Rosemary Apples On Horseback

Everyone loves to nibble.  Be it savory popcorn or sweet miniature chocolates, tidbits satisfy in their own special (little) way.  What better holiday is there than New Year's to nosh around a room, sipping something bubbly and eating food off of toothpicks?  I absolutely love counting down the hours with hors d'oeuvres, board games a few close friends.  And this year's appetizer is sure to knock their slippers off!

Sausage & Sweet Potato Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

This breakfast is brought to you by crazy delicious biscuits.  Fricking awesome biscuits that were so good at Thanksgiving, they made a second appearance at Christmas dinner and have booked a spot at New Year's, too.  Biscuits so good that they could not be confined to the dinner table, transitioning to breakfast with the simple additions of egg, turkey sausage and cheese.  Oh yes....I love me a breakfast sandwich, but especially when made with these delicious sweet potato rosemary biscuits.

Roast Vegetable Gravy - a.k.a. The Last Gravy Recipe You'll Ever Need

For better or for worse, everyone has a signature dish for which they are known.  Gourmands may be recognized for something spectacular such as tartare, artisan bread or decadent chocolates.  Others are known for frozen pizza, refrigerated crescent rolls or the ever popular blue box mac & cheese.  Be they on the high or low end of the spectrum, the hubs and I enjoy all of these food items on occasion.  As for me....well, I'm not exactly sure of where I fall on this spectrum for I am known for a holiday condiment.

Nutella Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

There is a theme to my baking this year...non-traditionalizing the traditional.  All the childhood classics are still rolling out, but with a few minor modifications to keep things jazzy and fun.  Perhaps it's the anticipation of spring and the hubs residency match, but this year I am itching for change, even with Christmas cookies.  Why not add a little spice or swap in an ingredient or two?  Just keep that milk coming and I'll keep the cookies rolling.  And though this may not be the most festive creation of the season, it has without a doubt been the most popular on the cookie party platter.

Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potato & Kale Salad w/ Blackberry Jam Chicken Tenders

For a foodie, there is nothing more fun than a new culinary creation.  Be it one of your own or from another creative food-fan (see list to right!), new food is fun food.  But sometimes I can get a bit sick of fun.  Special attention must be paid when creating shopping lists, throwing ingredients into a pot or testing the viscosity of....let's just stop there.  New dishes are great, but there's nothing like returning to one of your ol' reliables for a night of simple, familiar and good eating.  And while this may not be one of your standby dishes, this is a pair we fall back on frequently - Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Blackberry Jam Chicken Tenders.

Pistachio Nanaimo Bars

On the sixth day of Christmas the airlines gave to me a husband stuck in Philly and a winter storm advisory.  Not my favorite carol.  For some reason unbeknownst to myself, the hubs and the rest of his 4th year med class, residency interviews are from November to January...a terrifically terrible time of year to be flying all over the Northeast.  It was no shocker when the hubs got stuck in an airport overnight.  Fortunately he was able to get home the next day, and I decided to make a little treat for my favorite Canadian as a welcome home surprise.  With a foodie twist, of course.

Roasted Broccoli, Mushroom & Shallot Panini

Today I had to scrape the car twice before 8am.  I think that makes me an official Midwesterner.  Time to celebrate with something yummy.  As the inches of snow accumulate, so does the need for warm and cozy food stuffs, like grilled cheese sandwiches.  Killer with soup, excellent with roast turkey or perfect flying solo, it is the time of year for toasty bread and cheese.  As of late, I cannot get past this amazing little creation that is both healthy and hearty.  Roasted veggies, shallots and sharp cheddar?  Yes please!

Chili Chocolate Crinkles

Ahhh, the first cookies of the year!  With all the festive scents of the holidays, freshly baked sweets is without a doubt my favorite.  Pine trees and cinnamon apples have nothing on the sultry combination that is flour, butter and sugar.  Especially when combined with chocolate like the hubs favorite cookie.  Known to him as Dynamite Cookies and me as Chocolate Crinkles, these always start off the holiday season.  Experience has taught me that starting with my favorite chocolate delight will only lead to him asking when the Crinkles are coming, so I like to nip that banter in the bud and start with his favorite.  Only this year, I added a little kick to his crinkle....