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Savory Brunch Muffins
12 – 1 = 11. But in the world of muffins, 12 muffins – 1 muffin = 1 very happy tummy. Combine traditional brunch ingredients – eggs, smoked salmon, and fresh dill – and present them in a delightful...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/11/14)
Posturing and positioning themselves, two blue belly lizards eye each other contemptuously. Using my deck as their battlefield, they crawl around in a strategic circle formation. In a flash the battle...
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Pineapple-Lemon Iced Tea
What? O.C.D. iced tea? I need that! After putting on my reading glasses, I realize that it is not O.C.D. iced tea, but rather O.C.C. iced tea. O.C.C. stands for the Oahu Country Club in Honolulu,...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/18/14)
Dozens of long-stemmed red roses sit on my kitchen table. The gift of these magnificent flowers symbolizes love, but for me they also represent a passage of time. I am a firm believer that every...
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Javanese Marinade for Lamb Shish Kebabs
To share or not to share? That was my dilemma. Should I reveal a family favorite recipe or should I keep it a family secret? Recognizing that life is infinitely better when shared and acknowledging...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/25/14)
Consider the proverb, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” and then consider how it might relate to someone who appreciates...
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Homemade Potpourri with Rose Petals and Lavender
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And if life gives you six dozen red roses, make potpourri. When the heads of my birthday roses started drooping, it was time to say goodbye to the lovely...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/2/14)
What is it about sunflowers that make people feel happy? Is it their bright sunny color or their large happy faces? Is it their petals that resemble rays of sunshine? Or is it their unassuming and...
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The Best Chocolate Cupcake
Make mine dark, sinful, rich and gooey. Make me want to lick my fingers. Make me the best chocolate cupcakes ever. But wait! Don’t use any sissy milk chocolate or not-really-chocolate white chocolate...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (5/9/14)
Rolls of canvas fabric provide points of interest on an overcast day. Narrow, wide, bold and subdued bands of colors mingle with one another in joyful harmony. The fabric of our lives should be...
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Citrus Gazpacho
A trip to the American Southwest and blistering hot days prompt me to explore the world of chilled soups. After eating at Cafe Pasqual’s, a James Beard America’s Regional Cooking Classics award...
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Barbecue Chicken: Thai Style
Think Thai. Think of some of the most aromatic and flavor-packed ingredients that go into Thai cooking – lemon grass, ginger, coriander, and fish sauce. Think about expanding your barbecue repertoire....
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Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
A package of pistachio shortbread cookies sits in a basket near a cash register in a New Mexico restaurant. I debate whether or not to buy them. On the con side of the debate, eating cookies goes...
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Greek Salad With Orzo and Black-Eyed Peas
Better together? Sometimes marriages work and sometimes they don’t. But magic occurs when two entities come together and bring out the best in each other. That is exactly what happens in the case of...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/6/14)
They were everywhere, but nobody knew their name. Pretty trees covered with delicate rose-like blossoms decorated the streets of a town I recently visited. Fixated with their beauty and wanting to...
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Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake
An early Father’s Day present for my husband came in the form of a cheesecake. Testing recipes is an occupational and personal hazard for me (think hips), so I gave this fresh-flavored and...
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Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/13/14)
Dads come in all shapes and sizes, so here’s a Father’s Day wish I penned for all fathers that’s short on words, long in sentiment, and big in heart: Thanks for blowing air in our sails and anchoring...
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Cheddar and Poppy Seed Bread Sticks
“Dessert, Ma’am?” the waiter asked. “Oh, no thanks. I already had it,” I replied. Noticing his puzzled look, I explained how I used up my dessert calories by eating three of the most addicting bread...
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Brightening Beer Facial
After an exhausting weekend helping my daughter pack and clean her apartment and then relocating her hundreds of miles away, this old lady needed some TLC. Before leaving home, I’d read an article...
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Two Sangrias for Summer: Cucumber-Mint-Melon and Pineapple-Orange
Ice cold pitchers of refreshing sangria tease me as I attempt to photograph them outdoors in 100-degree temperature. I know that the sooner I get the photos taken, the sooner I’ll be able to sit down...
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