I think you can tell from the photograph where this delicious treat gets its name!

This creamy and delicious salad was a favorite in my family when I was growing up.  My mom first found it in The Congressional Club Cook Book (8th Edition, 1970) and it has been a tradition in our house ever since.  We usually have this around Christmas time, ,but I think that it makes a gloriously green addition to any St. Patrick’s Day or Easter table, too!

Sea Foam Salad

1 14-ounce can of pears, with their juice
1 3-ounce box of lime Jell-O
6 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 cup whipping cream

Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the pears. You should have about 1 cup of pear juice – if you fall short, just add water until you have 1 cup of liquid. Heat the pear juice in the microwave for about 1 minute. Dissolve the Jell-O in the hot pear juice. Let set until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, mash the pears with a fork and mix in the cream cheese.

When the Jell-O has thickened slightly, whip it with an electric mixer until frothy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold all the ingredients together until fully incorporated.

Chill the mixture in one large mold or in several smaller molds. Chill overnight or until set. Turn out of molds, and garnish with cherries or greenery.

So it’s that time of year again.  Despite the snow that is falling here in North Georgia today, spring is just around the corner. Soon we’ll be doffing our sweaters and opting for tank tops and flip flops.  So maybe it’s time to watch what we’re eating so that we can be fit and trim for the warm months!

Here is a healthy meal that doesn’t feel, taste, or look healthy at all.  It’s colorful and meaty and full of flavor.  The spicy heat of the fish contrasts perfectly with the cool, creamy avocado salad.  And the leftovers make great fixings for a taco night!

Spicy Grilled Mahi Mahi with Avocado Salad

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
4 4-ounce fillets of mahi mahi
2 large, ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1 cup corn kernels, cooked (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your grill or grill-pan to medium-high heat. Brush the fillets with the olive oil and sprinkle both sides with the cajun seasoning. Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked to your desired doneness and nicely browned.

Meanwhile, combine in a bowl the avocado, corn, black beans, red onion, tomato, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Top each fillet with a serving of the avocado salad, and serve immediately.

I wanted to create a really hearty yet sophisticated dessert using some beautiful seasonal pears that I had on hand.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love making up a good crisp or cobbler recipe on the fly!  I thought that honey would be a wonderful flavor to pair with the pears, and with a subtle hint of spices and some toasty walnuts on top, this Honey Pear Crisp turned out absolutely perfect.

Honey Pear Crisp

3-4 large pears, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of ginger
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small oven-safe dish – an 8×8″ square will work fine.

Layer the pear slices in the prepared dish. Dot the top with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Drizzle the honey over the top of the pears.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the butter, the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Use a fork or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pears. Finally, sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbly. Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

So when I went out in search of the perfect recipe for boeuf bourguignon, I knew right where I would start:  Julia Child.  After perusing her flawless recipe, I knew I’d found The One.  I made very few changes to the original recipe, mainly altering a few ingredients for the sake of convenience.

The result?  Boeuf Bliss!!!  Even the husband remarked that it was one of the best dishes I have ever made for him.  The sauce is so rich, each layer of flavor reveals itself to you in turn as you make your way through the dish.  This is no ordinary beef stew.

Boeuf Bourguignon
adapted from Julia Child’s amazing recipe

6 ounces of bacon, cut into 1″ pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lbs. stew beef cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups of full-bodied red wine (I used a nice Chianti)
2-3 cups of beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf, crumbled

18-24 pearl onions, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof, stove-proof casserole (I used a small dutch oven) over medium heat on the stove. Brown the bacon pieces in the oil for 2-3 minutes. Remove them to a large plate using a slotted spoon.

Next, pat dry your beef and sautee the pieces, a few at a time, until well browned on all sides. Remove the meat to the plate with the bacon.

Finally, sautee the carrot and onion in the same pan, cooking them until slightly soft. Remove these to the same plate as the meat.

Pour off any fat remaining in the bottom of the casserole. Return the bacon, meat, and veggies to the casserole, tossing them together with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the mixture, and place the casserole, uncovered, in the oven for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss the mixture again, and return to the oven for another 4 minutes. This step is important because the cooked flour will help to thicken your sauce – yum!

Add the wine to the casserole. Then add enough of the broth to barely cover the top of the meat mixture. Stir in the tomato paste, the garlic, the thyme, and the parsley. Bring the entire mixture to a boil on the stovetop.

Lower the oven temperature to 325. Cover the casserole and bake so that the mixture slowly simmers – you can adjust the oven temperature if necessary. Allow to cook for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is easily pierced with a fork.

When the meat is almost finished cooking, you can prepare the onions and the mushrooms.

For the onions, combine the butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and sautee for about 10 minutes, so that they brown evenly without the layers coming apart. Pour in the stock, add the pepper and herbs, and cover the skillet. Simmer the onions over low heat for 40-50 minutes. The onions will be very tender, and almost all of the liquid will be gone. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.

For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. As soon as the foamy part of the butter begins to disappear, add the mushrooms. Stir the pan frequently as the mushrooms brown lightly – this should take about 5 minutes. Then remove them from the heat.

To finish off the stew, remove the casserole from the oven. Place a sieve over a saucepan on the stove, and pour the contents of the casserole through the sieve. Wash out the casserole so that you can start with a clean slate. Remove the beef and the bacon from the sieve into the clean casserole. Set the onion and carrot aside (Julia says to throw this part away, but it makes a nice snack for later!!!). Place the mushrooms and the onions on top of the meat in the casserole.

Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, skimming the fat off the top as necessary. The sauce should lightly coat the back of a spoon. If the sauce is thin, then simmer it until it boils down and thickens. If it is too thick, then add some extra beef stock. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.

Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Simmer the mixture for about 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes or rice and garnished with fresh parsley. We had ours with buttered egg noodles, and it was divine. Enjoy!

When it comes to pumpkin pie, I’m a pretty traditional girl.  If I’m not making my recipe using fresh pumpkin, then I tend to rely on the trusty recipe on the back of every can of Libby’s Pumpkin.  It’s reliable, easy, and delicious.  From time to time, I’ll amp up the spices in this recipe to make a deliciously zesty pie with an extra special zing!

Spicy Pumpkin Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk (NOT condensed)
Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a deep pie dish with the pastry shell, crimping the edges, if desired.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and eggs until frothy.  Add the pumpkin and stir to combine.  Gradually add the evaporoated milk, whisking until smooth.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie shell.  I like to use foil to cover the exposed edges of the pie crust so that they don’t burn.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then turn your oven down to 350 and continue to bake for 40-50 minutes.  You can test to see when the pie is set by inserting a knife into the center of the filling.  If it comes out clean, then  your pie is done!

Serve warm or chilled, topped with whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Here is a recipe from my Grandma – my dad’s mom.  Most of my recipes from Grandma are simple, but super-flavorful – and this one is no exception!

Grandma’s Cheese Ball

1 jar Old English Cheese
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
4 ounces of bleu cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons onion, grated
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 cup chopped pecans
Parsley, for garnish

Combine the Old English cheese and the cream cheese, blending until completely combined.  Fold in the bleu cheese crumbles, the onion, and the garlic.  Place the mixture in plastic wrap, forming it roughly into a ball.  Chill for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.

Roll the cheese ball in the chopped pecans until completely coated.  Garnish with parsley.

Here is a delicious, figure-friendly soup that will satisfy and comfort you – without breaking any of those New Year’s resolutions!

Veggie-Noodle Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 13-ounce can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
3 cups low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 cup of bowtie pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot,  heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, the carrot, and the celery.  Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, until they are nice and soft.  Next, add the sweet potato, the corn kernels, and the vegetable stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes – or until the sweet potato is tender.

Add the pasta, and return to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer for another 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.  Adjust the seasoning of the soup with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

What better way to ring in the new year, dear readers, than to share one of my very favorite family traditions with you.  Every Christmas, Nanny makes her famous tarts!  They are really a unique little treat: flaky pastry filled with jam and topped with buttery yellow cake.  We usually serve them along side our usual pies for dessert at our big Christmas dinner.  But they are also excellent with a cup of coffee for breakfast, or – my personal favorite – in the afternoon with a cup of Earl Grey tea!

Nanny’s Raspberry Tarts

Batter:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups milk

Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
about 3/4 cup ice water

Filling:
Seedless raspberry jam

First, make the batter.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and the flour and the baking powder.

Next, add the flour and the milk alternately to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the flour.  It usually takes about 3 additions of each.  Beat the batter until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Set the batter aside, and make the pastry.

Sift the flour into a bowl.  Add the shortening, and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

Next, add the ice water.  Sprinkle it all over the mixture and use your hands to work it in until it all comes together in a ball.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll the crust out very thin, to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut the dough into about 3-inch rounds, and fit the dough into your tin the same way you would fit a pie crust into a pie dish!

These are Nanny’s tart tins.  They came from her mother (my great-grandmother) in England.  They really resemble sort of a slightly deeper-than-usual mini muffin tin.  Nanny has always used this old tea cup to cut the crust, as it is the perfect size to fit her tart tins!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To assemble the tarts, place about a tablespoon of raspberry jam into the bottom of each crust.  Then top the jam with a spoonful of cake batter, sealing to the crust around the top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops turn golden brown.  Enjoy!!!

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts all on a summer’s day;
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.
The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full sore
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and vowed he’d steal no more.

-Lewis Carroll

I’ve made this nice cozy breakfast bread several times this season.  A slice of this bread is absolutely perfect with a cup of coffee or tea on a chilly morning.  It is packed full of tart apples, juicy cranberries, and toasty walnuts – with barely enough spiced batter to hold it all together!

Apple-Cranberry Bread
adapted from AllRecipes.com

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup spiced rum or apple juice
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (substitute with cinnamon if you don’t have this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
3/4 cup walnuts

In  a small bowl, cover the cranberries with the spiced rum.  Cover and allow to sit for at least 1 hour (overnight is best).  Drain and discard the liquid.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a large loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, stirring just until combined.

Gently fold in the drained cranberries, the apples, and the walnuts.  Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan(s).  Bake for 55-60 minutes for one large loaf; 40-45 minutes for four smaller loaves.

You may remember my post about my cousin, the Meat Lady.  She is the one who introduced me to this up-and-coming new cut of meat: the flat iron steak.  You can read all the details here, but basically meat scientists like my cousin are finding new ways to cut meat so that you can get a really tender steak without having to pay $15 per pound.  I got the steak here for about $4, and it was more than enough to feed both me and the husband (right around 16 ounces).  The best part, though, is that this steak has the texture, flavor, and irresistible melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of filet mignon.  Pretty good deal, huh?

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Onions and Peppers

1-2 flat iron steaks
Montreal Steak Seasoning (or other steak rub of your choice)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons butter

Preheat your grill to medium heat.  Generously season both sides of the steak(s) with your chosen rub.  Grill the steak(s) on both sides to your desired done-ness.  As I’ve mentioned before, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer for these sorts of tasks.  You don’t want to over-cook your steak!  When it is done, remove the steak to a platter to rest for at least 10 minutes.  This will ensure that your steak maintains its juiciness instead of leaking all the goodness all over the plate.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet.  Add the onion and the bell pepper slices.  Sautee until the onions are trannslucent and the peppers are tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the butter over the steak before slicing, against the grain.  Top with the sauteed peppers and onions, and serve immediately.