A well-balanced butternut squash soup featuring chowder-like consistency with potatoes, parsnips, fresh sage and jalapeño, all topped with bacon crumbles. A perfect cold weather soup. Our house is rather small. A modest ranch-style home with three small bedrooms, each housing two people. In the hallway you will find a linen closet barely a foot wide and deep, and just to the right of it is the one and only bathroom for the family. It’s the size of a proper linen closet itself, and with two... more

A warm and spiced breakfast just waiting to awaken your senses Christmas morning, with you surrounded by family and a plate piled high with cardamom cream stuffed French toast swimming in gingerbread praline sauce. The gifts already sit under the tree, wrapped and calling to the kids. Only the stockings have yet to be filled. For the first three days they squealed and sorted the piles into the ones with their names. They added bows to the tops from the stash in the wrapping box. Then they wrapped... more

Gingerbread cookies are the quintessential Christmas treat. People from all over enjoy variations of them come Christmastime. Here are a few variations you could try with just one simple gingerbread cookie recipe. I’ve been sitting quietly for a long time thinking about what to write in this space. I had set out to show you the versatility of gingerbread cookies, and I thought I might entertain you with a story. I’d weave a tale of childlike fantasy of a gingerbread boy and the amazing... more

A creamy vanilla and buttermilk custard envelopes a pile of perfectly plump pears, all baked off in an all-butter pie crust. Yesterday my husband and I packed up our car. Not the family car that fits all the kids securely in their car seats, us in the front, but the small commuter vehicle he drives to work every day. We roused Kjell from his bed before the other children were moving in their rooms and drove across the state to visit the Mayo Clinic. As we made our way between the oil refinery, the... more

These savory mini cheesecakes are filled with lemon and dill, baked inside phyllo shells and topped with a bit of lox (cured salmon). They’re perfect for parties, entertaining or as game day snacks. They also make a great late-night snacks when you’re hanging on the couch. Do you ever wake up one morning and realize that time is just flying by? It’s already the middle of January, and yet I feel as though we were just celebrating the New Year. I suppose it’s like anything... more

This steakhouse beef chili recipe is designed to warm you up in the middle of winter. It’s hearty and thick, and the chili works wonderfully with all your favorite toppings. It’s January. It’s cold. Something about the cold, gray days this month always makes me crave soup, but instead of soup, I made chili. The chili of my childhood was actually more like soup. It has a broth, and rather than a tomato sauce, it has tomato chunks. Additionally, like most things in my childhood,... more

Looking for a pick-me-up to kill the post-Christmas blues? These gingerbread pancakes are easy to mix together the night before, just leaving the liquid ingredients until just before tossing on a hot griddle. They’re perfect served with butter and syrup, but add a bit of orange zest and you’ll be in breakfast heaven. I dislike the post-Christmas week. You’ve worked and planned and baked and cleaned, hid gifts and wrapped them with anticipation. Perhaps you even squealed with... more