We are getting ready to wrap up 2018! Here are some recipe ideas from some of my posts over at Parade.

This post is the last one the year and it is from an episode of Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa when the stars of Mary Poppins Returns stopped by to help make a meal in Ina Garten’s kitchen. Emily Blunt shares a family recipe for potatoes and Lin-Manuel Miranda learns his way around some green beans.

https://communitytable.parade.com/694063/aliceknisleymatthias-2/a-mary-poppins-meal-with-lin-manuel-miranda-emily-blunt-ina-garten/

We lost a former president with the passing of George H. W. Bush in 2018. This post includes some of his favorite food choices as well as a vegetable that he famously refused to eat.

https://communitytable.parade.com/691593/aliceknisleymatthias-2/remembering-president-george-h-w-bush-through-food-his-favorite-snack-the-vegetable-he-refused-to-eat/

We also said goodbye to Senator John McCain who dedicated his life to serving his country. He had a rapport with people on both sides of the political aisle and loved to grill as a way of relaxing. Read about the gathering he had at his Arizona home for the traveling press corps during one of his campaigns for president.

https://communitytable.parade.com/674051/aliceknisleymatthias-2/celebrate-the-life-of-senator-john-mccain-with-his-barbecue-ribs-recipe/

The month of June started with the shocking death of chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain. We lost a storyteller, who really knew how to listen, and appreciated the simple pleasures in life.

https://communitytable.parade.com/660883/aliceknisleymatthias-2/what-we-learned-from-the-life-of-chef-and-television-host-anthony-bourdain/

The story of one spouse passing in a short amount of time after another is not a new one. This was the case with First Lady Barbara Bush passing away in April followed by her husband at the end of the year. Chef Sara Moulton includes Bush in a roundup of foods in The White House.

https://communitytable.parade.com/650621/aliceknisleymatthias-2/remembering-first-lady-barbara-bush-with-two-of-her-recipes/

Happy New Year!

It’s so hot the bees have left the hive and are looking for a place to cool down!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/29/bees-thousands-them-invade-new-york-city-hot-dog-stand/1130894002/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-york-abuzz-about-swarm-of-bees-in-times-square/ar-BBMBOso

So, how is your summer so far? We have had a surprise of a trumpet vine take hold where we put the new fence around the pool. There was a vine in the garden that didn’t really do much that seems to have taken on a new life. And it is spectacular! Maybe it just needed a different location.

We will talk herbs soon. Have a cocktail and enjoy these evenings!

My latest over at Parade about MasterChef and a cheese soufflé.

https://communitytable.parade.com/668349/aliceknisleymatthias-2/how-to-make-the-perfect-cheese-souffle/

These last days of June are turning up the heat. Bring on the lazy days of summer. Enjoy an ice cream cone on a hot summer day before it melts. Look for fireflies as they twinkle in the darkness. See the wonders in a garden and give your kids an extra kiss good night.

The Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. The pool has been opened and is ready to welcome people to spend some relaxing hours and begin the summer vacation. All good!

Need some new ideas for hot dogs this summer? You can read my post about the incredibly talented chef, and James Beard award-winning television host Pati Jinich, over at the Food section at Parade.

If you haven’t discovered this PBS television host and chef, you need to take a look at her work here at her site.

Homepage

Jinich shares a recipe for Mexican hot dogs that uses melted cheese on the hot dogs with a kick of flavor from a horseradish and mayonnaise spread on the inside of the buns.

You can add these hot dogs to your summer menu and make your friends and family happy with your riff on the classic hot dog off the grill.

Get the details here over at Parade.

ttps://communitytable.parade.com/652530/aliceknisleymatthias-2/chef-pati-jinichs-family-recipe-for-mexican-hot-dogs/

We are ready for you summer breezes and conversation.

Every once in a while a February day can bring uncharacteristically warm weather and sunshine. We had one of those last week and it set a record in our area. It was the perfect reminder that the spring season is getting a little closer every day.

There are signs of spring all around if you look closely. A bud here and there. Maybe a  new green shoot or leaf bursting forth on branches and in the ground.

That’s the thing about perennial gardens – they move through time with you in cycles. This is the time of year when everything starts to wake up and appear once again.

So, the month of November slipped by without a check-in. That’s not to say it was a slow month. Not at all. Our Thanksgiving holiday was a lovely one filled with laughter, plates of sliced turkey and stuffing paired with a warm gravy boat.

We have settled on a method that let’s the turkey come out perfectly brown every time. We soak large pieces of cheesecloth in melted creamy butter and add in fresh herbs like thyme and oregano, salt, paprika and garlic. This gets draped over the turkey as it cooks in the oven.

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Nothing says Halloween like a Minecraft Jack o’ lantern!

Looking for some ideas for today? Take a look at my most recent post for the Food section over at Parade for some delicious ideas for everyone. Just click on the link below.

https://communitytable.parade.com/619107/aliceknisleymatthias-2/sweet-and-savory-halloween-snack-ideas-for-the-trick-or-treaters-in-your-neighborhood/

Have fun!