A Girl's Gotta Eat!

Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes at the holidays. You can enjoy them plain, with gravy, reheated the next day with Cheddar cheese and a hot dog (don't knock it until you try it)… the possibilities are endless. By the same token, though, mashed potatoes can get boring. So when we saw Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes (in the same magazine issue as the Maple Walnut Cheesecake.) There is an option for making it in advance and baking when you're ready, but Mike and I made this the Saturday after Thanksgiving for our "mini Thanksgiving." They were so good, tangy and creamy and so flavorful. We would make them again for sure, but perhaps only half the recipe since there are just the two of us. We don't own a ricer, but a potato masher seemed to work just fine for us. Find the recipe below, or online here . Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes 3 pounds large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch chunks 5 large garlic clo...

I've tried a ton of new recipes recently, but have been remiss in sharing them. This cheesecake caught my eye in the November issue of Food Network Magazine , and I decided right away to try it. The more I thought about it, the better it sounded, so I decided to go for broke and bought ingredients to make it both for the Thanksgiving potluck at work and for dinner at my parents house later that week. It does seem like a lot of ingredients, but it was so well worth it that I would happily make it again. I went home from the work feast with only crumbs in my pan, so I'd say it was a success. You can find the recipe on Food Network website , or I've posted it below. No changes, so have at it! For the crust: 1 sleeve graham crackers (about 9 crackers) ¾ cup walnut pieces (preferably black walnuts) 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Pinch of kosher salt For the fill...

And now for a quick hit in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We already had dinner plans, and limes are in shortage, making it difficult to make fresh margaritas, but I've been in the mood for pink grapefruit (see my birthday cupcakes entry) and decided to Google Grapefruit Margaritas. There are actually quite a few out there, but when I saw this one from the Barefoot Contessa , I was sold. We bought fresh pink grapefruit and juiced them, adding a little bit of powdered sugar to make up for the fact we didn't use bottled. We also didn't have white tequila, so used the gold tequila we had instead.  I do agree with Ina's original post...the salt definitely adds a necessary dimension, so sprinkle some in the shaker if you don't rim the glass. We'll be making these again during the summer...they were so refreshing on the deck! Pink Grapefruit Margaritas 1 lime cut in wedges, optional Kosher salt, optional 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice ½ cup freshly squeezed li...

As usual, we were watching The Pioneer Woman on a Saturday morning over coffee and breakfast. It was an episode where they're celebrating a birthday, and the cake she was making called our names loud and clear: Strawberry Shortcake Cake .  Easter was coming up, after all, and we had volunteered to bring dessert, so what better timing can there be? This is definitely a keeper. It looks more complicated than it is, and was delicious, full of fresh flavor from the strawberries. I wouldn't change a thing; Ree Drummond knows what she's doing! I didn't use quite all of the icing, but that's just personal preference. Hope you enjoy it! First, the shortcake: 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing 1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups plus two tablespoons sugar 3 whole large eggs 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pound strawbe...

Hello again! This is a short one, but I wanted to share now while I was think of it. Mike and I occasionally like to try a new cocktail or beverage.    When were out to dinner with my parents last week for their anniversary dinner (Happy 44 Years, Mom and Dad!), I noticed a Spiced Pear Martini on the menu at Olive Garden. I didn't get one for dinner, but the idea of stuck in my head. I Googled "Spiced Pear Martini" later, and I found a recipe that seemed tasty and easy to whip up.    I would say it tastes more like Christmas cookies than pear, but it's still delicious and very holiday-inspiring. The original recipe places one maraschino cherry at the bottom of the martini glass, but we omitted that as maraschinos are not something we keep on hand, nor would we finish a jar bought for this purpose.   We would make this again, though I think I might look for pear vodka (which I feel certain I've seen before) to see if the outcome would be mo...