Plants Posts

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Blood Orange Cocktail

Tuesday January 27th 2009

Um, yum! Seriously? The blood orange has to be one of the loveliest fruits on the planet. And in typical Mouse-House style, we found a way to enjoy it in one of our very favorite ways—in cocktail form. This drink is sweet, but not too sweet. It’s fresh and juicy—and gets an extra bump of [...]

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One Potato, Two Potato, Part 1: Cognac-Laced Potato Cream Soup

Tuesday January 27th 2009

The humble potato is so versatile—and filling—that I’m not sure why I don’t use it more often. This soup sounds fancy, but you can whip it up in no time flat—with stuff you probably already have in your house. Loaded with potatoes and heavy cream, it’s also ridiculously decadent (no diet food today!).

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Sauteed Cod with Garlic-Shallot Butter and Drunken Spinach

Friday January 9th 2009

When you start with fabulously fresh ingredients, it’s easy to make a delicious meal in no time flat. The main thing to know about cod is that you don’t want to overcook it. (Don’t worry, I’ll explain how.) For this dish, fresh cod is coated in rubbed sage, salt, and white pepper, then browned quickly [...]

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Rib of the Week: Fig & Ginger Glazed Pork Ribs

Monday December 22nd 2008

You all know that I’m one of those folks who loves pork and fruit together. Now, you have to like figgy-flavored things for this one to work. But man, if you do…the combination is absolutely heavenly. These ribs get the perfect amount of earthy sweetness from fig preserves. A heaping dose of ginger gives them [...]

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Chicken & Apple Sausage Sub with Caramelized Onions, Peppers & Brie

Monday December 15th 2008

This is the perfect kind of sandwich to throw together on nights—like tonight, at the Mouse House—that you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. You can use almost any combination of sausages and cheese. In this case, I had a package of Brice Aidells smoked chicken & apple sausages and [...]

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Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Saturday December 13th 2008

This soup takes a while to make, but very little of that time is actually spent standing over the stove. Chunks of butternut squash, sweet onion, and elephant garlic are slow roasted in the oven for an hour-and-a-half, then simmered quickly with chicken broth and pureed. A cup of heavy cream added at the very [...]

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Rustic Cranberry Bacon Chutney with Rosemary and Port

Thursday December 11th 2008

This stuff is so good, it’s evil. It’s smokey and sweet. It’s dotted with bits of bacon and rosemary. It’s bursting with unexpected orange flavor that’s followed by a refreshing tartness from the cranberries. I could eat bowls of this. No lie. This is the kind of dish that folks either love or hate, depending [...]

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Rib of the Week: Fiery Red Currant Ribs

Wednesday December 10th 2008

I love hot and spicy food. (You know, the kind that makes your nose sweat just the tiniest bit?) Wasabi. Chili peppers. Lots of ginger. You name it, chances are it’s on my list. These ribs combine two types of heat with red currant jelly. The sugar in the jelly adds just the right amount [...]

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Rib of the Week: Cranberry Sage Pork Ribs with Whiskey Butter

Friday November 21st 2008

There’s nothing like coating something in butter. I know it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but man—is it good. For this dish, meaty, country-style pork ribs get frosted with a pungent whiskey butter, then dappled with fresh cranberries, garlic, and earthy sage. They get basted a few times as they roast with a [...]

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Quick & Creamy Tomato Soup

Tuesday November 4th 2008

I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but when the weather turns colder, my inner eight-year-old starts to crave Campbell’s tomato soup and grilled cheese. Here’s my grown-up version. This frequently shows up on our table on weeknights when we don’t have a ton of time to cook. Because the recipe calls for [...]

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