Our Southern-Style Thanksgiving
Our Thanksgiving celebration was very special this year. Much of our family from New England joined together with our local area extended family in an unusually large gathering. There were a lot of hugs and laughter, and of course there was a lot of food. Since we hosted this holiday party, our theme this year was a Southern, Virginia-style Thanksgiving. Virginia has always claimed rights to the first Thanksgiving celebration by English settlers in America, predating even the famed Pilgrim feast in Massachusetts. We wanted to share a window into that world with a variety of dishes influenced by the region and local cuisine, though in the end the cuisine was unique in unforeseen ways,

Sucre Chocolates
Sucre is a New Orleans based confectioner known for their delectable, hand-crafted artisan chocolates as well as their scrumptious pastries and macaroons, which are even Oprah-approved. They are located in the heart of the Garden District on Magazine Street and in addition to their home-made and hand-crafted chocolates and pastries, Sucre offers a variety of gelatos as well as gourmet coffees and even champagne for in-store guests. Everything created at Sucre is handmade from the finest ingredients available and inspir

Turkey Tamale Feast with Judie Byrd
Last week, I made Turkey Meatballs in Roasted Kumato Broth, a recipe I created as a part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. I am excited to share that Shady Brook Farms chose it as a winning recipe. As my prize, I was fortunate to host a culinarian, Judie Byrd, at my house for a "Turkey Boot Camp"! Judie Byrd is from Fort Worth, Texas. She started her culinary care

PAMA Liqueur Poached Asian Pear Wonton Tartlets
November is National Pomegranate Month, and I am celebrating this occasion by cooking with a new pomegranate liqueur, PAMA. This liqueur is made with pomegranate juice, vodka and a touch of imported tequila. It has a sweet berry aroma and a lovely tart taste of fresh pomegranates. PAMA is great in cocktails and can be used in many savory and sweet dishes as well. Inspired by the flavors of PAMA, I created these Pomegranate Liqueur Poached Asian Pear Tartlets with lightly fried won ton wrapper rounds as a base a

Turkey Breast Roast with Truffle Butter and a New 5 Star Makeover Challenge
I am hosting Thanksgiving for a large number of people this year and will be roasting the biggest turkey I can find. But if you are looking to make a Thanksgiving dinner for 2-6 people, this turkey breast roast is a perfect solution. With only four ingredients and two hours of cooking time, this is an easy yet elegant meal. The Shady Brook Farms boneless turkey breast meat is smothered in truffle butter, sprinkled with coarse sea salt, and baked in convection oven for 2 hours. The resulting roast is moist, flavorful, and delicious. I served this tur