As I write this post winds are whipping outside my home at the rate of about 60 MPH, the snow continues to fall (18″ and counting), and the wind chill sits at about 4℉.
Yeah….it’s a cocoa day.
Archives for January 2015
Scarlet Runner Beans with Chili Sauce
A couple times each year, once in January and then again in July, I take a very detailed inventory of my pantry in order to cull foodstuffs that have been part of the family for far too long and are in need of either being used or pitched. As I REALLY hate tossing perfectly good grub, January and July tend to be months where new and unusual foods are cooked up in these parts.
Rum Balls
I made a bunch of these little darlings early in the holiday season and kept them in my fridge as a little sweet insurance in the event of impromptu visitors. That’s one of the things I love about the holiday season, people just popping by for a cup (or four) of cheer, perhaps dropping by some treats, but usually just pausing for a bit to say hi and “where the hell did that year go?”.
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Now that most people’s New Year’s resolutions about eating healthier and shelling out for a gym membership have been summarily dismissed, how about we get back to some fun, sugar and fat fueled cooking. I made this little number as a dessert over the holidays – just about mid-binge – and it was a solid hit with everyone at the table. The meal we had just enjoyed was similarly rich (in good holiday form) so I was a little concerned that talk of dessert would be met with moans and pleading from the table that no one could stand to eat another bite.
Sriracha Salt
Just because I've decided to cut back on sugar and fat in my post-holiday diet doesn't mean I've taken all the fun off my table.
Case in point, this Sriracha Salt!
Swiss Chard and White Bean Soup
After what feels like eons of eating nothing but festive cookies and cakes, vats of cream laden vegetables, and a kaleidoscope of well marbled holiday roasts, this week I officially cried UNCLE.
I’ve never been one who went in for New Year’s resolutions, preferring instead to make minor (or major) course adjustments in my life when I feel they’re needed, and have never been comfortable waiting until January 1st of any given year to set them in motion. That said, I’m not looking at my recent dietary makeover as part of a resolution, but rather a bold exclamation point to what has been an unusually rich holiday eating season.
Not sure whether it’s my age, or that this year’s culinary indulgences ran somewhat richer than average, but all I can say is it’s time to stop the fat and sugar train so I can get off before I do permanent bodily damage.