best things ever. Of course, the way mom made it might have a great deal to do with why I loved it so.

I have a bunch of butternut squash from my CSA lying around, and walking home today, I told Bill that I wanted to figure out how to use some of it for dinner tonight. I also mentioned I want to make some more risotto, to use up our arborio rice, but we didn’t want to combine the two. We’ve made a butternut squash risotto recipe (a “challenge” recipe, even) a couple of times, and it’s never quite right. Which is bad enough, but the recipe makes enough for a small army…

He mentioned we could just roast it, and we’re feeling a bit lazy.… Continue reading →