Archive

by Kelly J. Larson When peanut butter and chocolate collide, you have a wonderful Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Who remembers those silly commercials with two people accidentally bumping into each other exclaiming, “You got peanut butter on my chocolate!” And, “You got chocolate on my peanut butter?” The world has changed drastically since then. But […]

by Kelly J. Larson What is a field pea? They aren’t green, for starters. A southern classic, a cool season legume, they grow all over the world and look similar to black-eyed peas. Field peas are the star of this mini farfalle pasta salad, enhanced by freshly chopped parsley, basil, dill and mint, with a […]

by Kelly J. Larson The inviting color combination of this soup with a pale yellow “white” shoepeg corn, gorgeous green chilis, bright white hominy, flesh toned “navy” beans, and flawlessly cooked, diced chicken breast is amped up with freshly sautéed onion, garlic and more. This creamy, chunky meal is ideal for coming home to after […]

by Kelly J. Larson I have fallen in love with Blood Orange Sorbet. It is so refreshing and even exciting to eat. My son, Isaac, has been asking for sorbet every day since I made it a few days ago. He gets very happy over this luxurious new juice form and I actually do too. […]

These little bites went over well at my Valentine’s farewell dinner with our friends, Alicia and Bruce, who are moving soon. Thinly sliced pieces of pork chop topped with a sweet and hot mayonnaise sauce arranged on a Carr peppery cracker, then garnished with cilantro and a Vietnamese or Thai pepper were the perfect introduction […]

This cake is “just right,” as Goldilocks would say. Cakes are often too big and it takes a crowd to finish one off. Until now. I’ve developed the ideal cake size for a little celebration. (I say this like I’m the only person to have ever maneuvered such a heroic feat.) A cake that’s sure […]

Chocolate muffins for breakfast, anyone? How about chocolate waffles? I attended the most fabulous baby shower more than a year ago with an over-the-top waffle bar menu featuring an impressive array of beautifully displayed toppings. Waffle makers in multiple stations cranked out hot waffles for the eager crowd. I chose the chocolate waffle, a first […]

Some day I will make this recipe with real crab meat, which will likely make an exceptional appetizer or snack taste a bajillion times better. Since I’ve always had it with imitation crab and it tastes good, I have not ventured out. (Note to self: Buy the real McCoy next time and just do it! […]

I grew up hearing them called brussel sprouts, but they get autocorrected to Brussels sprouts. I once lived near Brussels and in Belgium, the Flemish way to pronounce their city is “Brussel.” Flemish is the Belgian version of Dutch, and “Ik spreek Vlaams,” which means I speak Flemish. I usually claim to speak Dutch, except […]

Combine a pretzel, a chocolate Hershey’s Hug and an M&M and you’ll transform the trio into a fun and simple Valentine’s Day snack. The only time consuming step is unwrapping all the striped Hershey’s Hugs. Place square-shaped pretzels on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Put one Hug, centered on each pretzel. Bake at 200 F degrees […]