Kitchen Notes

lasagna :: farm fresh (and free) eggs :: caramel apples :: two times :: 

ginger green tea :: courgette soufflé ::

The kitchen has been filled with goodness, despite my not posting last week. I was clicking my heels on October 31st, praising myself for avoiding my perennial October cold. By November  4th (happy birthday, little brother!) I had the tell-tale tickle-tingle of a sneeze trying to sneak up on me. That feeling - and the cough, and the sore throat, and the congestion - stayed the whole week through.

I got my heart set on lasagna, and I swear, its just something you can't do without a good recipe. For real, whenever I wing it, it doesn't work out. So this go 'round, I worked off two recipes, my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook {never fail} and the recipe on the side of the don't-have-to-cook-them-first noodles. Ugh. There is a reason the noodles called for exactly DOUBLE of all the wet things, all the things I didn't have double of. It was tasty but it was dry. Case in point - always use a good recipe for lasagna.

I am starting to think about {and test drive} some recipes for this year's Christmas cookie tins. It is a heck of a lot of work, but people just love them, and it is so nice to be able to give a cookie tin to someone that you want to give a gift to, but your budget might not accommodate. I try hard to make as many components as possible gluten free, and I will be sharing some of them in my kitchen notes in the coming weeks. What are your favorite baked goodies and candies for the holidays?

And another thing - the moment after I click publish on this post, I'm going to start making my Christmas mincemeat. Recipe here. We are less that six weeks from Christmas and its time to do all those good things that take time to steep and sit and brew.

PS - I wrote  two weeks ago about this great fresh pickle "salad" and I was thrilled to see a new recipe on Smitten Kitchen along the same lines. Yum, yum, yum... stash some of this in the fridge this winter as your pie antidote!