A Dash of Nutmeg

Preztel Salad

2012-05-31T17:00:00.000-04:00

If you recognize this dessert by its photo but not its name I won't be surprised. In all my years of attending picnics I have heard at least 4 different names for the epitome of summer desserts: pretzel salad, strawberry pretzel salad, pretzel squares, strawberry pretzel squares; and I'm sure the list goes on from there. (I'm still not sure why we call it pretzel salad... there is really

Pumpkin Muffins

2011-11-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

Just in time for your Thanksgiving festivities I have for you an amazingly simple and delicious recipe for pumpkin muffins that are also quite versatile. You can make them plain, with nuts, or with chocolate chips (as pictured above) or whatever else your heart desires (dried cranberries, anyone?)! Ingredients 1-15oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling) 1 box angel food cake mix 1

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Zucchini and Meatballs

2011-09-27T16:30:00.000-04:00

I was at the grocery store over the weekend picking up a few things when I noticed a sign in the dairy aisle marking a *NEW* product. Philadelphia had come out with a new flavor of Cooking Creme. I had never tried the stuff before but the Tomato & Basil flavor gave me an idea. I love having pasta with a nice creamy sauce, but it's a pain to make at home on a weeknight when I am looking for

The Best Stuffed Mushrooms EVER

2011-05-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

You may think that I am exaggerating with the title of this recipe, but trust me when I say that I'm not. These really are the best stuffed mushrooms you'll ever have. I needed to make an appetizer for a dinner at my local fire department earlier this week and stuffed mushrooms was one of the first things that popped into my head. I knew that I wanted them to be a little spicy since they were

Apple Blackberry Pie - Pi Day 2011

2011-03-14T13:59:00.003-04:00

Happy Pi Day once again! Pi (3.14) is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, and it's a super important number to mathematicians and scientists alike. Sometime in the 1980s people began baking pies to mark the occasion. Most importantly, Pi Day is another reason to eat lots of yummy pies. Here at ADON this is our third Pi Day celebration, but I've been involved in

Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese

2011-03-09T17:30:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for a gourmet macaroni and cheese to make at home then have I got the recipe for you. I have combined two of my favorite creamy cheeses with mushrooms, shrimp, and crunchy panko breadcrumbs to create a decadent macaroni and cheese that could easily be served in a restaurant! Ingredients 1 box shells (or your favorite pasta shape) 8-oz sliced shitake mushrooms 1 medium

Chili

2011-02-16T16:30:00.002-05:00

One of the foods I always crave around this time of year is chili. During the freezing winters we have here in upstate New York it's great to come in from the cold and warm up with a nice big bowl of chili. I know that sometimes people put some crazy things in their chili - I entered this recipe into a Chili Cook-Off this week at work and there were entries with beer, wine, and even

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

2011-02-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

Looking for a great last-minute recipe for Super Bowl Sunday? Don't worry, I've got you covered with this easy and tasty pasta dish inspired by a classic football food - buffalo wings! Ingredients 1 pound box of pasta, cooked and drained 2 medium chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 1/2 onion, chopped 4 slices bacon 1-1/2 cups blue cheese dressing 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce 1 cup shredded

Roast Beef

2011-01-25T17:10:00.003-05:00

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. My grandmother used to make it after church on Sunday afternoons when I was growing up and every time I make this it reminds me a little bit of my childhood. Thanks to some shortcuts that my mom discovered this recipe is also quite simple. Ingredients: 1 2-lb beef roast (I usually go with chuck roast, but pick your favorite) 1 packet

Gravy

2011-01-25T17:00:00.002-05:00

This is my standard recipe that I use for pretty much any gravy I make. This recipe was passed down from my mom (and possibly from her mom) and it's one of the first recipes my mom ever shared with me. It's also incredibly easy, which is a big plus. We use it every year on Thanksgiving with our turkey and every time we make roast beef. Ingredients 1/2 cup flour 1 cup water stock, or juice

Collard Greens

2011-01-05T16:30:00.001-05:00

One night last week I was roaming the produce section looking for something different to have with dinner when I stumbled upon the collard greens. I've never cooked these before, I thought, but I know my husband loves them, so why not give it a try? So I bought a bunch and headed home to find a good recipe. I found one on the Food Network's website from Sandra Lee that looked promising but I

Sweet 'n Spicy Barbecue Sauce

2010-12-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make. As much as I complain about my grandmother's habit of handing down recipes that use vague quantities like "some" and "a bit", I'm often guilty of cooking the same way. There are some recipes that I have perfected, but a lot of times I play around with the proportions of ingredients while I'm cooking. This is especially true when I'm making sauces or marinades.

Honey Cookies

2010-12-09T10:00:00.024-05:00

Nothing is quite as wonderful to me during the Christmas season as Christmas cookies. They have this magical ability to take me back to my childhood. On my mom's side of the family we usually had two kinds of cookies: the usual cut-outs that so many people know and love, and these honey cookies. The recipe came from my mom's mom, who is Finnish. This is the only Finnish food I can ever

Turkey Potato Salad

2010-12-02T08:00:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite foods to have as leftovers after Thanksgiving is turkey. Between turkey soup, turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, and turkey salad there's a lot of options, but this year we had so much turkey leftover that I was almost getting tired of it, as hard as that is to believe! Luckily inspiration struck and I came up with this twist on turkey salad that also helped me get

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2010-11-10T16:00:00.003-05:00

There are nights when I don't mind spending an hour or more crafting a delicious meal for my friends and family. Tonight is not one of those nights. I want something yummy to eat and I don't want to spend much time making it, so I go into my brain and pull out one of my semi-homemade recipes that I can throw together quickly. It's getting chilly here in the northeast so I think I'll go for

Tilapia en Croute

2010-11-03T17:00:00.002-04:00

In case you're new to the terminology, "en croute" is a fancy way of saying that something is cooked in a crust. Just like "en papillotte" (in a paper envelope), this is a great way to cook fish because the juice is sealed inside a pouch and turned into steam so you will end up with a flaky, moist piece of fish - yum! Ingredients 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed 2 pieces tilapia 6 medium-sized

Kiwi Peach Rustic Tart

2010-09-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

This summer I have been in the mood for some new and different fruit combinations. It all started when I had a dessert at my favorite restaurant with strawberries and peaches in it. I started to wonder what other fruits could be paired with peaches, and this rustic tart with kiwis and peaches in it is my favorite answer so far. Ingredients: 2 ripe peaches 2 ripe kiwi 1 teaspoon sugar 1

And the winners are...

2010-09-17T10:40:00.003-04:00

Before I get to announcing the winners I want to thank a bunch of people. First I need to thank all of my wonderful sponsors who offered up some really amazing prizes for my Blogmania giveaway. In case you haven't had a chance to visit them all yet, here's a list: Mi Mama's Chile Wine Country Chef Modern Stella Boutique chabias Nunda Mustard SilverService Chef hstoneware sweetnaturedesigns

Blogmania is Here!

2010-09-15T00:01:00.009-04:00

I hope you're all as excited as I am because today is a BIG day in the blogosphere! A Dash of Nutmeg is once again participating in Blogmania, but this time it's even BIGGER and BETTER! How does 170 blogs giving away prizes totaling $48,000 sound to you? Pretty awesome, huh? MY GIVEAWAY:Since A Dash of Nutmeg is a recipe blog the theme of my giveaway is Fab Foodie Finds, and because I was

Spam Casserole

2010-05-27T11:00:00.009-04:00

I am well aware that after reading the title of this recipe I probably lost about half of my readership. I know that spam is just one of those things that you either love it or hate it, with no in-between. But for those of you who stuck around, either out of curiosity or because you actually like spam, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at this recipe. My memories on the origin of this

Chicken French

2010-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

Quite possibly one of the tastiest regional dishes I know is chicken french. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that this delicious chicken dish with a lemon and white wine sauce is native to the Upstate New York area. I can't fathom going your whole life without trying this dish! So for those of you who aren't from my neck of the woods, I present to you my recipe for chicken french.

Dressed-up Angel Food Cake

2010-05-07T10:12:00.001-04:00

This year was the first time I hosted Easter dinner for my family. Sure, I've cooked big meals for my family before, but I've never hosted a holiday, so I was a little nervous. Since we had church in the morning I knew I had to come up with some meal options that I could prepare ahead of time and then finish before dinner. The dinner menu was easy. We had twice-baked potatoes and salmon

Blogmania Winner

2010-05-03T08:00:00.003-04:00

Before I announce the winner of my giveaway I would like to thank all of you who worked hard on Friday entering all of the Blogmania giveaways, mine included. I hope all of you who didn't win a prize are planning on coming back on Spetember 15th for the next Blogmania event because I'm sure it will be even bigger and better than this one was. So without furth ado, the winner of my giveaway was

Welcome To BLOGMANIA !

2010-04-30T10:03:00.010-04:00

My Blog is 31 of 123 You’ve arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which, ARE GIVING AWAY A VERY SPECIAL BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY (For One Day Only – April 30th) . We’ve done all the work for you. No hunting or surfing. Each blog will have a number and each new blog link will have a number. These numbers will allow you to keep track of which blogs you’ve visited and

Salmon with a Lemon Dill Crab Topping

2010-04-08T14:15:00.001-04:00

This Easter I decided to mix things up a little bit and serve salmon instead of ham. I love ham and all but my volunteer-firefighting fiancee had a bad experience several years ago when he responded to a barn fire at a pig farm and so now he pretty much avoids ham like the plague. Since this was to be our first time hosting a family holiday meal since we got engaged, not to mention the first