Good Things by David

I had the most marvelous afternoon this past weekend while visiting my friends' property nearby.  If you remember a short while ago, I promised you that I would visit the chickens that lay those beautiful eggs, which we've been partaking of here at home.  I finally took that much-needed trip to see the "ladies" and visit my friends. When I arrived, I noticed that some of the flowers near the home and around the outbuildings were still in bloom.  The garden planted by my friends, Luke and Alicia, was bursting with vegetables ready for harvesting.  To top it all off, the sky was as clear and blue as the ocean.   Our area of Pennsylvania has been experiencing very warm temperatures of late.  The days have been feeling more like midsummer than early fall, but you won't hear me complaining because I don't mind sunny days and eighty degree temps.  I'll take this weather and whatever the garden has to offer, any day. Years ago, I visited this b...

A quick and easy solution to serving a crowd when entertaining is to make an antipasto platter.  Having a variety of store bought cured meats, cheeses, olives, peppers, among other items, leaves the host extra time to focus on the details of the day. Assembling these savory ingredients can be as simple as setting out a few bowls and plates of them, but if you want to create a focal point for a buffet table, get a large platter and arrange the tasty components in a colorful way. Make sure to have plenty of everything so that you make the platter look full, abundant and very enticing. Determining what you put out for individuals is all based on your preferences, and many regions in Italy have specialty items that are a must for antipasto. Whatever ingredient combination you decide on, do purchase your ingredients from a reputable food purveyor that sees high volume sales. Luckily for me, I have Di Bruno Brothers here in the Philadelphia region that I rely on for cured meats, ...

The idea of mixing pumpkin and corn is nothing new.  At my house, cornbread is the bread of choice for the stuffing on Thanksgiving, and true to my predilections, it has to be homemade.  As I was thinking of the stuffing for our turkey this year, I decided to change it up a bit from previous years by adding delicious pumpkin puree to the cornbread.  Not only does pumpkin add flavor to anything it touches, but it makes baked goods uncommonly tasty.  I'm pleased with the results. After conversing with a good friend of mine from the south, we both agreed that one ought to add sugar to any type of cornbread.  I don't mean that it has to be sweet bordering on cake, but there should be just enough to give it another dimension.  Again, it's the combination of sweet and salty.   What emerges from the oven is a thick cornbread that you'll be proud of bringing over to the holiday table for your guests.  The bread can be cut into squares of equa...

For those who love the flavors and aromas of autumn's best treats, this cake is for you.  Packed with delicious pumpkin puree, freshly grated orange zest, crystallized ginger and spices, my Pumpkin Pound Cake is certainly going to entice your palate in the coming weeks.  I don't know about you, but the moment I begin to feel change in the air as Fall approaches I must turn on my oven and get baking.  There's something so comforting this time of year about having a toasty kitchen redolent of sugar and spice. I recently had the opportunity to recreate this delicious cake for a small event and I can assure you that it was a hit with guests.  Aside from the scrumptious attributes found in every slice, the pound cake is very easy to make as long as you have the ingredients in your kitchen.  I think the most difficult thing to do is choose which bundt pan will best suit your event.  In actuality, one doesn't need an event or special occasion to create th...

My Favorite Cheeseburger I just want to take the time to wish every single one of you and your loved ones a Happy Labor Day weekend.  Don't forget to take advantage of the season's produce before it's gone by throwing a barbecue!  Juicy burgers, plump tomatoes, tasty salads, refreshing drinks and scrumptious desserts, are just some of the things we all enjoy during this time.  Enjoy the bounty with your friends & family. I'm going to be grilling cheeseburgers and making some blueberry pies to serve with vanilla ice cream.   Enjoy! David  

A reader recently asked me if he could share a delicious vegetarian recipe here on the blog and after looking at it I agreed, because it looked fantastic.  Many of us are trying to stay fit these days and trying to keep our new year's resolutions from falling apart.  Let this recipe inspire you to try something new.   Thank You James! Author: James Puisis  ♦ Slimming Down for Spring Spring is officially here! For some, spring only means better weather. But for many others spring is the beginning of transition. It is a time of change. People choose to make many personal changes during spring because they see it as a great time to transition into the summer. If you are looking to be healthier this season here are some tips for staying healthy and recipe for a delicious and nutritious meal for you! Keep the Good Carbs It is very essential to a good diet that you incorporate good carbohydrates. Too many fad diets call for you to get all carbs out of ...

February was a wonderful month filled with delicious and tempting sweets for all.  I developed a chocolate cookie made to be used with a multitude of cookie cutters for any type of celebration or baking project.  The cookies in that post were cut with a nice heart cutter that I use every now and then (it comes with a stamp made to imprint messages onto the surface of the cookie), because I wanted to ship them out to my niece & nephews.  What I love about the chocolate cookie dough is that, not only does it taste chocolaty and decadent, it is also wonderful to roll out and cut.  The cookies remain perfectly shaped when they come out of the oven, so royal icing decorations can be applied with ease. Those beautiful heart cookies that were iced for my niece and nephews were such a hit with both you readers and my little ones!  I’m glad they were enjoyed all around.  Icing them was such fun over the weekend afternoon I set aside for them, but it wasn’t...