If you’ve never made a homemade spaghetti sauce, you’ll be surprised with how simple it is. It’s easy and it allows you to avoid preservatives and other additives that are found in prepared jar sauces and packaged seasoning mixes. And…it’s delicious. When dining at a famous Italian restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area many …
One of my family’s favorite summertime side dishes is a Cucumber Salad. The salad is at its absolute best when the cucumbers are fresh from the garden. But of course, farm fresh and even store-bought cucumbers will work. Which might be why even at the age of two, while sitting in the market basket, one …
What is the best thing to put in a pie? Your teeth, of course! After that, there’s room for question. But the season is ripe for one of my favorites….Fresh Berry Pie! This recipe works well with raspberries and blackberries. If you live in a “berry friendly” climate you’ll be able to use variations of …
Last summer we had friends stay as house guests for several days. We had an especially wonderful visit…and even sweeter memories. One day we were sitting pool side when Beth announced, “I know what I’m doing for you. I’m getting you an ice cream freezer.” She raved about her Cuisinart countertop appliance. I remembered her …
Give us this day our daily bread. It seems that every culture has its own special form of bread. Tortillas are the well-known bread of Mexico. And as with any bread, homemade is the best. Although we don’t consume tortillas daily, I still purchase tortillas at the store as I can’t keep up with making …
Deviled Eggs do their part to dress up and elevate a holiday spread, an arranged salad, a buffet line or even a gathering of snack items. I always looked forward to seeing my mother’s glass egg tray holding deviled egg halves at holiday meals. In later years, I learned to ponder over the puzzle…why did …
It’s fun to share both my tried-and-true recipes and newer finds. Sometimes it’s challenging to convert some of my favorite concoctions to a repeatable recipe. With many years of cooking experience there are many times I don’t need to consult a recipe, or I only use a recipe as a reference. It’s not surprising to …
Most people would agree celebrating is always better when there are sweet treats to tempt and savor. Valentine’s Day is no exception. Whether it’s cupcakes, cookies or chocolates…there must be something sweet for your sweet! Since I love to bake anyway, baking up a special dessert or surprise treats is right up my alley. The …
When Tom was growing up his family enjoyed a traditional Sunday dinner of Roast Beef and Gravy. His mother would start the roast before they left for church, and when they returned home, she prepared side dishes, made the gravy and dinner was ready. Tom loved this dinner. He even misunderstood the words of the …
Green beans, as is the case with most vegetables, can be eaten raw. But they are most commonly served after cooking. Thankfully, there are many ways to cook vegetables. Just because you don’t care for how a vegetable is cooked, doesn’t mean you won’t like it prepared another way. Exploring different ways to prepare and …
This is the time of year when kitchens all across the country will be the busiest with cookie baking. Whether for the family, cookie exchanges, bake sales or gift giving there’s plenty of treats to be baked. There are holiday favorites, must haves, to be baked each year. Some recipes are handed down for generations, …
It’s that time of year again…Pumpkin everything! Pumpkin decor, pumpkin candles, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin lattes…pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. People go wild for pumpkin flavor…or do they? Perhaps it’s more about the warming spices that accompany the rather mild pumpkin flavor?! Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and ginger all take their turns showing up in recipes. Maybe …
