Chicken Stew with Mashed Potato 'Dumplings'

Merry Christmas ! Happy New Year ! Got leftovers ? Me, too !

Indian Lamb Curry

Yesterday's Easter lamb roast got lush treatment today! An intense curry powder preparation made its way through the grinder and waited to be melded with onions, garlic, and ginger. The lamb roast was cut into chunks and braised slowly in a broth of oil, chicken stock, tomatoes, and all those onions and aromatics! The house smells divine! We'll have to air it out for two days to get the curry aroma to dissipate! Right now, though, it's heavenly!

Taming the Leftovers ... Gingerbread and Cranberry Bites

I have been such a slouch of late, as far as The Spice Garden is concerned! I apologize to those of you who drop in regularly. It's not that I've been a complete couch potato. I haven't. I've been extremely distracted with prepping the house for Thanksgiving visitors, working with the little ones in my little church's Sunday school on Advent activities, sewing and prepping a Christmas box for German friends that must be sent very soon, reading some awesome books, visiting some family and friends, and baking for my church's fellowship hour and for that cookie jar/cookies post for the Typhoon relief bake sale. It seems that my energy just ran out when it came to writing and photographing for a Spice Garden post!

Palmiers ... Two Ways

SB and I went to a holiday dinner party recently. It was our task to bring some nibbles for having with before dinner drinks.

I was on a mission to use up all the bits of ingredients that we've had in the fridge during the Christmas season, so out came the Parmesan and pesto. Sooo easy. In fact, I am recommending that you always keep a packet of puff pastry sheets in your freezer for those occasions when you need a nice appetizer or a bit of something to nibble with a glass of wine if you get spur-of-the-moment guests. These can be made FAST.

Rainy Day Lunch ... Farfalle and Sausage

What is it about rainy days and my need to curl up with a warm dish of pasta? Whatever the reason, I planned for this kind of strong urge last night when I made dinner. Silent Bob warned me yesterday that rain was in the forecast for the next few days, so I made a big bowl of warm farfalle and sausage to accompany some venison chops that we had to eat up. The story is not with the chops, though.

The story is with a simple bowl of pasta tossed with just a hint of olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, fresh Italian parsley, plenty of sliced scallions, chopped tomatoes, and browned Italian sweet sausage and garlic. That's it ... so simple, but perfect with a grilled meat ... or by itself with a cold glass of wine. Sometimes, putting some food in your belly is not all about a million ingredients and steps. Sometimes, the most comforting and delicious things come from a very simple toss together.

Leftovers, Killer Rye Bread, and Free Association ...

So ... I made this killer Onion Rye Bread a couple days before the gear up for cooking Easter dinner ... We've been having toast in the mornings and saving a loaf for ... ham sammiches! Ham ... Easter ham. SB jumped right into tearing ham off the bone today and knoshing it with leftover warm potato salad, but that's another story. He had no patience for grilled ham and cheese, but me? No problem ...