Category: Cooking & Entertaining

This is a picture of some of the side dishes I served at my dinner party on Saturday.  The nice thing about them is that they can all be prepared well ahead of time and served chilled or at room temperature.  They tasted pretty darn good too!  The main part of the dinner was a […]

My favorite moment when I entertain is that magical half hour before the guests arrive and I stand in the middle of the room appreciating how nice everything looks.  The house is clean, the table is set, the flowers arranged, the food mostly prepared, the wine chilling—all we need are the guests.  That moment never […]

No, I am not about to juggle these eggs, but it sure feels like I am multitasking all the time lately! Is it just me, or is this summer simply racing by?  Every potentially lazy, relaxing day turns into a whirl wind of activity by noon.  All I want to do is sit out on […]

We have a plum tree in our backyard.  I am not sure just what kind of plums they are, as they were planted by the previous owner of our home.  What I can tell you is that this plum tree is REALLY happy in our backyard, and for some reason, this year the birds didn’t […]

I made one of my favorite salads this weekend.  I call it Mexican Chef Salad, but I have also heard it called Taco Salad.  It goes together pretty fast and the folks in my family request it often.  Thought I would share the recipe with you. 1 lb ground turkey 1 chopped onion 1 envelope […]

Are you like me, and constantly buy bananas with the best intention of slicing them on cereal or eating them out of hand?  I buy them all the time and love to see them sitting perched on top of the other fruit in the fruit bowl on the counter.  They look lovely at first, all […]

It all started with the new issue of Cook’s Magazine, Summer Grilling & Entertaining.  I picked this magazine up at the grocery store, thinking it might give me some ideas for a dinner party I was planning.  Did it ever.  Like the good Weight Watcher that I am, I decided to begin with dessert. The […]

It has been a busy few weeks.  Between doing a lot of sewing on the weekends and working like a crazy person at my job during the week, I am in dire need of some "down time".  What I am craving is a quiet evening at home.   An evening that involves candles, roses from the […]

My thoughtful daughter gave the special women in her a life a real treat on Mother’s Day.  She invited us all to her garden patio for a tea party!  We spent a delightful couple of hours chatting and eating a most wonderful spread of goodies.  This was a tea party like no other, complete with […]

The past week has been a difficult one, with close family members having health issues, and doubts about the wisdom of following through with some eagerly anticipated vacation plans.   It was with a mixture of relief and appreciation that my husband and I left the house last night to attend a party at a dear […]