Matryoshka Doll Measuring Cups

Matryoshka doll measuring cups © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

T recently bought me a set of these darling (and useful!) measuring cups. Considering his family’s adopted Russian heritage, how could he not buy these? (I’m hoping that the Matryoshka spoons will be “nesting” in my Christmas stocking.) From the … Continue reading

Meat Loaf and Macaroni & Cheese

meat loaf, macaroni & cheese, and green beans © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

Growing up in a “culturally appreciative” home, T’s parents often prepared ethnically diverse meals. Not all of which were kid-friendly (borscht anyone?) So, one year for his birthday T asked for good ol’ American boy food: meat loaf and macaroni & … Continue reading

Venison Tenderloin

vension tenderloin, roasted potatoes, and green beans © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

If you know someone who hunts deer (or other wild game for that matter), make friends with him. I annually get the “hook-up” from my friend C, who is a skilled, yet conservative bow hunter. Most bow hunters feel that … Continue reading

Food for Thought: Secret Recipes

leave out ingredients - PostSecret © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

This postcard was on PostSecret a few weeks ago. Now, I’ve never done this (really, I promise!)… but I can totally relate.  Instead of being sheisty, I just don’t give out  my one-of-a-kind-and-only-I-can-bake-it recipes.  (Take my famous infamous “Crack Cookies” for instance: that … Continue reading

Pork Tenderloin Salad

Pork Tenderloin Salad © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

T and I have been on vacation this week. The first half of the week we lounged on the beach, our toes in the sand, drinking White Russians (“Caucasians” to all you Lebowski fans.) The latter half we’ve spent lounging … Continue reading

My Man Loves Me or, It’s OK to Buy Your Woman a KitchenAide Appliance

KitchenAide Artisan stand mixer © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

*WaaaaHOOOOO!!!* I am the proud new owner of a 5-quart, “Metallic Crome” KitchenAide Artisan Series stand mixer!!! I have been dreaming… lusting… pining away for this mixer for several months now. (If I’d known what I was missing, I would … Continue reading

Stevia

Image of stevia © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

Stevia  (stevia rebaudianais) is a native South American plant whose leaves are edible; and, having a sweet flavour, can be used as a sugar substitute. I began using stevia about two years ago as a sugar substitute in my tea. … Continue reading

Pizza Omelet

Image of Pizza Omelet © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

As usual, T and I woke up yesterday morning wondering “what are we going to have for breakfast?” Inspired by our late-night antipasto the night before, I came up with the fabulous idea of a pizza omelet. (My first idea … Continue reading

Easy Summer Recipe: Vegetable Risotto

Image of Vegetable Risotto © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

Mmmmm, risotto. One of my all-time favourite dishes. And so versatile, you can personalize it anyway you like. An ex-beau first taught me how to make risotto, and for that alone, I am eternally grateful. While I think risotto is … Continue reading

Raspberry Gelato

Image of Raspberry Gelato © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

A few weeks ago a co-worker hosted a little Sunday afternoon pot luck/cook-out. I wanted to make something different and try out one of the many recipes I’ve been hoarding. The original recipe was for raspberry gelato. However, since the … Continue reading

Balsamic Marinated Pork Ribs and Frozen Lemon Custard (aka Fence Building Food)

Image of Balsamic Marinated Pork Ribs © 2010 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

This past weekend my father came up to help T (finally) build his backyard fence.  Daddy, T, and J worked their literal hineys off for nearly 3 days in 90°+ weather. As “fence building support”, I kept the pitchers of sweet … Continue reading

Black Bean Chocolate Cake

© 2009 theCrackerBoxKitchen. All rights reserved.

Thank you so much for visiting The Crackerbox Kitchen! You’ve probably arrived here via a cached search engine link looking for my Black Bean Chocolate Cake recipe. Rather than abruptly end your search with a “PAGE NOT FOUND” message by … Continue reading