I know we often associate lemonade with Summertime, but given that lemons are in season during the dead of winter, why not enjoy some now? Homemade lemonade is very refreshing, regardless of the weather outside, and is leagues ahead of any powdery mix. And when you add in sophisticated upgrades like Meyer Lemon juice and fresh rosemary from the garden, you’ve got yourself one, outstanding glass of lemonade!
{my recipe for Rosemary Meyer Lemonade after the jump}
My favorite comfort food in the wintertime is a roast chicken. Served with potatoes and gravy, it’s a memorable meal fit for guests too. To celebrate the availability of the sophisticated Meyer lemon, I had to make a variation incorporating this delectable citrus fruit. I hope you enjoy it! Recipe after the jump:
Continue reading “Roast Chicken with Herbes de Provence and Meyer Lemon” »
My most recent discovery is how much I love roasted butternut squash…it’s like candy to me. You may laugh, but it becomes delightfully sweet once roasted in the oven at a high temperature..all carmelized and yummy. This risotto recipe is true, winter comfort food at its best. And don’t let risotto intimidate you…it’s not difficult, just requires attention. Have all your chopping done ahead of time and all will go well. Serve with a crusty bread and a butter lettuce salad for the perfect meal!
p.s. Be on the lookout for more recipes with butternut squash…I can’t get enough of it lately!
Continue reading “Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Mushrooms & Chives” »
Perhaps you’ve spotted these beautiful citrus at the market lately and wondered just what they were and how to use them. They look so fresh and pretty with their stems attached and since we aren’t used to seeing that at a grocery store, it’s easy to be thrown off by their appearance.
Like learning the best way to seed a pomegranate, figuring out the best way to peel garlic is life changing in the kitchen. Suddenly new recipes shift to the top of the to-make pile because knowing how to deal with that one, high-maintenance ingredient is now the simplest task. And I know this to be true because it happened to me…with garlic.
I’m going to share two ways to peel garlic–the first way is ideal for a recipe calling for 1-5 cloves. All you need is this $9 kitchen gadget from Williams Sonoma. It won’t take up much real estate in your drawer and I guarantee its usefulness. Keep in mind this is coming from a gal who does not enjoy a bajillion kitchen gadgets. However, if you’re making something like Ina Garten’s Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, then you have to peek at this short video from Saveur mag. Brilliant!
image via Williams Sonoma
Not all holiday aspirations come to fruition before Christmas, despite our best efforts. But that’s okay…how lucky that New Years Day is just around the corner. I love the French tradition of sending out holiday cards for the new year, and I also love the idea of making edible gifts for neighbors and friends on January 1 as well. It’s a great way to spread the holiday cheer well beyond Christmas.
At the top of my list of edible gifts are salted caramels. I’ve got my candy thermometer rearing to go, packaging procured and yummy French salts in the cupboard. Now I just need to decide which of these six delicious recipes to make…which would you choose?
Recipes below:
Continue reading “Edible Gifts for the New Year: Salted Caramels” »
We are excited to announce the first annual Zupas Blogger Favorites Cookbook…a collection of some of our favorite recipes all in one tidy book. It’s a beautiful book featuring delicious recipes, pretty photographs and great tips for the home cook. The Blogger Favorites cookbook is laid out nicely, the perfect size and reasonably priced. We are proud to offer it in our shop, in our cafes and even in kiosks in local Utah malls (you can also view a handful of pages here). Caroline, Jen, Deborah, Kelsey and myself all contributed recipes and we know you’ll love having so many favorites all in one place. Enjoy!
image via stephmodo
Last weekend I attended a cookie-decorating party at a friend’s home out in the country…such a great idea for a party, right? I can’t tell you how fun it was to participate in something as simple as cookie decorating. Seriously, when is the last time you did that during the holidays? With so many more pressing tasks always at hand, it’s certainly not anywhere close to the top of our priority lists, and that is precisely why it was so much fun to do.
If you’re looking for a delicious sugar cookie that’s a step up from your basic sugar cookie, you’ll likely appreciate these Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies I brought to share…they hit the spot for me!
‘Tis the time of year for cookie exchanges, neighbor gifts, and a party here and there. Wanting to make a great cookie but not in the mood to experiment with 10 different recipes before finding something you deem worthy to share? Well, I’ll save you some legwork this month and share with you a book I recommend year round, but particularly during the holidays.
It’s called Martha Stewart’s Cookies: the Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share and it’s fantastic. Every recipe I’ve tried so far is delicious and there is such a variety of flavors and textures that you can always find something you’re in the mood to make at any given moment. There are crunchy cookies, soft cookies, colorful cookies, simple cookies, fancy schmancy cookies and filled cookies. It’s a one-stop shop for any cookie lover and I highly recommend it!
You can find this book at your local bookstore (be sure to call ahead first though!) or on sale on Amazon right now. Happy Baking!
image by Stephanie Brubaker
My intent today is to save you from consuming another wilty salad…we will have no more of that! Nothing takes the fun out of eating salad more than limp lettuce, so I’m going to share a super easy “how-to” that takes just a few minutes. My husband taught me this simple method years ago when we first married, and I can’t tell you how excited I was to never have to eat a soggy salad again. My world changed in under 5 minutes! Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference and I definitely feel this little trick has done just that.
Continue reading “How to Crisp Lettuce (a.k.a. Saying Goodbye to Limp Salads!)” »
