Lemony Orzo Salad

This is one of my favorite spring/summer pasta salads. The orzo is tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, where the lemon really stands out. The salad is tossed with peppers, olives, feta cheese, and several herbs. The vinaigrette makes more than you need, but I often add a little more than the recipe calls for and then save the extra to use as salad dressing or a marinade. Enjoy!

Bourbon-Walnut Sweet Potato Mash

November 2007 was a good year for Bon Appetit. We did almost our entire Thanksgiving menu out of the magazine that year and I've been making the same recipes for two years. This one is a sweet potato mash with bourbon, walnuts, and maple syrup. It has a not-too-heavy dose of cream and butter, which is just enough to ensure that it tastes extra creamy and delicious. It's like heaven on a fork. The bourbon isn't strong, but adds depth to the flavor, and blends well with the spices.

Cranberry Sauce with Port and Cinnamon

I am a huge fan of cranberry sauce: the real stuff, not the stuff in the can! I found this recipe a few years ago, and I love the combination of dried and fresh cranberries, along with the mild flavor of the port. It's a nice twist on the classic version if you want to try something new! This year I had a mixture of dried cherries and cranberries in my cabinet, so I decided to try it with dried cherries as well. It's awesome! It adds that tart-sweet taste that I love about cherries, but still very much my beloved cranberry sauce.