A rosemary wreath dresses up the standby party platter of cheese, salami and olives.

This blogging thing is fun, especially the connections with other bloggers and the ideas they share and inspire. One of the blogs I subscribe to is Last Night’s Feast, where blogger Sara occasionally makes a post called Pretty Things, a collection of unrelated links and […]

Spatchcocked turkey is everything you want in a turkey: moist on the inside, with crispy, savory, mahogany skin on the outside. Read about it here: Spatchcocked Turkey. Say What? This will be our turkey strategy again this year.

Simple, creamy butternut squash soup that even vegetable haters will eat.

Thanksgiving means food and family and fun, and I enjoy the process of getting ready for it. Check out some of the Glover Gardens standards.

I’m not able to post a new recipe over this Labor Day long weekend, so I thought I’d share links to a few of my favorites from the grill that seem oh-so-appropos for the holiday.

There’s no place like Las Vegas.  It’s glitzy, and plastic, and neon, and fun. We went to Vegas for New Year’s in 2013 to celebrate my bonus son’s 21st birthday (“bonus son” = stepson, with a more positive connotation; it means I’m “bonus mom”).  It […]

I’ve always felt that the way I spend New Year’s (Eve and Day) foreshadows my experiences for the rest of the year.  And it usually does:  we’re either traveling with family, having a special outing with family, or spending time at home with family, celebrating […]

The Pampas Grass: a champagne drink that honors winter grapefruit juice with a sparkling and Midori compliment.

A December business trip to Glasgow provided a brief opportunity to soak up its food, shopping and culture. It did not disappoint!

Sweet Potato Biscuits are made on special occasions in my family, and epitomize the feeling that Food is Love. Well, it is. Try them and see.

I spent years yearning for the Scotch Eggs I’d had at a Dickens Festival in Galveston, Texas. The Grill-Meister made them for Christmas breakfast, and they were a hit.

It’s not an original idea to make potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes, but we’re especially partial to this version here at Glover Gardens.

41 years ago, my Dad made cutting boards for Christmas gifts in a lean year. This year, he outdid himself with a new one as a gift for me. Awesome.

Zippy Southwest is a wonderful spice mix and a quick and easy gift from your kitchen.

These bar cookies are inspired by an old recipe from the now-defunct California Pistachio Commission. I played around with the recipe and made a few changes, and now they are a must-have during Christmas at Glover Gardens.

Spatchcocked turkey is everything you want in a turkey: moist on the inside, with crispy, savory, mahogany skin on the outside.

On the way to Glasgow – what does Christmas look like there compared to Glover Gardens?

I used to live in a 1920s pier-and-beam wood cottage. It was really fun to dress the old girl up for the holidays. Some of the table-setting tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years are illustrated in the photos from a special holiday dinner when my folks met my inlaws-to-be for the first time.

I like starting from a blank slate and creating a sense of bountiful harvest and plenty in my dining room for Thanksgiving.