Did you know there are about 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States? Flavorful and full of fiber and other nutrients, apples are good for you. It has been said that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, and while that’s not always the case, we know eating fresh foods contributes to …
Making bread is both a science and an art. Once you are used to the process you can experience deliciously rewarding results. I’ve been baking bread, especially whole wheat bread, for over 30 years. Several years back I wanted to explore making artisan breads. One of my sons did too. We picked up a book, …
Cookies. Cookies. Cookies. We all have our favorite version of this hold-in-your hand bit of goodness. Some like them more than others. I come from a family of homemade cooky afficionados. Not only do I like to eat them; I like to bake them. There is something that is “all right with the world” when …
This recipe for Smoked Pork Steaks came about somewhat accidentally when my plans for dinner one night went awry. Here’s the story: Menu planning for the week doesn’t work for me. It’s not my style. I find that keeping a well-stocked pantry, a good supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, regular dairy items and a …
It can be fun to go to a garage sale because you never know what you’re going to find. When you host your own garage sale, you know what you’re going to sell, so there’s no surprises there. But in hosting our own garage sale a few years ago, we ended up with a real …
Spanish explorers sailed to the New World in search of great riches, especially gold. While much gold was found, but not as much as they wished, something else of great importance was found and transported back to Europe. The Potato. As a novelty, the potato took some time to gain popularity. Once people were convinced …
My dad’s birthday was in March. When I was really young, my mom would often make him a peanut butter cake. Just for fun, one year she put a big red, twisted taper candle right smack dab in the center of the cake. That was impressive! After I took a cake decorating class as a …
One of my favorite forms of chocolate is a fudgy brownie. And here’s a funny story. My mom taught me to make cookies from “scratch”, which means gathering ingredients from the refrigerator and cupboards to make a cooky dough to bake into cookies. But making a cake or baking brownies always started with a boxed …
I remember my mom making chicken and dumplings while I was growing up. What fun it was to have a big dumpling in your soup bowl! But turning up as cook in the kitchen, I wasn’t pleased with chicken and dumpling recipes. I wanted a thicker soup and more dumplings than the diameter of the …
Whenever I think “Chocolate Cream Pie”, there’s an echo that goes off in my head: “Chocolate Cream Pie, Chocolate DREAM Pie”. Truly, that’s how I feel about this nothing other than delicious dessert. It’s a dream. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way as several people in our family have requested this …
Everyone has their favorite holiday dish. The dressing has always been a favorite of mine. My mother made dressing from bread cubes. And my first experience with cornbread dressing had been at someone else’s house. The cornbread was an orangish color (too much soda) and burnt. Ugh. You can imagine my alarm when Tom declared …
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love changing decorations around the home to reflect the season that embrace us with a warm welcome as the crisp, chilly air sends us indoors. Although it may not be cool enough for a warming fire yet, warm drinks are welcome. Which makes me …
