Considering New Year’s Eve is tomorrow, I thought I’d get on sharing our card before the holidays are behind us. Maybe I was aiming for Valentine’s Day? I joked about it on Twitter today in an attempt to conceal my shame. In an attempt to rectify the end-of-the-year disorganization that seems to be controlling me the last two weeks, HERE is our Christmas/New Year/12th Day of Christmas/January card: I’m looking forward to our first full year here on Food for My Family,... more

First, because I was naughty and didn’t say it the day of, Merry Christmas! I hope yours was as joyous and fun-filled as ours. We spent several hours driving through blizzard-like conditions and made it to all of our Christmas programs, functions and events. Now we’re all tucked back into our little house trying to dig our way out of the Christmas aftermath, but it’s a delightful aftermath filled with squeals and giggles from the kids here as they explore the new that has entered... more

Sometimes you need a showstopper.  Maybe you are trying to impress a date with your cooking skills, maybe you need to show up some food snobs at your next dinner party, or maybe you’re just having an old friend over.  Recently for us, it was the latter.  Our good friend Joel hadn’t been over in a while so we thought we’d wow him with my new favorite way to have a steak (that doesn’t require a grill).  The only condition for him was that to earn his meal, he needed to be... more

4-6 tenderloin medallions about 1 1/2 inches thick Kosher salt 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/3 cup cognac 1 cup heavy cream Evenly salt the medallions and roll in black pepper.  Melt butter and olive oil over medium  heat and sear the steaks about 4-5 minutes per side and remove to foil.  Drain off excess oil and butter then deglaze the pan with the cognac.  Ignite the cognac and swirl until the flame goes out.  Add the cream and heat over... more

San Francisco with John Bolten (pictured above with Ole) is behind me, and Operation Christmas Cookie 2009 is underway. Right. Now. My sister is stuck here until it commences…on the 23rd. All right, so I’ll let her go home soon. Accomplished: 6 batches of dough, rolled into balls and in the fridge; pecan teacakes; more gingered orange shortbread and lemon frosted cookies. I still have 2 more batches of dough to make and then, of course, baking all of those batches of dough and dipping... more

Finally, I share my shortbread for all the world to see. You can just add this to the list of things I have failed or fallen short at recently. It belongs right there next to purchasing pants that actually fit my growing 5-year-old and scrubbing my floor. You see, I made and photographed this shortbread late one night before I left for San Francisco. I brought the pictures with me. I even brought the cookies with me. Yet, despite my good intentions, technology interfered. Not only did it take... more

2 sticks of butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup candied ginger, minced 3 tablespoons orange zest 3/4 teaspoon orange extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 10 ounces white chocolate 2 tablespoons sugared candied orange rind Preheat oven to 300° F. Cream butter. Cream together sugar and salt with the butter and then stir in the ginger pieces, orange zest and orange extract. Mix in the flour just until the dough comes together. Form into a rectangular log, wrap in parchment and... more