Cooking from scratch: healthier, cheaper, and a great creative outlet
Winter weather means comfort food, and meatloaf is a good standby recipe to keep. For Christmas I was gift a copy of the new version of The Joy of Cooking. My old one is well worn, and has pages full of smears and drips. My new one already has my favorite recipes marked with sticky … Continue reading How to make a Hearty Meatloaf
Thanksgiving was a month ago, Christmas is past as well, and the New Year is almost here. And today I'm making a traditional Turkey Dinner. Yes, a turkey. Complete with stuffing based on my mother's original way of making it. Real stuffing And this is true stuffing, not dressing. In the bird, not baked separately … Continue reading Making Traditional Turkey Stuffing
I'm always on the lookout for a new bread recipe to try. Especially yeast breads. Yeast breads are not as hard to bake as most people think. The most basic bread is flour, salt, yeast and water. This Honey Bread has a few more ingredients, but is just as basic as bread gets. Mix the … Continue reading Making Honey Bread
I often use buttermilk when baking. The slight tang it adds can wake up a flavor profile. But I don't always have it on hand. There are 2 ways to make it at home; one in a pinch, one ongoing long term. What exactly is Buttermilk? Buttermilk is what remains after butter is made from … Continue reading Making Buttermilk at home
A while ago I read an article from an author who was remembering all the wonderful foods from her childhood. Unfortunately none of the recipes were passed down. Her mother and aunts considered them a secret. Yep, so secret that now the actual recipes & techniques were lost. To prevent this happening with my mother-in-law, … Continue reading Baking my Mom’s Secret Toll House Cookies
Autumn is pie weather - especially apple pie. The pick your own places are all open, and all kinds of varieties are showing up at the markets. Farmer markets have baskets full. I like apple pie made with 2 or 3 different varieties combined. I think it add dimension to the flavor. I personally do … Continue reading Autumn is for….Apple Pie!
Kale soup, or Caldo Verde, comes from northern Portugal. It's a perfect fall soup, filled with healthy vegetables and sausage. There are many variations, with and without potatoes, Linguiça (a Portuguese sausage), and different kinds of kale. I have a feeling that once a family recipe is developed it becomes tradition for that family. Autumn … Continue reading How to make an Easy Portuguese Kale Soup
I love cherries, and late spring/early summer is the season. Every store has them now. I typically buy quite a few to eat, bake and freeze. I wasted a simple dessert today, something easier than a pie. So I decided on a sweet dough, almost a pate sucre, and a quick turn on the range … Continue reading Making Cast Iron Cherry Almond Crumble
I wanted comfort food - pasta to be specific. But not the standard spaghetti and meatballs my husband favors. I wanted something gooey, filled with cheese, and baked. I had sausage in the fridge, along with mushrooms, mozzarella and Parmesan; and all the other staple ingredients in my pantry. Even a half loaf of Italian … Continue reading Incredible Sausage Mushroom Pasta Bake
I decided a few weeks ago I should make some refrigerator cookies and freeze them, so I could bake cookies on short notice...like when unexpected company stops by. These are regular refrigerator cookies - the kind you mix up, roll into a log and refrigerate until firm. Except I'm going to store them long term … Continue reading How to make Freezer Cookies