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A New "Rug" and "Curtains"

Happy New Year's to all! Thank you to all the wonderful readers and fellow bloggers for this great year of blogging. So often, I try to understand the loyalties and friendships that develop via comments, e-mails and blogs. I don't understand but I do so very much appreciate it. Happy New Year, everyone! May 2007 bring much kindness, much generosity and very very much "wuv"! In the last three weeks, the move-it-around and shake-it-up mood struck with a vengeance. On a whim, I entirely swapped the dining room and living room -- not something recommended two weeks before Christmas but which did, happily, result in a luxurious "new" dining room with a fireplace and a beautifully organized hutch (many thanks to my fourteen-year old nephew's lovely sense of asymmetrical symmetry, thank you Alex!) AND a cozy and useable "new" sitting room with wonderful light and a garden view. But if you look around a bit, A Veggie Venture has a new rug and

Kitchen Parade Extra: Black Pepper Almonds ♥

Just in time for New Year's gatherings both fun and fancy, this week's Kitchen Parade column features almonds roasted in a sugared pepper. Be careful: they're addictive ! Kitchen Parade has a collection of ideas for New Year's occasions , the bubbly celebrations on New Year's Eve, morning-after breakfast and brunch, even comfort food for New Year's Day. For good fortune in the New Year, don't miss out on the recipes for lucky black-eyed pea salad and lucky black-eyed pea soup ! Already dieting? Kitchen Parade can help with Weight Watchers recipes and low-carb recipes too. What exactly is this Kitchen Parade, you ask? It's the published newspaper column that my Mom started when I was a baby and that I've been writing since 2002. Kitchen Parade is known for great recipes for all courses , with lots of Quick Suppers , family favorites and kitchen tips plus special sections for Weight Watchers and low carb recipes . If you'd like K

Kitchen Parade Extra: Jesus' Birthday Cake

If you look for ways to instill faith in children, especially at Christmas, this week's Kitchen Parade column shares one from my family, Jesus' birthday cake. There are recipes too, but not for cake. You'll understand why, when you read the column . Many blessings to you and your family, however you celebrate this season! Looking for last-minute Christmas ideas? Kitchen Parade has many holiday ideas . What exactly is this Kitchen Parade, you ask? It's the published newspaper column that my Mom started when I was a baby and that I've been writing since 2002. Kitchen Parade is known for great recipes for all courses , with lots of Quick Suppers , family favorites and kitchen tips plus special sections for Weight Watchers and low carb recipes . If you'd like Kitchen Parade columns and recipes delivered via e-mail straight to your In Box too, just click over to Kitchen Parade , then add your e-mail address to the Never Miss a Recipe box on the righ

Festive Celery, Cauliflower & Apple Salad ♥

Today's simple, healthy salad recipe: Just celery, apple and cauliflower tossed with toasted nuts, dried fruit and a lemony vinaigrette. The freshness and crunch are so appreciated during the usual rich foods served during the holidays but it's also one of my favorite salads to throw together for supper at the last minute, especially during apple season or when a fresh bunch of celery is especially pretty. Seasonal but also a Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Easy Weeknight Supper. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. For some reason, my annual cookie swap created an unusual level of angst: I couldn't decide what to bake. I couldn't decide what to serve. So absolutely everything was decided and prepared at the very last second and when my friends started to arrive at ten o'clock on Saturday, the floor wasn't swept (oh well), the Christmas carols weren't programmed (oh dear) ... and even the simple

Kitchen Parade Extra: Quick Supper: Date-Night Chicken ♥

Quick Suppers are a specialty at Kitchen Parade. (Just check the Recipe Box .) But this week's column is extra special: it features a bachelor special , a one-dish chicken and broccoli supper guaranteed by a now happily married cousin to 'reel them in'. ♥ ♥ ♥ Looking for Christmas inspiration? Kitchen Parade has lots of lots of ideas including for holiday baking. If it's snowy and wintry, Kitchen Parade knows just what to cook to warm everyone up. If you're watching Weight Watchers points and calories between holiday parties, Kitchen Parade can help . Counting carbs? Kitchen Parade has low-carb recipes too. ♥ ♥ ♥ What's this Kitchen Parade, you ask? It's the published newspaper column that my Mom started when I was a baby and that I've been writing since 2002. Kitchen Parade is known for great recipes for all courses ; including lots of Quick Suppers and long-time family favorites my best kitchen tips plus special section

Celery with Tomatoes, Olives & Capers ♥

Cooked celery is so good! This really hit the spot. It tasted 'spare' (though delicious) in contrast to 'rich' (and totally over-the-top delicious) offerings at recent holiday parties. And it calls for ingredients that are often on hand, just celery, canned tomatoes, olives and capers. If you haven't 'celebrated celery' recently, or ever, now's the moment! LANGUAGE NOTE ... A reader recently brought my attention to the careless specification of a 'stalk' of celery when I really meant to call for one 'rib' of celery. It really peeves her so please join me in listing a rib unless we really mean the whole and entire stalk, which would be a hole pile of celery, for sure. NUTRITION NOTES ... Low cal. Low carb. One Weight Watchers point. High fiber. Low cholesterol. Filling. Satisfying. Cheap. Good! FROM THE ARCHIVES ... Other celebrations of celery are this wintry celery, apple and walnut salad , a simple braised celery , last week's Bruss

Delicata Squash with Hot Pepper Glaze ♥

This simple squash from the October/Halloween issue of Martha Stewart Living really called to me. Once in the kitchen, however, the instructions stymied. "4 delicata squashes, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-thick wedges, seeds discarded" I puzzled. I pondered. What about the skin, shouldn't it be removed? And it's really difficult, dangerous even, to slice uncooked winter squash lengthwise: hard to get a grip, plus a knife can slip against the dense flesh and voila, there goes a finger. So I trusted Martha and left the skins on. But I trusted my knife instincts and sliced the squash in half, lengthwise, down the center. I scooped out the seeds and then cut one half into rainbow slices. For a test, I roasted the other half whole, filled with glaze. THE VERDICT The skins of delicata squash are definitely edible, though more skin-ish than many will appreciate. The hot pepper glaze is extraordinary. I would definitely roast delicata in the same rainbow slices again. I won