From James's kitchen
Tested, annotated, and worth returning to. Browse dependable recipes for everyday cooking, relaxed weekends, and occasions worth sharing.
454 recipes
193A friend of mine called this morning and said she was having 12 people over for dinner and having brisket and potato pancakes. She sounded a tad overwhelmed and I thought that the least I could do is make some festive cupcakes to celebrate Hanukkah. I rarel…
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194Sticky Buns can often be a challenging and time consuming recipe. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry makes this recipe fast and easy to throw together. I like the combination of dried cranberries and golden raisins, but currants would also work well. The recipe ea…
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195These have to be one of the quintessential Christmas cookies. They are known by many names but Mexican Wedding Cookie seems to be the most common. There are several variations of this cookie in many countries – Biscochitos in Mexico (always made with lard),…
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196Christmas in a cookie! You can roll them in sugar or drizzle them with icing – either way, they’re perfect for the holidays.
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197These are always a big hit at parties, so I when I saw this recipe on Cook’s Country I knew I had to try them. The most common method is to use store bought crescent dough or puff pastry, but the crust used here is based on a cream biscuit recipe. You can m…
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198These make a great gift and can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Do not use salted nuts. Recipe can easily be halved .
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199This warm and comforting drink is great on a cold day.
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200I generally like to make my own cranberry sauce for holiday dinners, but if you happen to have some extra cans of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in your cupboards, this is a great way to use it up. They muffins are great for winter morning brunch and are incre…
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201There’s nothing better than hearty soups during the winter months. When I don’t have time for long simmering stews, I like to turn to this recipe for a super fast soup with lots of flavor. It’s worth using homemade chicken stock, but if you don’t have it on…
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202I usually prefer to share recipes with my own photos, but decided to add my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and hope they’re helpful (I’ll add photos after the holiday!
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203There are tons of pumpkin pie recipes, and in November all of the food shows and magazines are filled with both classic and innovative recipes. I think I’ve tried all of them – most started with canned pumpkin, and then the ingredients vary - some use heavy…
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204My aunt recently told me about a note she found that I sent her nearly 20 years ago. In it, I apparently raved about a maple syrup muffin that I wanted her to try. I had no memory of it but luckily she saved the note which included the recipe and I decided…
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205I use pumpkin all year long, but it’s especially nice during the autumn months. These muffins are lightly sweetened with brown sugar, and stay very moist. Pumpkin works particularly well with whole wheat and creates a very tender muffin. This recipe also wo…
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206Baked Beans are a staple of New England cooking - in fact Boston gets its nickname “Beantown” from a long history of making baked beans. Take a drive through some of the small towns in New Hampshire, Maine or Vermont and you’ll undoubtedly find signs for a…
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207This is the time of year that I look for delicious pumpkin recipes. This is a great version of the classic chocolate Whoopie Pie ( click here for Original Recipe ). The fluffy marshmallow buttercream sandwiches the cinnamon-spiced, tender cakes perfectly.
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208I just got back from a quick trip to the Big Island in Hawaii where my friend had a plate of individual pineapple upside down cakes waiting on the kitchen table. They were absolutely scrumptious and came from the local Mamane Bakery in Kamuela. I decided to…
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209With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it was time to experiment with some turkey recipes. Some years I have a house full of people and often cook two big birds, but other times it’s just a small group and cooking a huge turkey just seems to be…
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210Reese's Peanut Butter Cups coined the slogan "two great tastes that taste great together" and I completely agree. I made these the other day for a friend who exclaimed, “these are the best ever!” and while that might be a slight exaggeration, I must admit t…
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211I love making big batches of soup on the weekend. I store some of it in the refrigerator, and the rest I freeze in quart containers for when I need a quick lunch or dinner. I also prefer using homemade chicken stock, which I also keep in the freezer. Whenev…
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212I love rustic or “free-form” tarts. This recipe makes two perfect tarts and can be filled with just about any type of firm fruit – apples, pears, peaches, nectarines or plums – whatever is in season. I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Grain Pastry flour a…
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213I’ve tried dozens of banana breads but this one has become the standard for the best traditional banana bread. No exotic ingredients, fancy spices, exotic nuts – just good old fashioned dense moist banana bread. I like to make the in 4 mini loaf tins, but i…
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214Homemade hummus is so easy to throw together and requires only a few ingredients. I prefer hummus with a light creamy texture with a nice amount of fresh lemon juice.
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215My friend Chris was recently visiting LA and I decided to surprise him with one of his favorites - Banana Cake. He lives in NYC and loves to stop by Billy’s Bakery and pick up a whole Banana cake to take home. They have great homemade baked goods and it’s d…
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216In addition to “chewy”, “rich”, and “moist”, you can almost add “healthy” to the list of adjectives for these delicious brownies. The recipe is from one of my favorite baking cookbooks that my sister gave me years ago - King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking:…
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