Sunday, May 20, 2012
Looking to make a crowd pleasing dessert for your next gathering? Look no further. This easy to make trifle is sure to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.
"It would be spiteful to put a Jellyfish in a trifle." ~Karl Pilkington I love my trifle bowl but don't often get to use it, so I typically offer to make a dessert when invited to a party. So when Mother's Day rolled around last weekend I knew I would have to make a trifle. The trifle I make is some combination of cake, chocolate, crushed candy bar and whipped cream but I wanted to try something a little different. I stumbled upon a recipe that used the standard cake and candy but to add a new note of flavor instant coffee was added to the mix. The grocery store had hazelnut instant coffee on sale so I chose that instead of regular, substitued vanilla pudding for chocolate and in lieu of yellow cake I bought pound cake. I'm sure my trifle …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
This lovely chicken salad makes a great topping for crackers or in a sandwich. It fits in perfectly with a Mother's Day brunch.
"Love, like a chicken salad a restaurant has, must be taken with blind faith or it loses its flavor." ~Helen Rowland It's Mother's Day and like most of us I'm sure your plans revolve around visiting with the women in your life. And eating. Don't most of our plans revolve around food? I am having my family over tomorrow for an afternoon of laughs, food and celebrating the moms in the family (we have big family so there are quite a few). Since the weather is going to be so beautiful we'll be outdoors, grilling. The usual suspects will be in attendance; hot dogs, hamburgers, various salads, chips and dips. I am also making a great curried chicken salad to serve with crackers. This chicken salad is light and tasty, with just a bit of punch …
Columnist and his mother shared the same celebration on Mother's Day every year.
I've been without my mom for 15 Mother's Days and 15 birthdays. For me, the days were one and the same. When I was born, it was Mother's Day in 1960. We were the Mother's Day mom and baby at the hospital. In the later years, we'd celebrated both events at the same time for scheduling reasons. Now, I celebrate the day we shared all by myself. My mom died in October 1997. Since then, the days and years have gone on, with a lot of changes, of course, but something never changes, I miss her greatly. But then again, I'm never really without her. In the middle of something totally unrelated, a memory of her will enter my brain. As I write this column, the Weather Girls are singing "It's Raining Men" on the radio in my office. Another memory is…
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Chicken Marsala is a delicious, easy to make at home dish. A little chicken, a few mushrooms, some wine...piece of cake.
"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~Luciano Pavarotti One of my favorite Italian dishes is Chicken Marsala. For some reason though, nine out of ten times I end up ordering something else when I go out. The same scene plays out every time; I whittle my choices down to the Marsala and one other dish and that other dish always wins out. Because of this, I tend to make Chicken Marsala quite a bit at home. Don't let the fancy pants name deter you from trying your hand at it...the dish is quick enough to whip up on a weeknight, yet elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It is also easy to change up. Add some cream to the sauce or throw …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Give this creamy tomato sauce a whirl on your next pasta night.
"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." ~Sophia Loren I was tired of the same spaghetti and meatballs dinner last week so I searched around for a new pasta recipe to try. I wanted it to be pretty basic and easy to make and still be based around tomatoes. After weeding through dozens of pasta salad recipes and about a million spaghetti and meatballs recipes, I came across one that sounded pretty darn interesting. It called for a bit of spice, a bit of sweetness and a bunch of cream. I was sold. I've never met a cream sauce I didn't like. We were pretty happy with the outcome and it'll now get thrown into the dinner rotation. If you prefer a spicier sauce use hot sausages and more red pepper flakes. Or you can leave the hot flakes out …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Looking for an interesting appetizer to bring to a party? Look no further! Try making these easy delicious egg rolls.
“It may be the way the cookie crumbles on Madison Avenue, but in Hong Kong it's the way the egg rolls.” ~Robert Orben Every couple of months a group of girls known as "The BBs" get together to eat, laugh and catch up. I am lucky enough to be a part of this little crew and though I love to get together I always find myself a bit stressed as to what to bring. I consider myself to be a decent cook but for some reason I always bring food to the BB conventions that is pretty lame. To the first gathering I brought a brie-phyllo dough debacle. It turned out sort of Hot Pocket-esque (meaning it was hot on the outside and freezing in the middle). Ugh. To the second gathering I brought a dip that was just plain boring. For the rest of our get …
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Here is a super easy slow cooker recipe for chicken chili.
"Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili." ~Harry James Most of my co-workers bring their lunches from home. This often results in amazing smells wafting into my office from the kitchen. Those smells then make my stomach growl and typically cause me to curse the boring salad I brought with me. One afternoon, the scent emanating from the microwave was so good that people were actually wandering in from the hallway asking what it was. The gentleman who brought it in let us know that it was white chicken chili. He then retreated to his office with the dish and shut his door, most likely fearful one of us would steal it. Instead, I asked for the recipe. I couldn't wait …
Monday, April 2, 2012
An Avery teacher and Oakdale parent says she is "appalled at the level of ignorance" of some parents.
Dear Dedham Residents, I have never written a letter to the editor before but feel compelled to do so now. My name is Mary MacLean and I am a first grade teacher at the Avery School. I am also the parent of students currently attending the Oakdale School and the Dedham Middle School, additionally I was raised in the Manor and did my student teaching and worked for one year at Greenlodge School. Based on this background I feel I have a somewhat unique perspective on education in our town. I have to say I am appalled at the level of ignorance some parents have when speaking out against their child being redistricted because it involves a move to Avery. I truly feel if these same people spent some time in East Dedham or at the Avery School …
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Looking for an easy and inexpensive side dish? Try making these crispy potato wedges.
"What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow." ~A.A. Milne For the past couple of weeks the supermarket has offered a 5 lb. bag of potatoes free with the purchase of a roast. Since I was planning on buying a roast anyway (and I am not one to turn down a deal), I put the potatoes in my carriage and happily went on my way. Then when I got home and saw last week's 5 lb. bag I realized that I had better figure out a new way to cook these spuds (besides my usual mashed and baked). Ten pounds of potatoes is a lot of potatoes. If you have read my column before then you know that there is one particular word to describe what I look for in a recipe: Easy. This recipe definitely fits into that …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
There are plenty of ways to have fun this weekend - and help a slew of great causes.
It's Thursday, and you've got no idea what you'll do for the weekend. Dedham Patch is coming to the rescue.
42.248061
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Dedham Community Theatre
580 High St, Dedham, MA
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Lora
9:22 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Thank you , Ms. MacLean, for your thoughtful comments and life history. It makes me grateful and proud to be a part of a thoughtful community that values education. Your letter helps to invite civil dialogue, rather than to keep rehashing old stereotypes. more ›