Loaded Potato Soup

~ Mary ~
Ahhhh February, it may be the shortest month day wise, but it’s always been the longest lasting in my eyes. It’s the month that winter decides to tighten its icy grip, and we all decide it’s time to hunker down. But this year, this year February has decided to greet us with a full week of weather in the upper 40′s. Honestly, I’m speechless, and I’m still going to have my potato soup, but I might just round it off with a popsicle for dessert! Read more…
Polish Potato Pizza

~ Mary ~
The beauty in this pizza is its classic simplicity – as easy as one, two, three! The potatoes and sausage sing. Read more…
Salmon Crostini

~ Katy ~
If you haven’t read it yet, see what Kevin and Rose are up to every year in Alaska in this post: Copper River Salmon
We are the lucky recipients of the best smoked salmon in the world. Trouble is, it goes so fast that we often don’t get a chance to create anything with it! I was able to abscond with some from Mom and Dad’s freezer and found that simple is best when using this very flavorful treat. The textures and tastes in this were better than I expected, and I’ll be making it again (and again and again). Read more…
Citrus Turkey Brine

Those are sage leaves tucked under the skin.
~ Katy ~
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We celebrated Thanksgiving this year, and then we celebrated Christgiving or Thanksmas again a couple of weeks later. The reason? Our Newlyweds were coming to Minneapolis from Antwerp, and we figured that since Niki hadn’t had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we should definitely make one. Then, we figured, since it’s so close to Christmas, let’s do all the decorations, cocktails, gifts and cheer of our traditional Christmas. So, we did! Our waistlines may not thank us, but we sure had a great time! Read more…
Polenta Triangles with Peppers and Gorgonzola

~ Katy ~
Last year, when I had to eliminate all good things from my diet, the most difficult to give up was cheese. Oh, how I loooooove cheese! After 5 months without it, I’d lost 30 pounds and felt much better. Now that I’m able to eat it again, I’ve got to be a bit more selective about it. So, I’ve started new recipes that call for a bit less of it but enough of very flavorful varieties that it stretches the cheesy goodness. This is one of those recipes. Next time I make it, I’ll add fresh herbs to the polenta and probably increase the amount of Gorgonzola. This was a unique and delicious appetizer that is convenient, due to the fact that it’s finger food which is perfect for passing at a cocktail party. Read more…
Onion Rings!

~ Mary ~
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‘Tis the season for decadence and how often do you even get onion rings? Go on, get yourself a big vat of oil, fry some up, and pair it with one of these delectable burgers.
Cranberry, Caramel and Almond Tart

~ Mary ~
I can’t believe I’ve neglected telling you about this festive dessert. It’s so wonderful, I’ve made it twice in the past month! I found it years ago on Deb’s site Smitten Kitchen and finally got around to making it. If you want the full story, do click on over. As always she gives a thorough explanation of everything and the reasons behind why to do steps a certain way. Yes, she is amazing! Read more…
Swedish Tea Ring

~ Patty Story/Recipe ~ Mary Photos ~
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I have been making Tea Rings every year since. I made them for family, friends and neighbors. On Christmas Eve Day we’d make the rounds giving them out. It’s become a family tradition. We like to serve them warm, by candle light, on Christmas Eve. Then again on Christmas morning. Our Christmas wouldn’t be complete without them.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Read more…
Triple Ginger Cookies

~ Mary ~
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Every holiday season at the store I would mix up a great many batches of several different types of cookies and sell the dough. I sold a lot of cookie dough! It really made cookie baking for the holidays extremely less stressful, since you could buy the dough in advance and store it in your freezer until you were ready to bake them. Read more…
French Silk Pie

~ Katy/Story ~ Mary Recipe/Photos ~
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My first “real” job was as a waitress at Baker’s Square. Oh, the pies! We would often get to take pies home at the end of the night shift, because they only served fresh pie. You can imagine how popular I was with my family. We had French Apple Pie, Fresh Strawberry, Lemon Supreme, Strawberry Cream Cheese, Pecan, Cookies and Cream pie, and all of the fruit pies, but my favorite was French Silk. Taking that home was an extra special treat. It was perfect, because it froze well, and I could take a few of them home at a time. Smooth, chocolatey goodness with just the right amount of real whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Mmmmmm. Read more…
