Rosemary and Sundried Tomato Meatloaf Sandwiches | Fudge and Jury

Welcome to the tlc book tours stop for Fudge and Jury! Fudge and Jury is book 5 in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander—and it's a cozy mystery, which you might know is one of my favorite ways to escape when I have a little time to myself (fun, quick, easy reads).

The logical thinker in me cringes at the thought of starting a series anywhere but at the beginning, but there's not enough time in the day or days in the week for me to read everything I'd like, so I threw caution to the wind and went into this book blind. And while I know there are background and character-building elements of the story that I missed, it still made sense as a stand-alone book.

Slow Cooker Turmeric Turkey Noodle Soup

I know I've said this numerous times, but I'm a soup-year-round kinda gal. But that doesn't stop me from appreciating, eating, and making even more soup during January, which has been designated National Soup Month.

Slow Cooker Turkey Stock

Yesterday I mentioned the massive homemade turkey soup craving that had taken control of my household, and today I'm sharing part two of the process for bringing that turkey soup to life. I started with a whole, bone-in, skin-on turkey breast that I made in the slow cooker, and I'll chop up that meat to use in the soup.

Slow Cooker Herbes de Provence Turkey Breast

This recipe is so easy that I hadn't originally planned on sharing it. I mean, with only turkey and herbs plus salt and pepper, it can hardly be called a recipe. Since I didn't host Thanksgiving or Christmas at my house this year, we didn't have any leftover turkey like we often do...and always look forward to. And because of that, my family (yeah, every last one of them) has been craving some sort turkey soup, since I usually make a batch from the leftovers and carcass.

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.

Paprika Roast Chicken over Mamaliga | Bram Stoker's Dracula

Welcome to the final installment of the All Vampire Book and a Movie Challenge for 2016. Our December challenge was what could probably be considered THE vampire story of vampire stories, Dracula. While there have been many retellings of Bram Stoker's tale, the movie we watched this month was the '92 Francis Ford Coppola version starring Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, and Winona Ryder.

The movie - Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992):

Oh, the movie...the dreaded movie. I'm just going to go ahead and say it—I hate this movie. I didn't like it the first time I saw it so many years ago, but decided to give it a chance after I'd finished the book. That just made me think even less of the over-sexed, over-boobed, bastardization of Bram Stoker's original work. I thought the acting was horrible (sorry Keanu, you're pretty and all, but) and the screenplay was so far off from the original story that I don't know how they could still get away with calling it "Bram Stoker's" Dracula.

Tortilla Española | Gilmore Girls

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday coffee klatch, where I discuss and create recipes inspired Gilmore Girls. Last time I talked about A Year in the Life, episode one (Winter), and today I'm talking, unsurprisingly, about episode two (Spring). So, without further ado, here are my thoughts. I'd love to hear what you thought about this episode in the comments below.

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.

Homemade Peppermint Mini Marshmallows | Krampus #FoodnFlix

It's December, and that means it's time for a Christmas edition of Food 'n Flix, where, along with a talented group of bloggers, I create a recipe inspired by a chosen film. Since I'm hosting this month, I created the challenge, asking everybody to create a recipe inspired by the 2015 horror-comedy, Krampus!

While the original legend is definitely pee-your-pants scary, I didn't personally think this PG-13 movie was scary at all. A bit dark and creepy in parts, but not scary. I actually own a copy and have seen it several times, the most recent time my 12 and 14 year olds watched it with me. While I did see my youngest jump once, they both agreed that while they'd never want to be face to face with the Krampus of lore, the movie  itself was just creepy. But hey, my kids grew up with Orcs and Dementors, so...

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Growing up in the Midwest, I've drunk my fair share of hot cocoa. I mean, there's nothing like coming in from a hard day of trudging up a snowy hill (after the fun sliding down part) over and over again, or building a snow fort, or having a snowball fight, to a mug of steaming chocolate. It's a winter time staple!

But the thing is, ours always came from a round, lined cardboard canister of Swiss Miss. Well no, sometimes we had the boxes with individual packets. And I won't lie, I always liked the kind with the crunchy, dehydrated marshmallows. Or, if somebody didn't get to the bag, we'd pile on soft mini marshmallows—and that was good, too.

Creamy Ham and Greens Noodle Soup | #Reames #HomemadeGoodness

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Reames®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Everybody has those certain triggers that spark up a feeling of nostalgia—sites, sounds, smells that transport them to another place, another time. For me, at this time of the year, when heavy snow blankets the world outside my window, it's the welcoming smell of a roast, a ham, or a bird cooking slowly in the kitchen.

Hearty Ham and Split Pea Soup for High Tea | #AslansFeast

This month the Fandom Foodies are heading into the kitchen to create with the fantasy world of Narnia as inspiration. Narnia holds a special place in my heart because when my oldest son (now in college) was 7 or 8, just after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie came to theaters, we bought The Chronicles of Narnia (the complete chronicles in one big book).

Since he'd gone from being an only child for 4 1/2 years to having two siblings in short order, I was looking for a way to spend quality time with just him. So, every night, we sat down and, starting at the beginning, read The Chronicles of Narnia out loud for at least an hour every night. This was actually my first time reading it, as well, and both of us fell in love with C.S. Lewis's magical world, and our stolen hour together each night when we stepped hand-in-hand into the wardrobe.

(Almost) Nigella's Black Bean Soup

Although I'm the first to say that I make and eat soup year-round (there are so many great summer soups!), cold weather, snow and ice has hit us hard lately and I've been in even more of a "gimme soup" kind of mood lately. But that works well since I've also had a lot of bones and carcasses from roasted meats to use for making stock lately, as well.

Like a lot people, I love using ham stock or a ham bone to make rich, meaty black bean soup like this crockpot black bean soup. This version from Nigella Lawson is a bit of a break from the norm, though. It utilizes the broth, juices, and ham bone left over from making her Coca-Cola Ham, which results in a bean soup that is a little sweet and unexpected.

Giant Chocolate Chip Raisin Einkorn Cookies | #EinkornExperiment

I'm pretty excited to announce that this month kicks off a new project I'm embarking on with my friend Lora from Savoring Italy. Together we'll be experimenting in the kitchen with the oldest wheat known to scientists*—Einkorn.

We both have our reasons for wanting to learn more about this grain whose wild form has been traced back tens of thousands of years, mine being several. I'd read that einkorn was a nutritious grain that contained higher levels of protein and essential fatty acids, and that it was easier to digest than modern wheat. Since its nutrients are better absorbed, people wth gluten sensitivities are often able to consume einkorn without the belly and digestion issues (although it's not recommended for people with celiac disease or those who have allergies to wheat or gluten).