100 Turmeric Recipes

I go through phases where a certain type of food or ingredient sits first and foremost in my mind. Something grabs on and won't let go until I've explored it further by learning more about it and using it in several recipes or applications. Lately, it's been turmeric—specifically the fresh root, which is part of the ginger family.

I think it started when I saw a bin of the fresh root at the market, stared at it for a few minutes, then left without buying any. I didn't buy it because I didn't want it to go to waste. I have a tendency to pick up cool "new" ingredients, only to let them go to waste while looking for the perfect way to use them.

Recipes inspired by Nina's Heavenly Delights #FoodnFlix

Welcome to the roundup post for the February 2020 edition of the Food 'n Flix club! My choice for February was the 2007 British foodie-rom-com, Nina's Heavenly Delights. So, little did I know when I chose this film a while back, it is pretty hard to get your hands on a copy. Or at least an inexpensive copy. At the time, it was available to stream on Amazon Prime, but has since become unavailable. I got my hands on a dvd copy for about $10 a couple of months ago, so I consider myself fortunate. Most of the Food 'n Flix participants were not so lucky.

Recipes inspired by the Thanksgiving movie, What's Cooking? | #FoodnFlix

There are tons of movies out there centered around Christmas, but there aren't a whole lot that feature that infamous Thanksgiving gathering. Forget the presents, this get-together is all about being thankful for the simple fact that we are all alive and together. But that also means differences; cultural, generational, political, moral - it all comes out of the woodwork in between jostling for oven space and rooting for your favorite football team.

Recipes inspired by This Beautiful Fantastic | #FoodnFlix

This month I hosted Food 'n Flix with a bit of an obscure (I think) movie choice. Fun, quirky, heartwarming, and filled with beautiful inspiration in both the garden and the kitchen...we created recipes inspired by the film This Beautiful Fantastic!

I think this is a film that invites you to explore your imagination and aspire to more, but in doing so, don't forget to open your eyes to what you already have. You might find that that is exactly the combination that you need in your life.

I believe that this was everybody else's first time seeing (and even hearing of) This Beautiful Fantastic, and I love that most of them enjoyed it very much. If you've never seen it, check out the trailer, then scroll down to see what everybody brought to the garden party this month!

Recipes inspired by The Princess and the Frog #FoodnFlix

This month I invited the Food 'n Flix club bloggers to join me in the kitchen with the animated Disney flick, The Princess and the Frog. Since it's October, I thought choose something with a little bit of dark magic and a whole lot of good food, in hopes that it would inspire some creative fun in the kitchen!

Our gathering was small but sweet this month with just six offerings...each pulled and influenced by different parts of this classic tale, retold. I hope you'll browse the photos below, and click through to the individual blogs to check out the recipes and the reasoning behind them!

Recipes inspired by CLUELESS | #FoodnFlix

I can hardly believe that 2017 is almost over, but I can think of no better way to end it than with food and a film! I hosted the last Food 'n Flix club of the year with the 1995 Alicia Silverstone film, Clueless - a modern twist on the classic Jane Austen book, Emma (curious as to how the characters overlap? Check out my post here...or search it for a bunch of other fun comparisons).

10 Most Popular Recipes of 2016

In just over a month's time, this little space of the web will be celebrating its eighth anniversary. It's been so much fun sharing recipes with you, learning a little more about writing and photographing food as the years have gone by. I also love checking out which posts were your favorites each year, since it helps me decide what I should create more of the next year!

When I scoured my analytics to see which recipes that I shared in 2016 were the most popular, I thought it very cool that of the top 10, half of those were recipes that I created to accompany a work of fiction (like a movie or television show - no books in the top 10 slots this year). Since that's a pretty accurate representation of the recipes I love to create and share with you, it brought a huge smile to my face.

Recipes inspired by the movie Krampus | #FoodnFlix

I had a lot of fun hosting this month's edition of Food 'n Flix. When I chose Krampus as our movie, I thought it might create a bit of a buzz, and lead to differing opinions. But I also couldn't wait to see the inspiration and creativity of the submissions—and they definitely did not disappoint.

When I host an edition of Food 'n Flix during a month that contains a holiday, if possible, I try to choose a film that fits the theme. We've done a couple of classic Christmas movies in the past, like Elf, A Christmas Story, and Christmas in Connecticut, but we delved into the darker side this year with St. Nick's partner (and punisher of the naughty), Krampus.

5 Foods to Complement Your Coffee!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers. All opinions are 100% mine.

The women and girls on the maternal side of my family have what some might call hoarding tendencies, but we prefer to think of ourselves as collectors. That's why, at least a couple of times a year, we commandeer a large table and pile it high with magazines piles that have grown slightly too large for comfort.

We come armed with coffee and plenty of sustenance to carry us through a few solid hours of good-natured chatter and the ripping and sharing of recipes and home and garden ideas. By the end of our decluttering session, we are each left with our own tidy "pile with purpose" and a full recycling bin.

12 Popsicles Recipes to Kick-Off Summer!

Since today is officially the start of summer, I figured what better time to share some frosty popsicle, ice pop, and paleta recipes to stock your freezer and start beating the heat right away! I'll also be sharing a couple of new popsicle recipes later this week as part of Popsicle Week at Wit & Vinegar and Paleta Week at Lola's Cocina; I hope you'll come back and check out those recipes, as well.

Without further ado, I present popsicles and money—what better way to kick-off summer 2016?

5 Tampopo-inspired Dishes—a #FoodnFlix Roundup

At the beginning of the month, I announced that I would be hosting the April edition of Food 'n Flix with my choice, one of the most celebrated food movies in the past 30 years, the first (and only?) "Ramen Western"—Tampopo. I actually watched it for the first time myself this month, and while ashamed to admit that fact, am so happy that I finally did. There's not a moment in the film that doesn't center around food and its relationship to life.

That said, we had a small turnout this month, and the participants other than myself, were split evenly down the middle in terms of liking and not liking the film. It is a real Japanese comedy with subtitles, and that particular style is not for everybody. If you find yourself wanting to know more before you go in, or just wanting a bit of a break-down, I hope you'll take a few minutes to read my overview of Tampopo (because I often think it's helpful to go in with a bit of background).

100 Delicious Homemade Soup Recipes to Celebrate #HomemadeSoupDay!

Although I'm happy to eat soup any day of the year (yes, even in summertime), I couldn't resist celebrating the official "Homemade Soup Day" with 100 different mouthwatering soup recipes from around the internet. I've gathered a delicious selection of soups that range from creamy to brothy, meaty to vegetarian, quickly made on the stove top to set-it-and-forget-it in the slow cooker. If you can't find a handful of soups that you want to try in this bunch, then you're not paying attention!

15 "Would Be" Blog Posts of 2015

While many people are looking back and sharing their favorite or most popular posts from the past year, I like to look back and scoop some of the things up from the cutting room floor instead. Sometimes they wound up on the cutting room floor because the recipe didn't work out like I wanted it too and I need to revisit it later. Sometimes I just got too busy to share it with you. Other times I just thought the photos weren't good enough.

I dusted off 15 ideas from the past 12 months that I thought would be worth looking back at. I hope you enjoy a little peek at these outtakes!

More than 400 Recipes Ideas for your Thanksgiving Table

I had such a blast rounding up more than 400 recipes this month for my favorite "food day" of the entire year - Thanksgiving! I hope that you were able to find some ideas and inspiration in the roundups and side posts. I know that our table was overflowing this year, and for that I am thankful.

I've gathered the links to all of these wonderful Thanksgiving posts in one spot so that you can click through easily if you're looking for anything in particular, either this year or in years to come. By clicking on any of the photos below, you'll go directly to the page that lists the 25 recipes in that category. Be sure to scroll down to find links to a few other relevant posts that I featured this month.

25 Ways to Use Up your Thanksgiving Leftovers!

Thanksgiving week has finally arrived! I've had such a delicious time sharing Thanksgiving recipes and recipe roundups with you this month, and I hope that you've found some inspiration on the pages. I have a couple more recipes coming up between now and Thursday, so don't forget to check back!

Today I'm sharing some ideas for ways to use up those leftovers, because let's admit it—sometimes the leftovers are more enjoyable than the meal itself when it comes to Thanksgiving. If you're anything like me, you actually plan for leftovers by cooking a little extra of a few choice menu items. So, here's to a successful week of planning, prepping, cooking, and gathering. Happy Thanksgiving!

The History of (and 18 Variations on) the Classic Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Did you know that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the classic Green Bean Casserole? It was originally developed in 1955 in the Campell's Kitchens by Dorcas Reilly and a team of home economists as an "easy recipe featuring a few simple ingredients", and known as Green Bean Bake. Apparently it caught on, because today, over 20 million households make green bean casserole and Campbell's receives over 10,000 requests for the recipe every year.

Given that fact, it probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to hear that 25-30% of all Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup is sold in the month of November. Last year, the green bean casserole page on the Campell's website received 722,052 page views on Thanksgiving day alone!

25 Desserts (that aren't Pie) for your Thanksgiving Table

It's no secret that I love pie...and our Thanksgiving dessert spread reflects that love. But while I'm satisfied with (eventually) making my way through three or four kinds of pie, I hear tell that there are people who don't feel the same. I mean, apparently there are people who don't even serve a single pie, but instead turn to cake, cookies, cheesecake, or another sweet treat. I know—MIND. BLOWN.

Dramatic? Me? 

But seriously, if you're looking for a couple of dessert options that aren't pie, I've gathered 25 absolutely tempting dessert recipes below, all of which have a "fall feel" and would fit perfectly at your Thanksgiving table this year. And guess what? I even have one non-pie dessert option planned to serve alongside my pie. Madness!

25 Drinks for your Thanksgiving Table

Although there's absolutely nothing wrong with serving milk, juice, cider, wine, or even water as the beverage options at your Thanksgiving table, sometimes it's fun to mix things up. Literally. Today I'm sharing 25 fall-inspired drink ideas for sipping alongside your turkey, stuffing, and pie. While the majority of them are cocktails, I've also included some non-alcoholic ideas for kids and adults who aren't imbibing.

Why not add a little pizzazz to your Thanksgiving spread this year with a custom drink? I think it would make a fun holiday tradition to set out some fruit, spice, herb, alcohol, juice, and sparkling water options and ask your friends and family to create their own inspired drink, as well. I hope the fantastic drinks below will inspire you!

25 Bread, Roll, and Biscuit Recipes for your Thanksgiving Table

One of the most important things on our Thanksgiving table is the bread basket. I like to fill it with at least three types of bread, rolls, and/or biscuits so that everybody can find something they like. While the majority of my family prefers soft, fluffy rolls along the lines of buttermilk, buttery pull-aparts, and Hawaiian rolls...or hard white crusty rolls...I think it's fun to include some options with whole grains, nuts, seeds, or vegetable purees in them, as well.

My biggest problem is narrowing it down and deciding which three to make. If my kitchen was bigger (and my oven), I'd probably make enough bread to feed the entire neighborhood! Today I've gathered a variety of options from some of my food blogging friends to help you get ideas for your own bread basket this year.

Lightened-Up Thanksgiving Menu Options and Food Swaps to Save Calories

I'll admit that I don't normally think about calories when it comes to Thanksgiving. It has always been my favorite meal of the year. I look forward to it from the moment the leftovers from the current year are polished off. I've always figured, as long as I'm conscientious of my choices for the rest of the year, I can go hog wild on that single Thursday.

I'll admit that this might not be the best strategy and that planning my menu with an eye towards health is probably a good idea. So, maybe I'll start with one dish this year. One is better than none, right? Our friends over at My Fitness Pal offered to share this handy infographic on Thanksgiving food swap ideas to help me...and you, if you want to...start thinking about saving calories.

I've also included 25 Lightened-Up menu options after the infographic, so be sure to scroll down for lots of delicious (and healthy!) recipe ideas.

Lightened-Up Main Dish Ideas

• Healthy Turkey Roulade with Mushroom Stuffing and Blueberry Thyme Gravy from Food Done Light
• Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Breast

Lightened-Up Side Dish Ideas

• Butternut Squash Apple Bake from A Cedar Spoon
• Caramelized Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese and Roasted Grapes from With Salt and Wit
• Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Mashers from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Creamy Mashed Cauliflower with Ghee (Paleo) from EverydayMaven
• Fall Harvest Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette from With Salt and Wit
• Fall Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad from Iowa Girl Eats
• Gluten-Free Crockpot Wild Rice from Gluten Free Yumms
• Healthy, Low Calorie Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole from Food Done Light
• Kettle Corn Grilled Sweet Potatoes from The Big Man's World
• Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Orange Zest from The Lemon Bowl
• Mushroom, Kale and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Tasting Page
• Real Mango Ginger Cranberry Sauce from The Organic Dietician
• Parmesan Roasted Potatoes from Swanky Recipes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey Mustard and Pecans from The Organic Dietician
• Roasted Spiced Applesauce
• Simple Garlic Parmesan Green Beans from A Cedar Spoon
• Spiced Butternut Squash with Red Onion
• Toasted Coconut Green Beans from Wine & Glue
• Unstuffed Mushrooms from Busy in Brooklyn

Lightened-Up Dessert Ideas

• Crustless Sweet Potato Pie from Alida's Kitchen
• Pumpkin Mousse from Dessert Now Dinner Later via Super Healthy Kids
• Vegan Apple Cake from Keep It Sweet Desserts
• Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Cream from Namely Marly