nannajoanna

Excellent sauce! This recipe is very close to the basic bolognese my mother made, and that I always go back to, especially when I need something reliable. I also leave out the peppers, and I add fresh sliced mushrooms which I saute with the other veggies (I always brown the meat and drain it before adding the veggies as well). One of my mother's special touches that I I never leave out: about 1 tsp of fennel seed, which I crush with a mortar and pestle. It gives some sweetness plus a hint of Italian sausage flavor to the sauce (fennel seed is a primary seasoning in Italian sausage). Other than that, this is one of those no-fail, always-a-hit recipes that become family traditions.

This is fried rice the way it was meant to be! I mean, most recipes I see use freshly cooked rice that is added to the frying pan while still hot. No, No, a thousand times No! You must start with previously cooked, cold rice to get the best, tastiest, most traditional fried rice! This recipe has earned my eternal respect. Thank you!

Excellent recipe for the classic & classy GIN gimlet (if you ask for a "gimlet" you will automatically get gin, as it was in the original cocktail). If you want vodka, you have to specifically request a VODKA gimlet. Also, "sweetened lime juice" is, in the 'bartender's guide', a generic term for the syrupy green bottled lime concoction most well-known as "Rose's Lime Juice". I am pretty sure "Dr. John" didn't mean fresh lime juice sweetened to taste. But I could be wrong . . . this is a lovely little cocktail! Thanks for reminding me, Dr. J!

Excellent version of classic pumpkin drop cookies! I use maple extract in place of the vanilla (if you use Mapleine-brand extract cut the amount to 1/2 tsp as it is more concentrated than standard maple flavoring) and it gives it a creamy maple color and of course the flavor goes perfectly with pumpkin.