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Laura

Swedish Rice Pudding with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

by Laura 1 January 2011
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In the Scandinavian countries, it’s traditional to place a single whole almond in the rice pudding served at Christmastime.  Whoever finds it receives good luck for the year and a marzipan pig, a yuletide symbol of this good fortune.  We usually make this rice pudding for Christmas, but seeing as we’ll be eating it on [...]

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Winter Supper: Swedish Meatballs, Rot Kraut, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Fennel and Green Apple Salad with Juniper Berries, & Swedish Rice Pudding with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

by Laura 30 December 2010
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After two months spent preparing for Christmas, when it’s over the mood in our house is usually a little tired.  A long, gray winter lies ahead of us and the magic of Christmas is past.  It’s nice, then, to continue the festivities for a few days by making a meal or two like this one.  [...]

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Butter Crumb Coffee Cake

by Laura 29 December 2010
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A few years ago, my Honey Girl and I had a conversation about the sad state of coffee cake.  Coffee cake, we mused, is one of those things that we order and bake with high hopes, but it always seems to be a disappointment.  It is either too sweet or too plain and often dry.  [...]

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Santa Bread

by Laura 24 December 2010
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It’s Christmas Eve morning and, as usual, I’m so excited I can’t sleep.  I usually get up before 5:00 every year, and when my Honey Girl and my Sweet Boy were little ones they were up with me, too, waiting for my Dear Husband.  We would gallop around the house before we started shaping the [...]

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Roast Pheasant with Pan Gravy

by Laura 22 December 2010
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I am test-driving a pheasant tonight for Christmas Eve dinner at my darling sister Molly’s house.  In fact, her husband got twelve pheasants on a recent hunting trip, and, if all goes well, we’ll be feasting on them together Friday night.  I haven’t had a pheasant dinner like we’re planning since my dear grandfather passed [...]

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Beef Brisket

by Laura 20 December 2010
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Our Honey Girl is home from college!   And since she is a consummate carnivore and lover of all things beef, I made a beef brisket for one of her first dinners home.  When she and our Sweet Boy were little, they took a turn cooking with me one night a week and planned menus.  After [...]

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Coconut Macaroons

by Laura 14 December 2010
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If you like coconut and you’ve never made macaroons, you must make some.  One bowl, one spoon, three ingredients—and 30 minutes from start to finish, including baking time, dishes, and wiping down the kitchen.   They are crispy at the edges where the coconut is toasty, and tender chewy on the inside.   Many macaroon recipes call [...]

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After the Blizzard

by Laura 12 December 2010
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The Arctic air moves in.  …  The sky clears.  …  The temperature drops.  …  The wind chill drops below zero.  …  Clarence, my station wagon, gets stuck in a snow bank.  …  My Dear Husband shovels.  …  The snow plow pushes eight feet of snow into a bank at the end of our driveway.  …  [...]

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Winter Supper: Beef Stew & Farmhouse Rolls

by Laura 12 December 2010
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There are a couple of simple keys to making a great beef stew.  Buy good beef, brown it really well on all sides, don’t crowd the pan during the process, and don’t move it while it’s browning.  If you do that, and mingle it with other best-quality ingredients, you can’t go wrong.  This is my [...]

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Salted Peanut White Chocolate Lollipops

by Laura 12 December 2010
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These sweet lollipops are so easy to make it’s a little silly.  You pipe melted chocolate into molds, pop in a stick, and, well, that’s it!  Last year I made them with dark chocolate flavored with mint extract.  This year I decided to try white chocolate with chopped salted peanuts.  I think white chocolate deserves [...]

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Lavender Blueberry Pear Pâté de Fruits

by Laura 12 December 2010
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I first had pâté de fruits in France when I was in college.  My Dear Husband and I, then dating, rented a car in Calais with no plan and no reservations except for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and set off to wander for a month.  It was pure bliss.  Our little rented Renault puttered [...]

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