Eggnog gelato with Myers Dark Rum, tasty even on a cold winter day.

Bourbon pumpkin marble cheesecake with gingersnap pecan crust.

Whole wheat and flaxseed bread from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Make a gingerbread Christmas tree, fun for the family and easier than a house.

Green beans with caramelized red onions and a light balsamic vinegar sauce.

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie with Whole Wheat Crust for Thanksgiving.

Persimmon cake with dates and lemon glaze, made with wild persimmons we picked from a tree behind our house.

Fried papas criollas (tiny yellow potatoes), one of my favorite food memories.

Oven-roasted tomatillo salsa with our homegrown purple tomatillos, garlic, and serrano chile.

Steamy Kitchen’s Pho Ga for the October Daring Cooks challenge.

Percy, the number 6 train from Thomas the Tank Engine stories, in cake form for our son’s third birthday.

Thai basil chicken made with homegrown peppers, chiles, garlic, and Thai basil.

Vegan dosas with curried garbanzo filling and coconut curry sauce.

Zucchini risotto with fresh homegrown basil and garlic and Grana Padano cheese.

Sheila Lukins’ recipe for spiced vegetable dal for A Taste of Yellow 2009.

Malted milk gelato takes me back to my childhood.

Peter Reinhart’s Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread with some whole wheat flour thrown in.

Soba noodles with zucchini, carrots, and avocado, and a dressing with lime, soy sauce, and ginger.

Portuguese tomato jam made with homegrown Cherokee Purple tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, and ruby port.

Spanish rice with mushrooms, artichokes, and shrimp for the Daring Cooks challenge.