Bacon Jam with Jalapeño

A zesty spread for breakfast breads or predinner canapés

This bacon jam (you could also call it relish or chutney) makes a great addition to morning biscuits or toast. But it’s also terrific atop a cracker (preferably with a bed of cream cheese or pimento cheese) as a canapé.

Or use it on about anything you can imagine. If you can think of it, it’ll probably be good.

Because bacon. One of our favorite food groups.

Pasta al Limone with Artichoke Hearts

A lighter version of a classic – with a zesty flavor addition

Not up for cream sauce in hot weather? We hear you. That’s why we’ve tweaked the classic recipe for Pasta al Limone (Pasta with Lemon) to create a lighter dish. Our version has all the flavor but none of the heavy stuff.

We’ve added artichoke hearts because they pair beautifully with lemon. The result is a dish that’s quick and easy enough for weeknight dinner. But good enough to serve weekend company.

Time to send out the invitations.  

The Knickerbocker Cocktail

This 19th century drink is kinda, sorta like a raspberry daiquiri

Amber rum, lime juice, and sweetener (in the form of raspberry syrup)? Sounds a lot like a raspberry daiquiri to us. Add a dash of orange curaçao, and you’ve got the Knickerbocker.

It’s one of the older cocktails on record, dating back at least to the 1860s.

And still good after all these years. 

Huevos Rancheros

Spicy, flavorful, and hearty, this traditional Mexican dish is ideal for breakfast, brunch, or dinner

The name translates as “Eggs Rancher’s Style.” It probably originated as a rib-sticking breakfast for ranch hands who needed to fuel up for a day of heavy labor.

We’re not cowboys, so we tend to serve Huevos Rancheros for brunch or dinner.

But anytime you eat this, you’ll want to say yippee-ki-yay.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stir Fry

Quick, healthy, and tasty – an ideal vegan weeknight dinner

When dinner time rolls around on a weeknight, veggie dishes can be a great go-to. Especially if you’ve been eating less than optimally during the day.

This stir fry (aka sauté or skillet dish) is ready to step up. It doesn’t take much prep work and the cooking time is fairly brief. So you can whip up dinner in a jiffy.

That’s our kind of short-order cooking.

Creamy Lettuce Soup

Delightful springtime flavor in a quick and easy soup

Springtime means lettuce at its freshest. Hence this soup.

The name says “creamy,” but that doesn’t mean heavy. We add just a touch of cream (which you can omit if you want). So this is almost a diet dish!

Because if it’s spring, swimsuit season is just around the corner. Enough said.

The Tulip Cocktail

This spring charmer uses calvados (or applejack)

Ah, spring! Balmy days, chilly nights. And the welcome appearance of flowers.

Like tulips. So the Tulip Cocktail would make a terrific springtime tipple, no?

It’s a wonderful mixture of French calvados (or American applejack), sweet vermouth, apricot liqueur, and lemon juice.

The Tulip Cocktail is a bit on the sweet side, but far from cloying – which makes it a delightful predinner drink. Floral, you might say.