BROWSING:  Eats

The tree is decorated, the cocoa is hot, the sweaters are ugly and Christmas music streams throughout the house. A lovely fire crackles on the hearth while the family gathers around the table for Christmas dinner. In America, the table is set with standard fare that usually includes a turkey or ham as a main dish with mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables and biscuits. Fruitcake, sugar cookies or a decadent chocolate pie waits as dessert. To deviate would be to disappoint – and who would want to deviate, anyway? It’s our kind of meal and it’s delicious; however, to the rest of the world, the American holiday dinner would be an exception to the rule.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I love cooking a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, a turkey with sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade yeast rolls. And don’t forget my favorite side dish, the cranberry sauce. Here is a recipe from momontimeout.com for The Best Cranberry Sauce Ever! The best part about this recipe is it takes just 15 minutes to make.

Today is National Nacho Day! And who doesn’t love nachos as a great snack or an easy to prepare meal.  Nachos were created by Ignacio “El Nacho” Anaya in 1943 in Mexico. He created a new snack for the wives of soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan, frying cut tortillas and adding shredded cheese and pickled jalapeños. He called them, Nacho Especiales.

Indian Curry Bowl, Quinoa Stuffed Squash, Raspberry Cobbler Bars, Thai Broccoli Rice and Turmeric Smoothies. These are just a few bites (and drinks) of deliciousness on the menu at Sweet Peaces, a vegan, organic and gluten-free eatery located in the Farmers’ Market in Downtown Flint. The eatery is well-known for its handmade, delicious vegan food made in small batches. Owned by Victoria Eaton, who lives in Holly with her husband Deepak Thapaliya, the eatery is also a one-stop vegan grocery store.

The best thing I like about carving pumpkins for Halloween is roasting the pumpkin seeds. The seeds are chock full of vitamins and are very good for you. Roasting the seeds is easy and you can use any flavor combination you want.

It’s fall! And, one of my favorite fall deserts is a classic pumpkin roll. I use this scrumptiously delicious recipe from allrecipes.com and my family loves it!

When I am looking for something different to cook, I always go through my mother’s recipe box. I found this delicious recipe for Carrot Ginger Soup. It’s easy to make and perfect comfort food to serve on an autumn day.

For many years my family and I have attended the St. John Catholic Church Apple fest in Fenton that is held annually in September. One of my favorite things to do at the festival was to buy one of the hundreds of apple pies that are sold there. Dutch Apple pie, served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream is my very favorite. This year, I thought I would try to make an apple pie from scratch, using this recipe from Betty Crocker. It is a little time consuming but well worth the effort.

It’s Labor Day weekend and for many of us, the last cookout of the summer season. I always like to bring a taste of the East Coast to my Labor Day picnic. These quick and easy shrimp foil packets to toss on the grill are inspired by an East Coast Shrimp Boil and are absolutely delicious!

There is still plenty of time to enjoy the warm breeze, a refreshing cocktail and a delicious meal al fresco at one of the many local restaurants offering patio dining. Here are a few Greater Flint eateries offering patrons a seat outside … with a breath of fresh air.

What should you cook for dinner on a rainy, late summer day? It’s time to put the grill away and enjoy this tasty spaghetti carbonara from damndelicious.net that only takes 15 minutes to make.

Now is peak season to pick peaches at local orchards. And what better way to savor the flavor of summer than serving a homemade peach cobbler, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Here is an easy recipe that I use from myrecipes.com that your family will love!