Recipes

When pondering what to make for my Easter dessert, of course, carrot cake immediately came to mind. This version is light, moist, and not too sweet. The fresh ginger adds a delicious zing. It’s perfect for an Easter dessert, spring brunch, or family picnic.

Do you have one to share? Email me!

A perennial favorite at tailgating parties, church suppers, and casual get-together dinners, is the entertaining standard of sweet n’ sour smokies made with grape jelly and BBQ sauce. This recipe is a grown up version using apple jelly and maple syrup for the sweetness and a splash of bourbon for a party note. Given that March is the month for Maine Maple weekend, try this this with your Maine-made maple syrup.

In honor of Maine Maple Sunday, I want to share a recipe for maple syrup pie.

Valentine’s Day is synonymous with chocolate, but it doesn’t mean that you need to be celebrating the day with calories. This recipe is simple to make and simply delicious with fewer calories, carbs, and saturated fat.

Have some fun with family or friends making cute cookies for Valentine's Day.

The journey to the Super Bowl isn’t about the teams; it’s all about the food. So to help with your New Year’s Healthy Resolutions and to still have a fun appetizer to share at your next football get-together, try these Healthy Halftime Spinach Balls.

Whether it’s a football game day or an evening with board games and cards, you will want to have snacks. My first snack of choice is this Fresh Salsa. It has been a go to snack for years and a much requested recipe.

This Thanksgiving I am adding this simple salad with warm seasonal notes, my Autumn Salad with Maple and Balsamic Dressing. I prepare it as a vegetarian dish but it can easily be vegan by omitting the feta cheese.

Created in 1926 and named for Louisville’s Brown Hotel, the hot brown sandwich is a cross between a welsh rarebit and a croque-monsieur. It is a great use for your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

A rich, hearty, and creamy soup, perfect to enjoy on an autumn afternoon.

My go to pumpkin bread recipe from the first cookbook I ever bought.

What do you do with all those extra apples from apple picking? Make apple sauce!

Nothing smells as comforting as an apple pie baking in the oven. What better way to use up all those apples you have picked at the orchards this fall.

Have your cake and eat it too. Swap out sugar for locally sourced honey for a healthier cake.

This mixture can be used in tea, warm water, smoothies, yogurt, made into honey spoons, or added to health shots.

July is blueberry season in Maine, and one of my favorite recipes to use blueberries in is this simple muffin recipe.

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Summer does not begin until I have had my first "lob-stah" roll of the season. Sweet and savory, it is an iconic Maine dish and treat that I never tire of and always enjoy.

There are so many ways to cook a lobster. Whether served cold with mayo in a hotdog roll or hot with melted butter and splash of lemon, with this resource you will be ready to start cooking and enjoying your Maine Lob-stah.

May is National BBQ Month. What better way to celebrate the month than with a BBQ with family and friends? It’s one of my favorite reasons for a get together.

It is bright, light, versatile, and oh so delicious. This is good with chips, as bruschetta, or on fish, chicken, shrimp or pork. It's perfect for cool appetizers on a hot day.

Quick to prepare, these waffles are crisp on the outside with a delightfully fluffy inside. The compote, made with fresh strawberries, has less sugar than jam and is berry delicious.

A Muffaletta sandwich is a classic New Orleans delight. A perfect choice for a picnic, tailgating session, Superbowl get-together or Mardi Gras festivity… It’s a party in a sandwich!

These turkey roll-ups were the hit of our gathering. Since then, I have made these hundreds of times as they are much requested for family gatherings, pot luck events, and of course no Super Bowl party would be a party without them. 

Whether it’s a football game day or an evening with board games and cards, you will want to have snacks. My first snack of choice is this Fresh Salsa. It has been a go to snack for years and a much requested recipe.

Fresh and spicy with just a little heat from the hot sauce, pimento cheese elevates anything that you spread it on.

Growing up it wasn’t a holiday without a tourtière pie, also known as pork pie. It is a combination of ground meat, onions, warm spices, and herbs baked in a traditional pie crust.

It’s fall in Maine. There is a crispness in the air, nights are getting cooler, the leaves are changing color, and it’s time to pull out your favorite flannel plaids. It is also time to enjoy a meal of harvested warm roasted veggies, apples, and pork.

Do you have one to share? Email me!

With the arrival of Fall, it is time for all things warm, cozy, and PUMPKIN. What better way to warm up on a cool autumn evening than with a dish of Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta?

With temperatures reaching over 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, it has been too hot to turn on the stove or oven. So once more, my favorite recipe cheat is getting a rotisserie cooked chicken from my local supermarket. Then just assemble a few ingredients for an easy light supper or pack up for a picnic lunch. 

I love to do outdoor dining in a relaxed and casual way for summer entertaining. Find your spot at the beach, the park, your favorite hiking trail, or tailgating at the ballpark. My chicken salad is always a hit so I thought I would share it.

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When you make your own biscuits,  you know exactly what is in those treats. They are healthier than store bought products that have preservatives and artificial sweeteners.

October 5th is National Apple Betty Day. Similar to an apple crisp, crumble or cobbler, the American Apple Betty or sometimes called Brown Betty dates from colonial times.

I created this recipe aptly titled “Campfire Curry”. Full of veggies and warm flavored Indian spices, it was a hardy dish to enjoy over the fire - which was a good thing as it had been pouring rain all day.

This recipe calls for perfect ripe tomatoes, hearty Italian bread, and a tangy vinaigrette. Try it with your home-grown tomatoes and fresh basil.

While fresh herbs are always best to cook with, they’re not always available. If you're growing some this summer, it's easy to dry, freeze, or flavor vinegars with them. 

Traditionally served in a rocks glass or, ideally, in a silver julep cup, the Mint Julep is a bourbon cocktail best known for being the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby.

Green Eggs and Ham was one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, and my daughter’s. It has also inspired notable chefs to create recipes. Mine includes pesto.

Did you order girl scout cookies this year? I decided to experiment with the cookies for an upgraded dessert idea – a Thin Mint Trifle. This recipe is sooooo easy that your own little Daisy, Brownie, or Jr Girl Scout can be making it themselves.

Nothing warms you up on a cold winter’s day more than a bowl of steaming hot soup. And nothing says pure comfort food, like the kind mom used to prepare, more than homemade split pea soup.

My family’s prize winning recipe for any time of the year - but especially at Thanksgiving.

Do you have one to share? Email me!

This ain't your grandma's cabbage.

Enjoy this fresh fruit salsa with tortilla chips or on top of grilled chicken or fish. It's a cool and refreshing summer time snack. Perfect to serve guests at your next pool party.

Use this flavorful sauce to marinate chicken and steak or brush it on meat or vegetables while grilling. It is also good to blend in with meatloaf or burger mixture.

Nothing says Springtime more than using these tasty young shoots, a perennial spring vegetable favorite.

Feel like cheating?  What can you cook with ranch dip and one “bloomin” onion?

Poem worthy pickles.

Make sure you have plenty of bread to soak up the velvety, buttery, garlic white wine sauce.