Now, I like grapefruit as much as the next person, but I only need a few each week to keep me happy. Imagine my dismay when I got home from the grocery store the other day, with what I thought was a large bag of oranges, only to discover (after I had cut open the …
Carol Speake
Any meal is made more special with the addition of the perfect mashed potatoes. They seem to scream comfort food! Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. We all love them, don’t we? I get asked often for cooking tips, but when people taste my mashed potatoes, they always want to know my tip for …
Feeling cold and not too motivated? So are my friends in the Facebook group called The Garden Charmers. This is a talented group of cooking, gardening and DIY ladies who love to blog and also love to share and promoted each others content. We were recently discussing how to beat the cold temperature. We decided …
These rich chocolate brownie is made with cocoa and butter, and filled with chocolate chips and nuts. You can also use white chocolate chips for a change if you prefer. Brownies are one of my favorite sweet treats. I love the cakey texture in a smaller size. And the fact that they normally are …
This great cheesy BLT recipe combines Colby jack cheese with tangy light mayonnaise and veggies, as well as avocado. It will be sure to satisfy the most hearty eater. I love a traditional BLT as much as the next person, but sometimes I want to take my sandwich to a new level. This version is …
These roasted herb potatoes with Parmesan cheese make a wonderful side dish for any protein choice. I make roasted herb potatoes all the time. Each time I do them, I do something a little differently with the recipe. Sometimes, they are just roasted with herbs. Other times, I use mustard and other spicy marinades. I …
A normal cheesecake recipe has a lot of calories. This lightened up version of a chocolate cherry cheesecake is just a bit lighter on your hips. Ahhhh, cheesecake recipes. This is one of those desserts that I just adore but don’t eat too often because of the calories. Just by nature, cheesecake screams “I’m going …
Looking for something sweet to serve as a snack, or side dish to go with pork or chicken recipes? Homemade applesauce is one of the easiest recipes out there. There is no earthy reason to buy it at the store when you can have it done in about 30 minutes and the home made version …
When you are in a hurry in the morning but still want something tasty for breakfast, it is often easiest and fastest to do a drive through at a local fast food chain. But wait – this is not even a choice, when you have these tasty egg muffins on hand. Make them when you …
This bacon wrapped haddock recipe is easy to make and adds a lovely smoky flavor to any plain whitefish. Everything goes better with bacon, so the saying goes! And that goes for a mild flavored white fish like halibut, which often needs a little something extra for best taste. This recipe for bacon wrapped halibut …
Bacon and pork – both tasty on their own, but put them together and you have a wowser of a dish. These yummy pork chops are very easy to make and just plain delicious. They have a lovely blend of spices to flavor the pork and the medallion is wrapped in a slice of …
This mushroom chicken recipe is a twist on the traditional marsala recipe. It is light and hearty, and has tons of flavor. One of my favorite recipes is my remake of chicken Marsala. It is easy to do and makes a great dinner party entrée. Tonight, we will use white wine and tarragon to give …
New Year is a time for resolutions, and one of them is often finding more healthy recipes. Still managing to stick to my resolve to eat in a more healthy way for the New Year. How about you? Are you still feeling motivated, or have the resolutions gone bye bye? Here are some more of …
This spinach and onion quiche is hearty and filling and will please even the most ardent meat eaters in your life. I am a quiche girl and my husband loves them too. There is nothing quite like the combination of eggs, cheese and cream with your favorite veggies to say that you are going to …
What could be better in a grapefruit based cocktail than these grapefruit ice cubes? What do you do when you have a huge bag of grapefruit that you thought were oranges? Why juice some of them and freeze the juice to use later, suggests a fan of the Gardening Cook on Facebook – Violet Roew. …
This tangy grapefruit honey vinaigrette dressing is fast and easy to do and uses up grapefruit if you happen to have some that are starting to be not so great for eating. (Or if you buy them instead of oranges by mistake like I recently did.) The dressing is so easy to do. Just assemble …
Grapefruit juice is a great ingredient for many cocktail recipes, and is an excellent citrus to use because it adds a touch of sour to the drinks. This grapefruit cranberry sea breeze cocktail is the perfect drink for a hot summer evening. Nothing beats the heat in the summer like citrus based drinks. Then lend …
I like grapefruit, it is so tart and refreshing. Normally, I just slice it in half and add a bit of Splenda to the top and enjoy it. This baked grapefruit has a lovely topping to it and is so warm and inviting. It makes the perfect fall breakfast recipe. Then one of my fans …
These spun sugar poached pears look much more difficult than they actually are. The resulting dessert is perfect for any special occasion. I am normally not one for fancy desserts that take a lot of time to prepare. I just don’t have the extra time that they require. But this recipe for spun sugar poached …
January is always a time for me to rethink my eating habits. That means trying to incorporate healthy recipes into my menu plan. For the past few years, I have found that although I really love great tasting (and naughty) food choices, my body is really telling me to watch what I eat more. So …
This recipe for beer brined grilled pork chops uses Killian’s Irish Red beer plus brown sugar and agave syrup which compliments the natural sweetness of the pork and add some complexity as well. Using sage in this rub gives the pork chops an nice earthy flavor. See my tips for growing sage here. We grill …
Galvanized garden decor is quite popular right now. It has a rustic appeal and seems to go well with plants and other outside items. I particularly like to use galvanized planters for indoor plants, so that they will keep their lovely condition without worrying about the weather. From watering cans, to milk jugs and large …
This is the month of comfort foods for me. Rich, hearty dishes like this home made corn chowder seem to hit the spot perfectly when the weather is cold and the days are short. This recipe is lovely and creamy. It can even be a meal by itself since it is very filling because it …
Using left over coffee grounds for roses and other plants that like a boost in nitrogen is a natural way to add fertilizer to your garden plants without the use of harsh chemicals. Don’t throw out those used coffee grounds. There are lots of ways to put them use in your garden. ore to the …
My favorite TV channel is Home and Garden TV. It stands to reason, then, that I would add a page to my site called Best Gardens. I am a gardener at heart. I have loved to garden since I was a little girl. I even had a business in Australia where I sold house plants …
I am not much of a pecan eater. But mix them with brown sugar and butter and I am hooked. It was all I could do to keep my spoon out of the batter for these Caramel pecan bars, “just to make sure it tasted right.” And as an added bonus, I was able to …