Some food, some drink.

Making your own granola is dead-simple to do, and the end-result leaves you with a snack you can alway feel better about munching on than any old bag of chips or that roll of little chocolate donuts from slot AA5 in the break room vending machine. For this recipe, I've used a foundation of whole-grain oats, as a toasted, crunchy canvas for the decadent flavors of a sweet strawberry dipped in rich dark chocolate, then drizzled with creamy white chocolate (Hey, who says good-for-you granola gotta be all about gnawing on sticks and twigs?).

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 do it right? Heck no! Turns out, once you take posole to the Crock Pot, it gets impossibly easy; and its simplicity…

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 beans, and diced tomatoes and chiles. And because it wouldn't be tortilla soup without the tortillas, we're…

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!

Sometimes where cookies are concerned, it feels like it's all been done. So, when I found a recipe for a cookie that bakes in a waffle iron, I knew I had to try it. The original recipe for this Pennsylvania Dutch Cinnamon Waffle Cookie or "zimmet waffle" was pretty lean on description and accurate measurements, so I took it upon myself to reconstruct this relatively simple recipe so that the buttery, spicy goodness that is this cookie recipe might be properly shared. And, because it's seldom in my nature to leave well enough alone, I concocted a glaze using real maple syrup to compliment the fragrant, floral spiciness of the cinnamon. With a little trial and error, vague measurements and instructions from the original recipe were nailed down, resulting in a quick cookie recipe that comes together with only six basic ingredients…

A warm fire, a brilliant Christmas tree, good company, and full bottle of cinnamon schnapps. It's just not the Holidays around here without cinnamon schnapps to sip on; and the best kind of schnapps is the kind you make yourself! With a few simple ingredients and some careful attention, a big ol' bottle of spicy-smooth homemade cinnamon schnapps can be made for pennies on the dollar. Also makes a thoughtful gift for those on your list who like to imbibe!

Every year, I do my Thanksgiving turkey a bit different. A good gobbler is high art as far as I'm concerned, I am a fool for smoked turkey. It may just be one of the world's most perfect foods. Now that I've indoctrinated myself into the cult of 'que, there was no way that I wasn't going to show my Thanksgiving turkey the smoke. This smoked turkey starts with brine that infuses said poultry with all the flavors of fall, and finishes its journey in my barbeque basted inside and out with a Bourbon whiskey apple butter mop.