Think of this as your last hurrah before resolutions come knocking. Do it up big, with a fondue and wine party to satisfy a crowd. Warm gooey cheese and melted, fragrant chocolate wrap up a season of indulgence with a big red bow. Fondue is my love language, especially if I have on ski boots…
Fall
Holiday Granola to Feed a Crowd
PrintCranberry, Pecan and Pumpkin Seed GranolaAuthor Marcia W. Smart If you don’t have a large sheetpan, use two cookie sheets when baking the granola and rotate them halfway through. The granola needs to cook in a single layer so it toasts evenly. If you use dark baking pans, decrease the time by 10 minutes and…
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Ok friends. I swore to my kids I wouldn’t try to create a healthy Thanksgiving menu, but I do think it’s good to balance virtue and vice. When you have a table filled with probably twenty pounds of butter-and carb-filled side dishes, it’s important to have something green. Yesterday in the Houston Chronicle, I had…
Weeknight Chili
Halloween night. Sports team parties. Potlucks. This weeknight chili recipe sees a lot of action in our kitchen. It’s super versatile, easy, fast and savory. The best part is you can make this chili with either ground beef or ground turkey, canned kidney or pinto beans or no beans at all (just double the meat)….
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Autumn has finally hit Houston, which means the leaves are falling, there are acorns crunching underfoot and it’s 80 degrees and humid. Here’s the plan: Turn down your air conditioning to 70 and fire up the oven for this super tasty apple cranberry crisp. It will make your whole house smell like cinnamon, pecans and…
Pumpkin, Apple and Honey Nut Squash Soup
Squash season is in full swing, and that means a rotation of roasted butternut squash, Delicata and Kabocha. Recently, I noticed a new variety of squash that looks like a baby butternut. Honey nut squash is sweet and tender when cooked, and easier to cut than its big brother. A couple of these cuties are…
Indian-Spiced Marinated Tomatoes
The first time I made these Indian-spiced tomatoes I was a student in the professional program at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco. When this recipe for Indian-spiced tomatoes landed in my hands, it sounded like an abomination. Why cover delicious, in-season tomatoes with strong spices, chilies, ginger and onions? Not to mention brown…
Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
Just in time! Right before kale and Brussels sprout season is over, I need you to get your hands on this recipe for my favorite kale salad. (And just to clarify, yes kale is available all year, but it’s really a winter crop.) It all started at the end of last summer when we made a quick trip to…
Green Bean, Red Pepper and Carrot Slaw
Last week I taught a class to a few women in Los Angeles who are no novices in the kitchen. But I stuck with my usual fare. Simple, good food that tends to be healthy but doesn’t follow any particular diet. This is one of our favorites from the class, a colorful green bean slaw that fills the “eat the…
Spatchcocked Chicken
Spatchcocked Chicken to the Rescue Spring is here, which feels like riding a bike downhill with no handlebars. We’ve been running in circles at our house, getting to Little League games, dance recital rehearsals, planning two April birthday parties and trying to figure out what everyone will be doing this summer before all the decent day camps are…