Never Forget these Pecan Bars

Pecan Bars

Potato Chips, fruity and hard candies, twirly sugar sticks, chewy caramels, salty pretzels and raw nuts were not my childhood friends. Among the most offending taste were raw nuts. The taste of peanuts are what I image wood to taste like, but I love peanut butter. And, I will never understand people’s obsession with salted sunflower seeds as they spit speckled shells onto subway train floors. Then there’s the pecans. They’re a different nut.

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Parade.com: Snow Day? Get Cozy with this Hearty Celery Root and Ricotta Frittata

Celery Root and Ricotta Cheese Frittata

For those of us who live in the Northeast and other wintry areas, the year started out delicious… and frigid as we were hit with a snowstorm. The subways ran local (slow), schools closed, and most area businesses shut down. In our house, we had enough food from New Year’s Day (we enjoyed eating this Black-Eyed Pea and Kale Salad with Chickpea Vinaigrette) to have a relaxing, do nothing-type of day, in which no one had to cook. Read more

Parade.com: Earthy and Citrus Meyer Lemon Muffins

Meyer Lemon Muffins

One snowy and freezing day, in which outside temperatures hovered around 10° F, my apartment was filled with a clean lemony and early spring, floral smell of Meyer Lemon Muffins. These aren’t super sweet muffins mimicking cupcakes. They have an earthy flavor from wheat flour, flax seeds and chia seeds as the glaze sweetens the muffins with an extra lemony taste. As temperatures continue to rise and extremely fall (in some places below 0° F), the taste and smell of these Meyer Lemon Muffins reminds us of early spring gardens as we watch snowflakes dance outside our windows.  Read more

Parade.com: Clementine and Rosemary Quick Bread

Clementine and Rosemary Quick Bread

Thanks to Cuties, they delivered a crate of clementines to my office. Each one was easy to peel, had almost no seeds and they’re full of Vitamin C. After a few were shared with coworkers, the rest were taken home and pureed in a food processor to be stirred into a quick bread flavored with specks of fresh rosemary. A day after the bread was made, we toasted slices in the oven, peeled a Cutie Clementine and made a pot of green tea. It was healthy and juicy afternoon snack.  Read more

Parade.com: Blackeye Pea and Kale Salad with Chickpea Dressing

Black-eye Pea and Kale Salad with Chickpea Vinaigrette

We went dessert crazy at Thanksgiving. The Holiday office party served extra sweets and more weight was gained. There was plenty of champagne on New Year’s Eve, and we woke up to the realization that the dried black-eye peas weren’t soaking. A crazy dash for the grocery store was made for collard greens, and the produce shelves were bare. If Southern tradition of eating black-eye peas and collard greens are strictly followed to bring good luck, a dismal year could happen.  Read more