Risotto

This simple dish has to be one of the supreme comfort foods. A mouthful of the broth-saturated grains makes a rainy day better, comforts a life-battered heart and satisfies the hungriest of stomachs. It is reminiscent of by-gone days when mom used to warm a blustery day with her best chicken noodle soup or cheer a sick girlie with a special bowl of Gramma's rice pudding.

Gingerbread

When most people hear the word "gingerbread" they probably think of little cinnamon-colored men, bedecked with red hots, frosting and sprinkles. They might also think of houses constructed of sturdy (or maybe not-so-sturdy), eatable walls that are carefully decorated with gumdrops and marshmallow men.

Pan-Seared Chicken with Lemon-Chive Pan Sauce

Chicken can be such a dry, boring dish. It is usually accompanied by lots of stuffings and soup mixes in order to hopefully mask the dehydrated meat. It is hard to cook chicken well. A wonderful way to ensure juicy, tender chicken is to use bone-in breasts. I however, have a hard enough time preparing boneless chicken, not to mention preparing or eating bone-in chicken. So I am stuck trying to making dry, boneless, chicken tantalizing.

Crumb Coffeecake

My husband and my sister bond over coffee. Lace comes down for the weekend and first thing, out comes the Bodum french press and specialty roast. They stand there, staring into the depths of their cream-colored coffee mugs, commenting in soft tones about the "oiliness" and "floral notes." So it seemed appropriate, upon welcoming my sis down for the weekend, to make a coffeecake to accompany their hot brew.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

When you find a truly amazing recipe, the second time you make it is filled with such anticipation. You wonder if that piece of heaven really was as good as you thought last time you made it. Maybe that first taste was colored by love-at-first-bite and you will be disappointed with your second attempt. You carefully follow the directions, trying to remember what worked well and what didn't the last time. You hover eagerly over the stove, waiting for the internal temperature of the cake to creep up to the perfect doneness. You agonize over taking it out of the oven, terrified of dropping it. And you doggedly wait and wait and wait for it to cool. Then there is the last breathtaking moment when your lips close around the fork and the creamy texture slides over your tongue. And you realize, yes.... yes, it is as good as you remembered.

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Cheesecake is an involved thing. And it takes a long time to prepare. I usually end up making this only once a year, in the fall. That being said, it tastes amazing. If you like to bake, this is a truly special recipe. 

Give yourself a long lead time when preparing this cake. I usually make it the day before so it can chill overnight. Expect 3 - 4 hours to prepare and bake it and then another 8 hours to fully chill it, about 12 hours all told.