Sparkle Kitchen
Explore a world of culinary delight with our Sparkle Kitchen category. Discover mouthwatering recipes, cooking tips, and kitchen adventures to satisfy your appetite and spark your creativity in the kitchen.
Sparkle Kitchen: Shakespearean Meat Pies
A meat pie, you ask? Indeed! Back in Shakespeare's day theater concessions included fruit, nuts, and small hand pies stuffed with mincemeat—a mixture of meat, spices, and fruit.
Sparkle Kitchen: Rosemary Spiced Nuts
Roasted, seasoned nuts make for a satisfying, crunchy snack for the whole family, but store-bought varieties can be too salty. You can roast your own, of course, but—in the past—I've had a lot of trouble getting seasonings to really stick to homemade roasted nuts. Until I learned a clever trick—use frothed egg whites!
Sparkle Kitchen: Shrimp and Grits
This week's recipe, shrimp and grits, is inspired by Clancy's trip to cajun country. This simple version of the classic dish is great for kiddos, who might be adverse to spicer flavors.
Nature School Project- Elderberry Syrup
One of the best cold remedies I know of, for children and adults, is elderberry syrup. Use this fun and easy tutorial to learn to make your own!
Sparkle Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
There is nothing like a good hunk of chocolate chip banana bread for sharing with friends. It may not quite be “cake”, but it's close enough. Old friends, new friends, new friends who have now become old friends —I can't count the acquaintances we've made and rekindled with the help of this recipe.
Sparkle Kitchen: Cloudberry Cream
They're real, but rare—a golden-colored, arctic berry that is mostly wild and only grows a few months of the year. They taste like raspberries but less brazen, and with a hint of something wine-like. If you can't find fresh, luckily, jam works just as well for one of the most traditional uses for cloudberries—cloudberry cream.
NINE Winter Recipes and Crafts
Winter Solstice is just around the corner. With the cold weather comes an urge to snuggle in and to slow down and reflect on the past seasons. This week we've got a whole round up of winter-inspired recipes and crafts to keep you in a cheery mood and inspired to create.
Sparkle Kitchen: Roasted Chestnuts
In this week's Martin & Sylvia: More Adventures story “Singing Together”, Mr. Weber invites Martin and Sylvia's family to come downtown to sing wintertime songs at the local shops.
Sparkle Kitchen: Butternut Squash Chili
My favorite chili involves lots of canned goods, which are so much easier to keep on hand. It's also nearly vegetarian, with a butternut squash standing in admirably for the typical beef. Pop these ingredients into a pot, give it a stir, and enjoy the warm smell of it bubbling away!
Sparkle Kitchen: Gyoza
This week's recipe is another magical gift in a magical package—Japanese dumplings, called gyoza.
Sparkle Kitchen: Pizza Spirals
Fresh out of the oven, these pizza spirals make a terrific lunch after a morning of moving stones or even just raking leaves. Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Brownies
The recipe below is a bit of a holiday brownie; it has a salted caramel layer to give it something extra special. These are as rich as the name suggests, so—really—wrap up half the pan and take them to a nice neighbor.
Sparkle Kitchen: Sweet Potato and Cheddar Pierogis
As is often the case with traditional, ethnic foods, pierogies are a good way to turn leftovers—in this case, mashed potatoes—into a whole new meal.
Sparkle Kitchen: Popovers
Did you know that you can make popovers in a normal muffin tin?
Sparkle Kitchen: Taffy
If you’re looking for a bit of old-fashioned fun for Halloween, give taffy a try.
Sparkle Kitchen: Bannock Bread
Bannock bread (also known as plain “campfire bread”) has both Scottish and Native American origins. It’s a biscuit dough that was traditionally cooked over a campfire, either by using a scavenged flat rock as a pan or by twisting the dough around a stick.
Sparkle Kitchen: Mexican Corn Dip
The following dip recipe is a nod to all that late-summer golden corn.
Sparkle Kitchen: Labneh
Made by straining the whey from Greek yogurt, Labneh is a tangy cheese that can be made with no special equipment.
Sparkle Kitchen: Healthy "Candy" Necklaces
It’s part craft project, part snack – inspired by the Martin & Sylvia: More Adventures story “The Necklace."
