Taming of the Spoon

Eat everything {in moderation}

Chocolate-Orange Biscotti

It snowed in Houston last night! Like actually left a white winter wonderland legit snowed not just a couple of flurries that we Houstonians wish were snow. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and eat these chocolate-orange biscotti all day. Considering it has taken me a couple of years to find a …
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Post-Thanksgiving Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

I don't know about you but after hosting a house full of family for the Thanksgiving weekend, I ended up with a very random collection of food items in my fridge. Of course, there were the dishes you would expect like turkey and mash potatoes. But I also ended up with 3 pounds of cream cheese and a helluva lot of butter among other things. There …
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Cranberry Pudding Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

Topping off a special holiday meal doesn't have to mean pulling out a big fancy dessert. Sometimes a very simple, but no less decadent, dessert will do. Introducing the cranberry pudding cake. Or maybe I should say re-introducing. After all cranberry pudding cake isn’t a new idea. It’s been around for ages and most people’s grandmothers probably …
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Blackened Salmon Tacos with Avocado Sauce and Black Bean & Corn Relish

Yep, it's November. Nope, haven't started thinking about Thanksgiving yet. Please don't leave - I've got tacos for you. Maybe because it still feels like summer here or maybe because my kids have been hitting our favorite taco spot a lot lately, I have definitely had tacos on the brain for the last few weeks. I decided I just needed to get tacos …
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Outstanding in the Field – Houston 2017

There are few occasions when I would happily sit outside in the Texas heat to eat dinner. Outstanding in the Field is one of those occasions. Every year, I get giddy with anticipation at seeing the long curving table and sharing a meal with 200 other guests in beautiful surroundings. It’s what Outstanding in the Field is all about – connecting …
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Pumpkin Spice Pudding

It's mid-October and the holiday season is nearly upon us starting with Halloween. Who's ready? As much as I would love to be able to make cute monster cupcakes and spider shaped cake balls, my creativity just doesn't run in that direction. However, though I may not be able to decorate fancy Halloween cookies, that doesn't mean I can't get into the …
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Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Milk Street magazine, the new culinary endeavor by Chris Kimball (of Cook's Illustrated and bow tie fame). It was one of their special issues entitled Simply Supper which immediately caught my eye since keeping dinner interesting yet simple is a never-ending task for me. I didn't realize who the publisher was …
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Deviled Eggs with Bacon Jam and Brunch at Liberty Kitchen Garden Oaks

I don't think I've ever had a deviled egg I didn't like. I'm not claiming to have tried hundreds and hundreds of variations or anything but I have had a lot. If deviled eggs are on a buffet table, you can bet there are some on my plate. If they appear on a menu, I (or my husband) would be ordering it. They're comforting and classy. It's also really …
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Classic French Toast

The kids are finally starting school next week after a two week delay. Usually, I dread the start of school - dragging grumpy teenagers out of bed to get ready for school is nothing I look forward to. However, after the events of the last two weeks when Hurricane Harvey unleashed so much rain on Houston that it's being called a 1,000-year flood …
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Pan Seared Cod with Mexican Esquites

The kids are going back to school next week and it's starting to feel like the end of summer. The fact that a tropical storm/hurricane is scheduled to make landfall tomorrow drives home the point that the lazy summer days are fleeting. But before summer truly ends and the floodwaters come, let's enjoy some fresh sweet corn while we can. The corn …
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