Chestnuts

Chestnuts

Chestnuts are among my favorite Christmas fare. Nat King Cole's song served as the catalyst for everything, and you've undoubtedly heard the opening line of "The Christmas Song"—"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." I was curious to give this nut a taste, so I did. Since then, I've become addicted. What say you, too? Would you mind sharing your preferred holiday snack?

Chestnuts are my favorite ingredient to use in the fall, especially for the holidays. I always find that they are meaty, hearty and have a mysterious refinement when cooked or roasted over sea salt.

Geoffrey Zakarian

Chicken & Double-Smoked Bacon Ciabatta

There's perhaps no better or more reliable lunch option than the simple sandwich, which can be elevated to a whole new level by adding a few bacon pieces. A well-prepared sandwich, in my opinion. As the saying goes, "Everything tastes better with bacon."

“Even apocalypse looks less dire when viewed over a plate of bacon.” ― Stephanie Stamm, A Gift of Wings

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Lemon Parmesan Shrimp Penne

An absurdly simple weeknight meal. Simple and delicious dish that can be made in under 30 minutes. It is one of my favorite things to make, and this delicious pasta never fails to make it into my meal rotations. I really love how simple but flavorful this pasta always turns out. It's among my go-to quick dinners on weeknights. This recipe is sure to please those who love to squeeze lemon over everything they eat. The flavor of garlic and basil permeates every bite of this pasta, which is savory from the Parmesan cheese and acidic from the generous amount of fresh lemon juice.

"Pasta does not make you fat. How much pasta you eat makes you fat." - Giada De Laurentiis

Mexican Chicken Stew

Mexican Chicken Stew

I credit Dave Lieberman of the Food Network with inspiring me to make this version of Mexican chicken stew. This tasty, filling, and quick Mexican chicken stew is so easy to prepare. It's a favorite for busy evenings and tastes great. I like to play around with different recipes that use rotisserie chicken, but you can cook and shred your own chicken if you'd rather. I prefer chunks over shredded. The tender, shredded rotisserie chicken adds to the stew's deep, flavorful flavors.

FYI. You will notice that i made some minor changes like I prefer chunks of meat over shredded.

"Hard work should be rewarded by good food." - Ken Follett

Beef Rendang

A delectable dish from the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, beef rendang is indigenous to the country. The dish was introduced to Malaysia during the Melaka Sultanate era, when Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra moved to the southern region of the Malay peninsula.

Rendang is a curry made using slow-simmered beef that lets the flavors seep into the flesh. A recipe that takes hours to prepare on the burner. Depending on the desired result, the dish must be cooked in coconut milk with all of the spices for a specified length of time. The original recipe needs to be cooked for two to three hours minimum until dry. To ensure you have leftovers, I suggest that you make a big portion. Over the next day, the flavors and aroma intensify. Perfect with a bowl of steam rice and your veggies of choice.

FYI: Rendang, creating it from scratch may seem difficult or time-consuming to someone who works. You can take a shortcut by using Rendang paste. This will shorten the preparation period.

"Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together." — Guy Fieri

A Happy New Year To All

There is a lot of pressure to have the greatest year ever. Don't get me wrong. Though it certainly didn't go as well as I had hoped, it's still great in many respects. Even when my hopes for the outcome were not realized. Establishing intentions and expectations is beneficial, in my opinion, as they can be our compass. Nevertheless, clinging to them too firmly can prevent us from really experiencing life as it is. It's our unpredictable nature that sustains us when reality falls short of our expectations, which happens most of the time. I discovered that when we fully embrace the unexpected, we may experience the most treasured experiences and insightful teachings.

Here’s to an even brighter 2024 to all of us!

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” ― Allen Saunders

"My mama always said, Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." -Forrest Gump