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Cauli Cauli Broccoli
What do cauliflower and broccoli have in common? They are both cruciferous vegetables, super-nutritious and best eaten raw. R.A.W. I love raw food. It feels so alive, all crunchy and juicy and electric. Other cruciferous vegetables are radish, land cress, watercress, garden cress, mustard, kale, collard greens, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, bok choy, komatsuna, turnips,…
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Chicken Pot Pie
A friend once told me that one night each winter his whole family gets together for Pie Night. Everyone brings a pie. Some bring dessert pies, others bring meat pies. Pies are so wonderful in the winter. Pies stay warm for a long time and warms the heart all night. Pie Crust This is the…
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Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Roasting is my favorite way of making pumpkin puree. Not only is it the easiest way to do it, but oven heat also preserves the pumpkin’s sweet flavor. A pound is equal to a cup of pumpkin puree. I needed 2 cups of pumpkin puree for my pumpkin cupcake recipe so I picked a 2…
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Halloween Party Food Menu
Every year we throw a Halloween party to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. We have a big family with many young cousins, so that alone makes the parties pretty big. In addition, my daughter likes to invite her whole class to the parties as well. Not everyone comes, of course (whew!) but we usually get at…
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe was passed on to me from my husband’s grandmother, who sent us care packages of her special Pumpkin Cookies every Halloween. Mammie used Crisco Oil and it made her cookies very moist and last for weeks. I used organic canola oil as a healthier alternative, and this makes the pumpkin cookies moist, light…
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Sweet Potato Marshmallow (and how to make Thanksgiving Dinner from Scratch)
Ever since I learned how to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner from my husband’s grandmother, I’ve been cooking and serving the same special meal my family looks forward to year after year. This year’s menu is no different. I keep it simple, but make everything from scratch. The tricky part is organizing and scheduling which…
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How Does Your Garden Groove?
Vacation comes, school is out Summer ends, year in, year out. -Neil Young I can’t believe the summer went by so fast. This summer marks Malaya’s first theatre production. My baby girl is all grown up and onstage! Here is a video (a little over 13 minutes) of their summer camp production of “How Does…
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Farmers Market Finds
Our local farmers market is back! The Coastside Farmers Market at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica, California is the best source of locally grown produce from May through November. Today was the first farmers market day of the year. It was great to see my favorite vendors again. There’s the Indian food stall, the only seller…
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Carrot Cake Pops for Valentine’s Day
My friend Issa made amazing Valentine’s Day cake pops that inspired me to make my own version, using the Carrot Cake recipe for my breadmaker. Here’s how I did it: First, I followed my breadmaker’s recipe book instructions on how to make Carrot Cake. You might remember the disaster the first time I made this.…
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Pumpkin Ice Cream
Ingredients 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sugar 1 15-oz can pumpkin 2 cups heavy cream, chilled 1 tsp vanilla extract Follow manufacturer’s instructions on how to prepare your ice cream maker. 1. Heat whole milk in a medium saucepan until it bubbles around the edges. 2. Whisk sugar and pumpkin puree into the heated…