Good Things by David

Food trends and diets come and go from year to year, but as soon as November arrives and the thought of Thanksgiving looms on the horizon for all of us, we seem to want those time-honored and much beloved recipes we grew up eating.  I'm no different in taking comfort in the flavors and aromas of fall.  Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving?  I certainly hope so.  Ours was pretty much stress-free because I did not roast an entire turkey as in previous years.  My turkey was a stuffed and rolled version that went very well with the usual side dishes we crave.  Everything was tasty and nothing was leftover past the next day.  Admittedly, I kind of regret not having had leftovers for a few turkey sandwiches, but with Christmas right around the corner I won't have to wait very long for these savories. This past month on the blog I explored a few recipes which have quickly become favorites of mine, because they call to mind all of the flavors I loved as a child.  A lot of these ar

The first snowfall of the season is always magical to me.  Everything seems to pause as the snow begins to drift onto rooftops, trees and the surrounding landscape.  On Tuesday morning we woke up to gray skies, cold temperatures and a light drizzle, but within a matter of a few hours the snowflakes began to fall in earnest.  By mid afternoon we were blanketed in white as many of us went about our day.  As soon as the heaviest of the snowfall was over I went outdoors with my camera to capture several photographs to show you.  A glimpse of the falling snow from a kitchen window. It's amazing that not a single bird, squirrel, deer or other creature was in sight when the snow was falling.  These quiet moments are indescribable as you can imagine.  To me it feels as if winter officially arrives for us in the Northeast when I see the bare deciduous trees and the evergreen boughs laden with pristine snow as light as gossamer, and the grounds completely covered.   Pine Boug

It isn't difficult at all to properly roll out cookie doughs for baking.  With numerous cookie cutters to choose from, every baker (experienced & beginner alike) ought to make these types of cookies for the holidays and other celebrations throughout the year.  The number of cookies I've cut out from rolled doughs for birthdays, baby showers, gift giving and for Christmas probably runs into the thousands if I had to count.  Over the years I've used various recipes from several sources that have given me excellent results, but I've also developed a recipe or two which have become my go-to doughs.  Some of the best cookie doughs to work with when rolling out are those which are buttery, smooth in texture and not overly sweet, such as shortbread.  Sugar cookies, chocolate cookies and spice cookies also make wonderful doughs to roll out.  Perhaps the most stubborn dough of all to roll out, however, is gingerbread; this dough needs resting periods to roll out without pro