Elizabeth Obsesses...

From the "Christmas No" file In our family, I take our holiday photos using a timer and a tripod.  We all get a big laugh as I count backwards from ten while running to make it into the shot in time.  But getting the perfect shot is a lot harder than just making it in the photo.  In fact, it can be really, really hard to get all six of us in the shot, and looking forward.  To get all six of us to smile and not blink is nothing short of a miracle.  And if someone happens to have an aversion to Santa hats, it makes my job that much harder.   As I went through the photographic gold at the end of the day today,  I made two files.  One for "keepers" and one called the "Christmas No" file.  These are some of my favorites from this year. From the "Christmas No" file Sometimes I ask the kids to do something dangerous to get the perfect shot.  As you can see from my youngest Amanda on the right side of the photo, she thinks she might be 50 f

Transform Mason - Wide Mouth Frog Lid Inserts I love the taste of fresh herbs, and use them in just about every meal I make.  Thankfully, most of my herb garden hasn't perished with the frost, and I'm still able to enjoy them.  During the Autumn, when I'm not quite sure how much longer my herb garden will last, I like to cut big bunches, and store them inside until I'm ready to use them.  I have found one of the best ways to keep them fresh is by using the Mason Jar inserts by Transform Mason .  Click below to read more.

French Onion Soup Caramelized onions have got to be one of the greatest inventions on Earth.  Seriously, I wonder what culinary disaster must have been happening at the exact moment when it was discovered that these slow cooked onions were, in fact, not burnt but had transcended their typical mundane existence and achieved greatness previously unknown.  Click below to read more.

Raspberry-Cranberry Sauce It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the cranberry sauce, right?  My mother made cranberry sauce every year for as long as I can remember.  I always loved the color, but didn't care for the taste. It made no sense because I really wanted to like it, ya know?  But no dice.  Still, I tried just a little taste of it every single year of my life.  And guess what?  About 5 years ago, it occurred to me that this stuff was actually really good!  In fact, it's fantastic and now I can't live without it!  It only took a few decades, but it finally happened.  I became a cranberry fan girl.   Click below to read more.

Chicken and Slippery Dumplings Dumplings.   The word can be traced back to the 1600's in print, but was surely around long before that!  While there are many different techniques for making dumplings, their purpose was obvious.   They were invented solely to fill hungry bellies cheaply.    The fact that they're still around is just a testimony to how tasty they are.  In fact, every country in the world has some kind of dumpling as part of it's cuisine.  From Afrikan Fufu to Scandinavian Klubb, these meals all consist of rolling or dropping some type of starchy dough into some boiling liquid.  Click below to read more.

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer A few weeks ago, my wonderful husband bought me the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer of my dreams, and it isn't even my birthday!  For years , I have longed for this mixer.  With a bowl capacity of 6 quarts, it's can hold up to 14 cups of flour and can hold batter for up to 13 dozen cookies. Truth be told, I have owned a "Heavy Duty" Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer for well over 10 years.  I have made hundreds of dozens of cookies, cakes, and breads in it over the years, and it has never let me down.  The only "problem" I have with it is that it has a capacity of 4 1/2 quarts.  With the amount of cooking I do and the size of my family I just wanted something bigger in terms of both power and capacity. He bought at Costco and I couldn't wait to get it home and open it!  However,  there was a problem.  The bowl has tabs that fit onto pegs to facilitate the bowl-lift.  The tabs were about 3/4" off, and wouldn't line up with the pegs

Homestyle Beef Stew Beef stew is one of my favorite cold-weather dishes.  In addition to rich beef stock, fresh herbs and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon make this dish even better than the beef stew you remember from childhood.  It's sophisticated - but not so much so that the kids won't eat it.  In fact, my kids race one another to be "first in line" to fill their bowls.  Paired with some rustic bread or biscuits, and you have a hearty meal that warms you up from the inside.  Click below to read more.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Let's face it, while most people love creamy homemade macaroni and cheese, not everyone wants tomatoes in theirs.  Some people prefer ham .  Others, bacon .  The point is, the possibilities are endless!  Knowing this, and the fact that kids love any kind of " build your own"  bar,  I've been known to make a macaroni and cheese bar for dinner from time to time.  To read more, click below.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting Autumn is my favorite time of year, and nothing helps usher it in better than pumpkin desserts.  Of course, the most famous pumpkin dessert is pumpkin pie .  While I am a big fan of it myself, nothing beats this simple bundt cake that boasts an entire can pumpkin puree.  It's simply amazing.  The cream cheese icing with flecks of real vanilla bean adds the perfect amount of sweetness to this moist, delicious cake.  To get the recipe, click below.