Sylvia's Scenario

I'm not sure I need another Thai curry recipe but I made this recipe over the weekend and it was very hardy and satisfying. This was a recipe in our newspaper and when I read it, I thought “I like the idea of eating pumpkin spice soup this time of year” (and a lot more healthy than pumpkin spice lattes...although, I like them, too!)  I don't have a soup recipe like this one but I have other similar recipes like this  Thai Red Lentil Curry & Spinach which we also recently had for dinner. I think it must be the time of year for warm, spicy meals. And then there's my Basil Red Curry Salmon that's one of my favorite salmon recipes. These two recipes both use Thai Kitchen's red curry paste and this Pumpkin Spice Soup also uses it. It's a super easy way to make a meal pop with flavor.                                                       I...

I discovered a new fruit last week while shopping at our local farmers market.  We had relatives visiting from the Midwest and they spotted these ground cherries at one of the fruit stands and bought us a container since we'd never seen them before. They are the most interesting little fruit.  They fall from the tree when ripe so are harvested by picking them up off the ground during late summer and early fall.  They have a paper-like husk that you peel off before you pop them into your mouth. They look like a yellow cherry tomato but they have the taste similar to a grape only less sweet and they look like a grape inside, too. They are related more to tomatillos than a grape, however, and are part of the nightshade family.  They are similar in nutrition to tomatoes with lots of vitamins A and C, beta-carotene and potassium. I didn't think they had much taste, a very mellow sweetness but we had fun eating them while Bruce's nephew and his family were here who knew a...

We've been home from our  summer vacation  now for two weeks and slowly getting back into the groove of a normal routine.  Usually, when we return from a trip, I get real motivated to "clean out" stuff around the house because I seem to see things with a new eye from being gone so long. This time, it was cleaning out the freezer. Who doesn't need to clean out their freezer, I mean, really?!  Needless to say, I found a package of meat I didn't even know what it was until I thawed it out.  I thought they were ham hocks for  ham hocks and lima beans .  (I didn't mark the package - a big no-no when it comes to freezer food.)  But when I thawed it out, they were actually chicken thighs.  Okay.  Lots of things I can make with those so last night for dinner we had this recipe from Hannah Freeze, RD, who has discontinued her business but who's diet plan I still follow.  I've  made this recipe a lot but realized I never posted it, so he...

We've been home from Hawaii for 3 weeks now and the weather has decided to turn the coldest that we've had so far.  And I was just starting to get spring fever after a couple of really nice days.  Instead, I'm making soups again to stay warm.  Yesterday, we woke up to this: Brrrrrrr!  All the snow melted pretty quickly...this is Seattle, after all. It was all melted by afternoon so my neighbor and I walked to mass for Ash Wednesday at our local catholic church, neither of us had been to in years .  We're not sure what compelled us to suddenly go to church but we’re both catholic and we both felt like getting ashes smothered on our faces.   So, now we have 40 days to wait until Easter and then maybe it will be spring by then.  Ho hum...in  the meantime, I will keep making soups, stews and comfort foods to hold me over.  This is a new recipe by  Hannah Freese, RD  that we received this month.   I love making the actual...

Fall is in full swing around here.  Yesterday, I made my  Pumpkin Chili  and then decided to make theses new cookies that were in the Seattle Times food section.  They just sounded so fall .  If it has pumpkin in it, it has to be fall.  I don't have a snickerdoodle cookie recipe on my blog but they are one of my favorite cookies so now I'm finally giving them some attention. This recipe is from  Hey Danie Bakes  blog.  They are not really a "pumpkin" cookie, but more snickerdoodle, which I like. The pumpkin flavor is very subtle.  I like putting pumpkin in recipes whether you taste it or not because it has so much nutrition in it; beta-carotene that converts to vitamin A which can be hard to get in your diet; it's a good fiber source; potassium and magnesium; and it has anti-inflammatory properties like antioxidents.  Theses cookies really smell up the house while you're baking them, too, because of the cinnamon which is perfect on...

We had our first "fall" meal this week and it was a good one. I saw this recipe from  Ina Garten  who always has good recipes so I knew I had to try it and it was a winner. I'm sad that summer is over but I'm happy to be eating fall foods again - my favorite eating time of the year.  I think everyone is ready for fall after a very busy summer of weekend activities, going to new places, seeing new things, all the fresh air and non-stop activities. Do I wear out my family or what? They don't mind getting wore out as long as I keep cooking them yummy meals which they always know will be coming.  On this particular day, the grandkids requested one of their favorites... hot chocolate  in the evening around the fire.  They just LOVE doing this.  Of course, it has to be my homemade hot chocolate; instant will never do and there is no comparison, in my opinion.    This kielbasa recipe has many versions but they all use onions and bell peppers....