Cooking, Baking, and Making: 100 Recipes & DIY Ideas for All Seasons and Reasons
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About this ebook
In Cooking, Baking, and Making, noted home cook and “Harried Housewife” Cynthia O’Connor O’Hara proves that living the handmade life doesn’t require a life of leisure. This all-inclusive guide is bursting with DIY recipes and ideas for the entire year—holidays included! Beautifully photographed and presented, Cynthia’s user-friendly projects and dishes make replicating her flavors and designs as natural as the changing of the seasons.
Inside, you will find sixty recipes with bonus designs and forty ideas that tie your home together all year round. For example:
- Spring: Serve Herbed Cucumber Tea Sandwiches and a make a Spring Centerpiece
- Summer: Delight your guests with Fresh Berries with Cannoli Cream and make your own decorative coasters
- Autumn: Bake Dilled Beer and Cheddar Bread and make Autumn Harvest Potpourri
- Winter: Enjoy Creamy Eggnog Cupcakes and make Festive Votives
“A quick and easy cheat sheet for becoming the hostess with the mostess year round!” —Molly Sharry
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Cooking, Baking, and Making - Cynthia O'Connor O'Hara
Copyright © 2017 Cynthia O’Hara.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Photography: Cynthia O’Hara
Cover Design: Elina Diaz
Cover photos: Shutterstock/Timolina, Shutterstock/MarharytaKovalenko, Shutterstock/OnlyZoia
Layout & Design: Elina Diaz
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Cooking, Baking, and Making: 100 Recipes and DIY Ideas for All Seasons and Reasons
Library of Congress Cataloging
ISBN: (paperback) 978-1-63353-556-5, (ebook) 978-1-63353-557-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017905348
BISAC category code HOM005000 HOUSE & HOME / Do-It-Yourself / Cooking / Decorating
Printed in the United States of America
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.
- Henry David Thoreau
In loving memory of my mother,
Janice L. O’Connor
With all my love,
To my husband Michael,
And my daughters, Colleen and Kelly
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
SPRING
CRÈME DE MENTHE SHAMROCK SHAKES
SMOKY BACON DEVILED EGGS
MAPLE-GLAZED CARROTS
HERBED CUCUMBER TEA SANDWICHES
LINGUINE WITH GARLIC SHRIMP,ASPARAGUS, AND TOMATOES
OVEN-FRIED HADDOCK
RAVIOLI WITH CREAMED SPINACHAND CHICKEN
FARFALLE WITH PEAS AND PROSCIUTTO
HONEY-GLAZED HAM
TRIO OF CREAM CHEESE SPREADS
IRISH SCONES
CREAMY STRAWBERRYSTUFFED FRENCH TOAST
EGGS BENEDICT
YELLOW CAKE
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP
LOVELY LINENS
SUMMER
LIME IN THE COCONUT COCKTAILS
MANGO/CHERRY SMOOTHIES
DILL DIP WITH CRUDITES
HERBED HAM SALADCROISSANT SANDWICHES
BUFFALO CHICKEN BURGERS
BACON AND CHEESE STUFFED BURGERS
MIXED SUMMER SUBS
SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
GRILLED CHICKEN WITH MANGO SALSA
OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING
GRILLED STEAK WITH CORN RELISH
CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BREAD
STRAWBERRY CAKE
BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE
FRESH BERRIES WITH CANNOLI CREAM
FROZEN MOJITOS
AUTUMN
ORANGE-SPICED CIDER
CORN AND CRAB CHOWDER
ROASTED ACORN SQUASH BISQUE
SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER TURKEY SOUP
TORTELLINI PUMPKIN ALFREDO
ROAST TURKEY WITH CRANBERRY CORNBREAD STUFFING
TURKEY NOODLE CASSEROLE WITH ARTICHOKES AND BACON
DILLED BEER AND CHEDDAR BREAD
MINI CRANBERRY CORN BREAD LOAVES
PUMPKIN DOUGHNUT MUFFINS
APPLE ROLL UPS
BUTTERSCOTCH APPLE BARS
SLIMY SWAMP TREATS
SPIDER CUPCAKES
CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
WINTER
MINTY WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE
POMEGRANATE CHAMPAGNE SPARKLER
HEARTS OF PALM AND ARTICHOKE DIP
EASY CRANBERRY PEPPER JELLY
FRENCH ONION SOUP
CLEMENTINE SPINACH ANDCHICKEN SALAD
STOVETOP MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH BACON
HERBED PORK ROAST WITH SAVORY RASPBERRY SAUCE
VELVETY MASHED POTATOES
GINGERBREAD PANCAKES
CREAMY EGGNOG CUPCAKES
CINNAMON CHIP SNICKERDOODLES
CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRÈME
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
VANILLA BEAN PUDDING
SPRING CENTERPIECE
EASY EASTER EDIBLES
TRIO OF CREAM CHEESE WITH BAGELS PACKAGE
DOILY WRAPPED UTENSILS
TIERED SERVING PLATTERS
NO-SEW TABLE RUNNER
DECORATIVE TRAY
REFRIGERATOR MAGNETS
LEMON FRESH CLEANERS
LEMON FURNITURE POLISH
STONE TRIVET
SUMMER CENTERPIECE
PRACTICAL CADDY
DECORATIVE COASTERS
DIP AND CRUDITÉS HOLDERS
TERRA COTTA POTS FOR SILVERWARE
WINE CHARMS
ORNAMENTAL VASES
SOAP DISPENSER
FROZEN ICE BUCKET
MARBLED EDIBLE BOWLS
AUTUMN CENTERPIECE
CINNAMON STICK CANDLE
NO-SEW PLACEMATS
ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
SPICED ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
SALTED ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
PUMPKIN PIE SPICED ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
EASY SPICE BLENDS
MULLING SPICE BAG
AUTUMN HARVEST POTPOURRI
AUTUMN WREATH
EMBELLISHED POT HOLDERS
DRY-ERASE BOARD
WINTER CENTERPIECE
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
HOMEMADE BOTTLES OFCRÈME DE MENTHE
VELVETY MASHED POTATOES WITH ASSORTED TOPPINGS MARTINI BAR
FESTIVE VOTIVES
DECOUPAGE GIFTS
EASY CRANBERRY PEPPERJELLY PACKAGE
SALT DOUGH GIFT TAGS
SCARF HANGER
CUSTOM COFFEE MUG
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Bio
INTRODUCTION
Home is the nicest word there is.
– Laura Ingalls Wilder
I would be willing to bet that some of your fondest memories are filled with heartwarming remembrances of cozy gatherings with family and friends. And chances are, when you conjure up these thoughts, you recall a contented atmosphere complete with delicious food shared with those close at heart. Whether they were holiday celebrations with all the glitz and glitter of the season or simple weeknight suppers, there’s something special about spending time with loved ones in a welcoming environment at different occasions throughout the year.
While it’s true that folks today lead busy lives, studies show that we’re spending more time now than in recent history in our homes relishing the old-fashioned ways of domestic life but with a modern-day twist. From the way our grandparents and great-grandparents prepared food according to the season—to the way they used whatever was on-hand to enhance their home—we’re embracing the age-old practices of doing things ourselves but with the help of modern-day conveniences. In this regard, Cooking, Baking and Making will take you through the seasons with a scrumptious selection of easy-to-make recipes and simple DIY projects to effortlessly create a cozy, home-centered way of life.
It doesn’t take a lot of time or a lot of money to make things by hand to share with family and friends. In fact, you probably already have many things available around your house. Seasonal centerpieces can be made with items provided by Mother Nature herself, tiered platters can be created out of dishware that you probably have not used in awhile, and all those extra vases that you have stashed in a corner of the house and are wondering what to do with, can now be painted and transformed into sleek ornamental vases that match your décor. Our grandparents likely repurposed and made use of whatever they had without giving a thought to spending any money. Nowadays, we can go to places like dollar stores and craft stores to pick up inexpensive items to complete a project.
We can rummage through items at flea markets, frequent garage sales, and stop by yard sales to find the perfect things to bring home and create something new from. It’s exciting to make something from practically nothing, whether items are from your house or discovered somewhere else. For example, several years ago my mom and I found gorgeous teacups at a yard sale that cost 10¢ each. These were transformed into elegant candles and gifted to relatives at Christmas. I am blessed to have had a mother who could make something look nice with whatever we had on hand. She was very creative in that regard, but was not a mom who would sew, knit, make our clothes, etc. She was a busy mom of four who worked outside of the home and who decorated our house on a budget, cooked seasonally, and created a cozy atmosphere for family and friends.
I find creating things to be both soothing and gratifying. Also known as The Harried Housewife®, I have been cooking, baking, and making professionally for 20 years. As a food columnist, lifestyle writer, cookbook author, and creator of The Harried Housewife®’s RECIPE BOX television segments, I take great pleasure in providing seasonal recipes and imaginative ideas to time-crunched, budget-conscious folks who would like to make mouthwatering dishes and fun and practical items to enhance their homes and share with loved ones. With the increase in popularity of all things domestic and DIY, now is the time for an inspiring book that will take you through the seasons with food, décor, and more.
We’ll begin with spring, since it’s the season of my beloved mother’s birthday, and is an exciting time of year. Snowdrops appear through patches of snow, trees begin to show their blooms, and robins sing their cheerful songs. The much-anticipated, earthy smell of soil mixed with rain signals the season of new beginnings. It’s at this time of year that rosy leaves of rhubarb begin poking through the soil, waiting to grow into full stalks. When they’re ready to be picked, pair them with juicy strawberries and create a mouthwatering Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp to enjoy on a breezy spring afternoon. A Stone Trivet is an easy-to-make project and would be a lovely place to set your bubbling dessert to cool.
Another idea for a springtime occasion is hosting a Ladies Luncheon complete with Smoky