I like popcorn.  Who doesn’t?  But I’m not a huge fan of plain popcorn.  I have a very nice microwave popcorn popper that yields quite a lot of popcorn.  This is excellent for my mother (who likes plain popcorn) or if I want to make something like caramel corn.  But if I just want to snack on something tasty and (relatively) healthy, then I want some flavor.  Sure, I can sprinkle some salt over my plain corn, but almost none of it sticks, resulting in popcorn that is still plain and the bottom of the bowl covered in salt.

Most every southern cook has some version of a banana pudding recipe.  They mostly seem to feature a combo of Nilla Wafers, bananas, boxed banana or vanilla pudding, and Cool Whip.  Well, I hate Cool Whip.  And I generally think one can do better than boxed pudding.  So I have my own version, which is quick and easy and sublime.  It’s basically Banana Cream Pie in the shape of a trifle.

Dulce de leche.  Sweet milk.  Divinely delicious creamy caramel.  Yes, you can buy it in a can if your grocery store can keep it in stock.  But if not, never fear.  It’s about the easiest thing in the world to make yourself.

It is a truth universally acknowledged…

I have in a previous post mentioned the joys of roasting vegetables. I’d like to go a little farther today. I’m going to posit that roasting transforms almost any vegetable—and some starches, like potatoes or corn-on-the-cob—into something delicious. Except broccoli. There’s nothing that can redeem broccoli.

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), I saw a recipe on YouTube and gave it a whirl.  As time passed, I adjusted it to my own taste and the result is the Thai Salad that I’m going to share with you today. The big secret to this salad is the dressing…it’s just amazing.

Is there anything more convenient than a dump-and-go recipe?  “No” is the answer, by the way.  And one of the great inventions of the modern age is the crock pot, which is particularly suited to many dump-and-go meals.

I mentioned in a previous post that I used to enjoy visiting a deli near my college, where my preferred meal was an egg salad sandwich with sliced olives and sprouts.  I have in fact replicated this sandwich on my own many times.  The only reason I don’t eat it more often is because I find making egg salad a bit tedious.

I’m not a big drinker.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to go years without imbibing any alcohol.  But if I am going to indulge, it’s going to be hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps.  This is so indescribably delicious that when I went on a Caribbean cruise with my friend Jane a number of years ago, this is what I had every evening while she was enjoying more traditional tropical delights such as Planter’s Punch and piña coladas.  As you might imagine, I still come in for a fair bit of mockery over drinking something warm while vacationing in the tropics.

I was so delighted with my Thanksgiving Menus article that I thought I’d do the same for Christmas, and publish it early enough in December that it might actually be useful.  So with no further ado and in no particular order…

Thanksgiving meals are pretty much a set menu in my family.  There might be a few variations here and there, but largely, it’s turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, biscuits, salad, and pumpkin pie.  But Christmas dinner is a whole different ballgame. We’ve had turkey again.  We’ve had ham.  A couple years, my mother floated the idea of a traditional Christmas goose, but even she had to admit that just because something was traditional didn’t mean it tasted good.  And we’ve had prime rib.

When I was a kid, my mother was determined that her children should not be picky eaters, and so she served us a wide variety of food.  And lots of vegetables.  Like my brothers, I was not overly fond of vegetables, much preferring starchy delights like biscuits and man ‘n’ cheese. My mother’s rule was that we had to eat what she put on our plates, no matter how long it took, which is how I often ended up at the dinner table an hour after everyone else was done.  Sometimes, I still hadn’t finished dinner by the time the breakfast meal rolled around, so I got to continue enjoying last night’s dinner for breakfast.

In the summer, when my appetite wanes, I’m always on the lookout for recipes that are a full meal, but aren’t heated, and aren’t heavy.  My Greek Chicken Wrap recipe meets all three criteria and really hits the spot.

I haven’t posted a recipe for awhile, so I thought this might be a good time to publish another quick and easy dinner recipe.  I call this one Quick Korean Beef, which I have adapted from some recipes I found on the interwebs.  I have another version of this that uses cubed beef and cooks in the crockpot, but it’s more work, tastes about the same, and takes a lot longer.  This dish takes about 20 minutes to make from start to finish, assuming you have rice already made up.

Who says sweets can’t be (relatively) healthy? I mean, that’s just nonsense! Case in point…peanut butter balls. I have a good recipe for those, and I love making them, although these days I make them in bar form. But they are super sweet, and super high calorie, while not having much in the of nutritional value.

However, there’s another way.

I mentioned in a previous blog post about the beauty of legumes that I have an absolutely sublime split pea soup recipe.  But the reason I seldom make it is that this particular recipe requires a very meaty ham bone.  Not smoked ham hocks that you can get from your butcher, or cubed up ham, but a real ham bone with lots of meat and fat still on it, and presumably with some marrow still in the bone.

I mentioned kale salad in a previous post and since it’s a family favorite and family gets together around the holidays, I thought I’d present it here in time for Christmas.  I believe I mentioned in the previous post that kale smells like sweaty socks, and therefore palatability can be a challenge.  This raw kale salad gets around that issue with an amazing dressing that tenderizes the kale and renders it absolutely delicious.