I don’t share soup recipes with you all that often, which—quite unfortunately—has been sending the wrong message, I think. Because in reality, there’s nothing I love more than soup on a cool autumn or winter day. I make some kind of soup or stew or one-pot/skillet meal at least twice a week. And truthfully, I  [Continue reading...]

With soup season at its peak, what better time than right now to set supper on simmer and warm up with a bowl of nutritious minestrone? You can find my favorite minestrone recipe over at The Balanced Platter—I’m a regular contributor. Of course, a soup like this simply wouldn’t be as tasty without a crunchy  [Continue reading...]

I hope you’re not too turkeyed-out from Thanksgiving, because this chili really deserves a place on your cold weather menus. When the first cold snap sends me into my dresser to dig out my favorite bulky sweater and hand-knit scarves, I know that it’s time to pull out the old Dutch oven and get busy making soup. As the snowflakes  [Continue reading...]

Up until a few years ago, I had myself convinced that making homemade chicken broth was a laborious and time-consuming task fit only for professional chefs or diehard home cooks. Simmering and simmering and simmering some more, then straining and skimming and straining some more…the mere idea of homemade broth tired me out. But several years  [Continue reading...]

Last week’s kick-off of A Gluten-Free Holiday Celebration at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs was a blast. If you didn’t get a chance to stop by, I highly recommend you do! I submitted this post with a few tips on staying healthy during the holidays, along with links to some of my favorite healthy seasonal recipes. Yesterday the celebration of healthy food continued at  [Continue reading...]

As promised, today I’m posting the recipe for the flavorful Autumn Harvest Chili I’ve been making the past few weeks. After finally getting a slow-cooker at the beginning of September, I’m eager to give it a workout this fall and winter as I prepare new healthy, tasty recipes. This one is a good start. Serve bowls of  [Continue reading...]

The concept of delayed gratification has always been a struggle for me. I’ve never completely grasped the adage, “Good things come to those who wait.” If I want something now, why can’t I have it now? Over the years I’ve tried to come to grips with the fact that, in life, you simply can’t always get  [Continue reading...]

What I’m going to say in just a few sentences may upset some of you. But please keep reading. Because this story has a happy ending. Here it goes. For most of my life, I didn’t like tomatoes. For you die-hard tomato lovers out there, this may be tough to stomach. But let me explain.  [Continue reading...]

I told you last week that I was going to explore Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Soups this week. I suppose that’s only half true. I just couldn’t hold back from diving into both Madison’s cookbook as well as 5 Spices, 50 Dishes by Ruta Kahate. I ended up creating a recipe that merged elements from both books.  [Continue reading...]

Two weekends ago my farmers’ market reopened for the spring and summer. After browsing the booths on a Saturday morning amidst the rain and wind, I made a pot of this warming soup for supper that evening with the parsnips and potatoes I picked up. For a flavorful garnish, I whipped up some pesto to  [Continue reading...]