Two events on the Outer Banks herald spring to me and neither coincides with the vernal equinox.

The first is the return of the ospreys. The second is seeing my asparagus spears just starting to push up through the earth. I’ll be celebrating asparagus from my garden for the next month or so and I hope you, too, will take advantage of the season to enjoy asparagus.
more »

No self-respecting Southern kitchen would ever be without pimiento cheese.

I’m not talking about the soulless, processed pimiento cheese that comes in tubs from the grocery store. I’m talking about homemade pimiento cheese AKA Carolina Caviar.

A proper pimiento cheese spread is a classic Southern dish and every family has its own recipe for pimiento cheese.
more »

On the Outer Banks, the shortest month of the year can seem like the longest. February can be bone-chilling, achingly damp, gray for days, blustery, rainy, with the occasional nor’easter thrown in for good measure.

It’s sit-around-the-fireplace weather, and there’s no better way to warm your insides than with a bowl of comfort and nourishment — soup.
more »

With cooler weather setting in, (For Outer Bankers, that might mean temperatures in the mid to high 60s or in the blustery 30s with a nor’easter blowing. One never knows out here), the Hawthornes enjoy turning to comforting and fortifying soups for their dining pleasure.

Soup is a marvelous resource for the thrifty home cook. It solves the problems of what to do with that Thanksgiving turkey carcass, what to do with those leftover beef bones, what to do with leftover chicken carcasses, what to do with shrimp heads and shells, and what to do with those extra vegetables one might have lurking in the refrigerator.
more »

Welcome to my Twelfth Day of Christmas Baking.

Today, I have pretty, crinkly chocolate and powdered sugar cookies for you.
more »

Welcome to Day 9 of my annual Christmas Rosiethon.

Today, our sweet treat is Magic Cookie Bars, a quick, easy, and delicious layered cookie casserole.

Magic Cookie Bars
1 stick unsalted butter
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (That’s one wrapped package out of the box.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips
4 ounces coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
more »

Welcome to Day 8 of my annual Christmas Rosiethon. My gift to you today is Turtle Brownies, a delectable morsel if there ever was one.

Divine Turtle Brownies are comprised of a densely fudgy brownie layer topped with a luscious caramel pecan layer.
more »

Rosie���s Rosiethon rolls on. Today’s offering from the Hawthorne kitchen is Peanut Brittle.

A candy thermometer is needed for this since you’ll be heating the mixture to the hard-crack stage. In candy making, the hard-crack stage occurs at 300 to 310 degrees and can be determined by dropping a spoonful of the hot syrup into ice-cold water.
more »

Welcome to Day 2 of my Annual Christmas Rosiethon, where I bring you the best in Christmas cookies, candies, bars, and goodies.

Today, I’m making Rum Truffles, an intensely chocolate confection with a hint of rum.
more »

Welcome to the Hawthornes��� December kitchen. Every Christmas, I bake an assortment of Christmas goodies.

To get everything done, I start the first week in December and bake a batch (or two or three or four) of cookies every day. These get stored in freezer bags and stay in my freezer until Christmas Eve when I make my delivery rounds.
more »

Regular readers of my blog, Kitchens Are Monkey Business, know about a feature I call “Just Ask Rosie.” They ask me culinary questions and I do my best to answer them

Recently, one reader challenged me with a request for braised beef short ribs. You may thank Ange in Wisconsin for my culinary offerings today — braised short ribs in an aromatic red wine sauce on a bed of creamy, cheesy, buttery polenta.
more »

I keep a year-round garden in the microcosms/ecosystems in my yard. I maintain an herb garden and I have vegetables growing throughout the year. I also cook seasonally, buying vegetables at their prime and at their best prices. Right now, cabbage is king.

A favorite fall dish of the Hawthornes is stuffed cabbage rolls or galumpkis, also known as gołąbki in the Polish form.
more »