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The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Blue Cheese Coleslaw “I detest coleslaw. In fact, the whole raw cabbage thing doesn’t work for me. But your coleslaw is absolutely delicious. I think you just changed my mind.” –An e-mail from a … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Blue Cheese Coleslaw appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Old-Fashioned Potato Salad No picnic or backyard barbecue would be complete without good, old-fashioned potato salad. But the thought of having to skin all those potatoes is, um, unappealing (sorry). Well, never fear….red bliss … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Old-Fashioned Potato Salad appeared first on Pict
Reflections: Changes I’ve been thinking a lot lately about change. Change of season. Change of address. Lifestyle changes. Age-related changes. Life-altering changes. So many times, change is seen as a bad thing, a really super scary event that most people … Continue reading →The post Reflections: Changes appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Strawberry Shortcakes Flour on the Apron: “Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.” – Carl Sandburg Family dinners were the center of our household life when I was growing up. Eating was more than just an essential; it was … Continue reading →The post Strawberry Shortcakes appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Prep School: How to Make Whipped Cream There’s nothing like a dollop of whipped cream to add a sweet finish to desserts and specialty drinks. But before you reach for the non-dairy frozen topping or the spray stuff in the … Continue reading →The post Prep School: How to Make Whipped Cream appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Strawberry Fields Salad with Gorgonzola and Sweet and Spicy Rosemary Pecans There are a few precious weeks when locally-grown strawberries make their much-anticipated spring debut at the farmer’s market and I could practically live … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Strawberry Fields Salad with Gorgonzola and Sweet and Spi
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Simple Roasted Asparagus Although asparagus, a member of the lily family, is available year-round, its peak season lasts from February to June. Of the many ways to cook this beautiful springtime vegetable with its … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Simple Roasted Asparagus appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Entertaining: Build a Bloody Mary Bar Nothing says brunch more to me than a Bloody Mary (although a mimosa is a close, close second). And, the way I see it, nothing screams “Party!” more than a do-it-yourself Bloody Mary bar. … Continue reading →The post Entertaining: Build a Bloody Mary Bar appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Easy Breakfasts – French Toast Cooks all over the world make this wonderful breakfast dish the same way: by dipping bread into a milk-egg mixture, then pan-frying until golden brown. In England, they call French toast “poor … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Easy Breakfasts – French Toast appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Mixed Berry Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd Curd Appeal: “This is a special feeling towards fruit, its glory and abundance, is, I would say, universal.” – Jane Grigson My idea of the perfect spring Saturday? Adam and I hit the … Continue reading →The post Mixed Berry Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Easy Breakfasts – Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes Kick off your day the delicious way. Since pancake batter comes together quickly, you can enjoy these blueberry-studded, fluffy flapjacks slathered with butter and dripping with maple syrup any day of … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Easy Breakfasts – Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes appeared first on Pi
Entertaining: Signature Cocktails – Top Shelf Margaritas I’m pretty ticky about margaritas. Although I have been known to choke down a freakishly-green, cloyingly sweet, watered-down travesty at a few local Mexican restaurants, it just baffles me that they serve such … Continue reading →The post Entertaining: Signature Cocktails – Top Shelf Margaritas appeared first on Picture-Perfect
Flat Iron Steak Fajitas Bundle of Joy: “If your parents never had children, chances are you won’t either.” – ***** Cavett I always dread that look on people’s faces when we’ve first been introduced and after a few minutes of … Continue reading →The post Flat Iron Steak Fajitas appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Entertaining: Easy Appetizers – Guacamole While I was compiling the recipes for our appetizer book, I knew one thing: that I had to include guacamole – for several reasons. First, guac just plain rocks. Give me a bowl of that … Continue reading →The post Entertaining: Easy Appetizers – Guacamole appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Beef Tacos with Homemade Taco Shells Nacho Ordinary Taco: “You know how I feel about tacos. It’s the only food shaped like a smile. A beef smile.”-Earl Hickey, My Name is Earl Ah, yes! Tacos! Do you remember eating your … Continue reading →The post Beef Tacos with Homemade Taco Shells appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Taco Shells Today, I’m answering a Food 9-1-1 for a good friend of mine. The emergency? Her husband loves to make tacos, but she says it’s no fiesta since he uses those store-bought kits with … Continue reading →The post Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Taco Shells appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Key Lime Pie Pavlovas A Few Random Things… At the risk of assuming you’re the teensiest bit interested, I’m going to tell you a few things you may or may not know about me/us, only because some people have asked. … Continue reading →The post Key Lime Pie Pavlovas appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Reflections: What Not To Say To Your Wife When She’s… …sitting in the chair at the day spa in mid-process of having her hair restored to its natural, vibrant color: Adam: Hey! You kinda look like Grandpa Munster. Me: [glare] … Continue reading →The post Reflections: What Not To Say To Your Wife When She’s… appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Classic Caesar Salad Ah, yes! The Caesar salad. Pretty much a fixture on just about every menu in every restaurant across America. Even small coffee houses offer them with the always-predictable popular add-ons. (And, … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Classic Caesar Salad appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meal
Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Croutons There’s nothing quite like a crouton to give great flavor and texture to soups and salads. But next time you crave that crunchy addition, why not make your own croutons? It’s incredibly easy to … Continue reading →The post Prep School: D.I.Y. – Croutons appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
French Dip Sandwiches Mother of Invention: “I don’t believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.” – Pablo Piccaso Have you ever noticed how many iconic foods were actually born from happy accidents (or some, … Continue reading →The post French Dip Sandwich appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Entertaining: Signature Cocktails – French 75 While Adam and I were waiting for a table at McCrady’s restaurant in Charleston a few years back, after seeing the very chic lady next to me order one, I, too, ordered a French … Continue reading →The post Entertaining: Signature Cocktails – French 75 appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sweet Treats – Simple French Apple Tarts Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way: I had never made an apple pie in my life until a few months back for the Indispensable Pie … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sweet Treats – Simple French Apple Tarts appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Prep School: D.I.Y. – Apple Pie Spice My sister-in-law once walked into my house and, mouth agape, slowly said as she pointed to my massive collection of alphabetized small jars and bottles, “Look at all those spices.” It’s true, my … Continue reading →The post Prep School: D.I.Y. – Apple Pie Spice appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Better Than McDonald’s French Fries “These are better than McDonald’s!” Adam exclaimed after one bite of my homemade french fries. Not that we’ve stopped by the Golden Arches in probably more than a decade … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Better Than McDonald’s French Fries appeared first on Pictu
Reflections: The Right To Bear Arms This is not a politically-motivated debate. It’s not even about whether it’s my personal prerogative to wear a sleeveless top (different spelling, I know). This is about me and my journey of self-empowerment over … Continue reading →The post Reflections: The Right To Bear Arms appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles Using Your Noodle: “Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter.” -James A. Garfield When I was in middle school, we lived a few miles outside of town on Island Ford Road in … Continue reading →The post Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Homemade Egg Rolls I have a mad crush on Chinese food. Well, good Chinese food, that is – which posed a big problem for me when we moved here from Nashville many years ago. In fact, during … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Homemade Egg Rolls appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Duck Sauce What do chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, tortilla chips and egg rolls all have in common? Sure, they’re all tasty on their own, but are infinitely better when dunked in their accompanying sauces. In … Continue reading →The post Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Duck Sauce appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Jumbleberry Cobbler American Woman: A story about Adam’s mom, her delightful quirkiness, her surprise involvement in a patriotic game of hide and seek and a favorite all-American dessert. I have to say that my mother-in-law, quite the character and eighty-five … Continue reading →The post Jumbleberry Cobbler appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Saucy Baby Back Ribs Sticking to Your Ribs: “Grilling, broiling, barbecuing – whatever you want to call it-is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre and throwing on a piece of meat as a sacrifice to the … Continue reading →The post Saucy Baby Back Ribs appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Fundamental Recipes – Homemade Barbecue Sauce Every time barbecue sauce is mentioned around my mother-in-law, she inevitable responds with this little story: “Oh, I used to make homemade barbecue sauce all the time and my Bill (her … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Fundamental Recipes – Homemade Barbecue Sauce appeared first on Picture-Perfect
Deviled Egg Salad Sandwiches Critical Condition: A story about the disparaging difference of television-watching styles between the sexes and a delicious way to save all those dyed Easter eggs before they expire. When I think about eggs – deviled eggs … Continue reading →The post Deviled Egg Salad Sandwiches appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Strawberry Fool April’s Fool fool (foohl) n. 1. a victim of a trick, etc. dupe. 2. a creamy and fruity dessert with strawberries. A good while back, I received a forwarded e-mail about a man and his wife who were … Continue reading →The post Strawberry Fool appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Entertaining: Tabletop Essentials – Eggcups In addition to glass votives, eggcups are another multi-tasking item to have in your entertaining arsenal. Although they’re not an everyday kind of thing that you’d see in most pantries, they are readily available at … Continue reading →The post Entertaining: Tabletop Essentials – Eggcups appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Apricot-Glazed Ham with Garlic, Mustard and Rosemary Ham for the Holidays This is a story about how something quite unlikely became as much of a fixture at our holiday table as the glazed ham and deviled eggs. Traditions, I think, … Continue reading →The post Apricot-Glazed Ham with Garlic, Mustard and Rosemary appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
In the Studio: Behind the Scenes – Apricot-Glazed Ham Hams can be incredibly difficult to shoot. Not only are there the food styling challenges of getting the spiral slices to fall gracefully and in one piece, but hams are big. … Continue reading →The post In the Studio: Behind the Scenes – Apricot-Glazed Ham appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Carrot and Raisin Slaw with Pineapple and Pecans What is it about some foods we deem “holiday only” that when we make them on these rare, special occasions, after eating them, we think, … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Carrot and Raisin Slaw with Pineapple and Pecans appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Raisins Honestly, this all started with grape tomatoes hanging out in a bowl that were just on the brink of fruit fly infestation. I couldn’t bear to chuck them out (I hate wasting food), even … Continue reading →The post Prep School: D.I.Y. – Homemade Raisins appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Angel Biscuits As a Southerner, I know a thing or two about biscuits. Biscuit-making is some serious business around these parts and each one of us has our own unique style of rolling them … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sensational Sides – Angel Biscuits appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Reflections: This Little Piggy An Interview with Lincoln, The Mini Pig Readers who have been following Picture-Perfect Meals for a while know that I have an unnatural obsession with all things tiny and in miniature form. So, when I saw … Continue reading →The post Reflections: This Little Piggy – Lincoln, The Teacup Pig appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Brown Sugar Salmon with Harissa “Fish, to taste right, must swim three times: in water, in butter and in wine.” – Polish Proverb I wish I could say that I have always loved salmon. But, the truth is, we never … Continue reading →The post Brown Sugar Salmon with Harissa appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Prep School: How to Soften Brown Sugar I love using brown sugar in my baking and cooking. But what I don’t love, despite my keeping it in a glass canister with a tight-fitting lid, is that it can still lose … Continue reading →The post Prep School: How to Soften Hardened Brown Sugar appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Morning Fruit Smoothies I’m a firm believer in breakfast and, for the most part, I alternate my daily morning meal between bacon and eggs and smoothies. On the smoothie days, as the blender whirs and moans, I … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Morning Fruit Smoothies appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Guinness Beef Shepherd’s Pie Guinness Business “My number one choice would be Guinness. My number two choice would be Guinness. My number three choice would have to be Guinness.” -Peter O’Toole on his favorite Irish “food.” This kind of started … Continue reading →The post Guinness Beef Shepherd’s Pie appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
In the Studio: Behind the Scenes – Ploughman’s Lunch The Ploughman’s Lunch photo is a great lesson in the importance of propping. How you choose to prop your photo separates a ho-hum picture from an attention-getting image. Propping is as … Continue reading →The post In the Studio: Behind the Scenes – Ploughman’s Lunch appeared first on Picture-Perfect Mea
Entertaining: Ploughman’s Lunch As much as I love cooking, when I have friends over, I don’t always want to make a huge production out of the meal. It’s not that I’m looking to cut corners on providing food for my … Continue reading →The post Entertaining: A Ploughman’s Lunch appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting 18 Carrot Gold “Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.” -Jim Davis Carrots, those orange-hued gems, have been playing starring roles in baking … Continue reading →The post Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup The Rainbow Connection: “You are more likely to find a pot of gold than the end of a rainbow.” –Irish saying Late fall, about three years ago, I had one of those Stop-In-Your-Tracks experiences. You know, … Continue reading →The post Loaded Baked Potato Soup appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
The Stock Pot: Sweet Treats – Hot Fudge Sauce There’s a quote by Heywood Broun that I adore: “I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream.” I’ll take it … Continue reading →The post The Stock Pot: Sweet Treats – Hot Fudge Sauce appeared first on Picture-Perfect Meals.
