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Recently I was having a conversation with my boss about Date and Nut bread. It brought back childhood memories of the moist, dense crumb of Thomas’ Date Nut Bread. 
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​In the January/February 2021 issue of Southern Living Magazine, they had a delicious sounding recipe for Slow-Cooker Chipotle Brisket Sliders. As I had some leftover chipotles, here was a chance to use them.
 
For the recipe you’ll need light brown sugar, kosher salt, cumin, black pepper, trimmed beef brisket, chipotles in adobe sauce, fresh garlic, barbecue sauce, slider buns and spicy pickle chips.
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Recently I was reading the Monmouth Health and Life Magazine, when I came to their “Tastes” section. Featured in the February/March 2021 issue were recipes from Monmouth Meats in Red Bank, NJ. Stewart Goldstein, owner, shared his recipe for Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy. This took me back to my childhood when my mother occasionally purchased TV dinners. The choices were usually friend chicken, turkey with stuffing or Salisbury steak. I would say Salisbury steak was popular in the 1960’s.
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​Sunday’s sunny skies was the perfect day to bake a batch of lemon squares. I haven't made these in years; they're not too sweet, are lemony tart and oh so delicious. 
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​My husband and I recently celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary. We thought a little getaway was in order, but where to go during this pandemic? We decided to visit Princeton, New Jersey. We’ve been here before and find it delightful. It has a lovely downtown area and wonderful restaurants.
 
This time we decided to spend the night and selected the Peacock Inn on Bayard Lane. The inn is accessible to Palmer Square and a short walk to McCarter Theater.
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​In the September 2020 issue of Southern Living Magazine, there was recipe for Hamburger Stew with Croutons. The image in the magazine was very appealing and made me want to try it.
 
For the recipe you’ll need ground chuck, dry mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, yellow onion, fresh garlic, tomato paste, all-purpose flour, beef broth, a can of diced tomatoes, ketchup, baby red potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, lima beans, peas and green beans), hamburger buns and olive oil. 
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​Recently The New York Times in their “Here to Help” column a recipe for Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili; it sounded interesting. For the recipe you’ll need coconut or vegetable oil, yellow or red onion, kosher salt, pepper, fresh garlic, light brown sugar, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, orange juice, chipotles, adobo sauce, sweet potatoes, black beans, crushed or diced tomatoes (fire-roasted if possible), lime juice and frozen corn. 
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I had a little bit of buttermilk left in my refrigerator and I felt inspired by the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday to make Irish Soda Bread.  I dug into my files for this recipe I found many years ago. I can’t remember where it came from or from whom, but it’s moist and tender. This recipe also calls for caraway seed, which adds a nice flavor.
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​Chicken and more chicken! Recently, I’ve been preparing lots of chicken and pork recipes. I purchased a Bell&Evans whole chicken and needed a new recipe. I was making this after picking up my granddaughter for the night, so I needed a recipe that was simple and relatively quick to make. I found one recipe by Ina Garten for Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken. First of all, the chicken is butterflied (or spatchcocked), which means less cooking time and it had a flavorful seasoning rubbed on the outside of the chicken. 
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​I couldn’t believe this past weekend when the New York Times had yet another supplement for sheet pan meals! “Sheet Pan Everything” has 20 meals ranging from poultry, fish, sausages, nachos and vegetarian. I’ve already made two; Sausages with Tangy, Gingery Pineapple and Cumin-Roasted Pork Chops and Brussels Sprouts. Both meals got a great review by my husband.
 
For the sausage recipe you’ll also need pineapple chunks, dark brown sugar, extra-virgin olive oil, freshly grated ginger, lime zest, kosher salt, ground black pepper, allspice, red onion, cilantro leaves. There’s a ginger lime vinaigrette that finished meal is dressed with and for that you’ll need freshly squeezed lime juice, fresh garlic, fresh ginger and extra virgin olive oil. 


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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