Chew on these stories...

I can't stand going to restaurants that half-ass their appetizers. It just sets the tone for the entire meal. Case in point: Don't ever serve me hummus with tortilla chips; that is unless the hummus was made for tortilla chips. By using smoky-spicy chipotle, tangy lime, a Southwest spice-set and splitting the legume difference with black-eyed peas, I've crafted a hummus that is totally tortilla chip-appropriate. Even if you don't happen to be looking for an appetizer to put out for that perfect spread during the big game, this chipotle-lime hummus with black-eyed peas is a winner (did I mention it's vegan too?).

I learned a lot about cooking from my Grandma. She had some truly outstanding recipes, but there were also a few that I never quite understood. Her take on posole, that spicy Mexican/Native American soup rich with pork, chile and hominy corn, was always lacking; so when I got my mitts on her source recipe, I made it a point to break it down to understand what had been amiss with Grandma's cooking. Was this a recipe that was too fussy for a home cook to…

Beta recipes are my own experiments that I've only tried once. Usually palatable, they often could be better with a little tweaking - So please do, and let me know what works!

I just don't understand how folks could possibly have a difficult time getting rid of turkey leftovers. If I had to pick just one critter to eat henceforth, Ben Franklin's favorite avian dinosaur might be it. I smoked a bird for holiday nosh, and with what was relegated to leftovers, I decided to make soup. This turkey tortilla soup starts with  homemade turkey stock that's been infused with herbs, spices, onion, garlic, and ancho chile. To make it hearty, the broth is liberally garnished with smoked turkey, black…

When I first started baking cookies for Christmas, I got a hold of a recipe for Chocolate Cookies topped with a melted Andes Mint humbly titled "Best Chocolate Mint Cookies". Humility aside, it truly is a good cookie. Imagine the penultimate edge of a brownie put into convenient cookie form, smeared with a cool, creamy, Andes Mint. At our house, this is a Holiday cookie on the "must bake" list. A list of only nine ingredients makes it easy, and this is a recipe that makes plenty so they're great for sharing too!