It was 1989, my second year of college. I was hired as a Resident Assistant in the dorm. My Resident Director was German (had immigrated from Germany) and with my last name being Schultz (the correct German spelling), she assumed I knew German traditions. I did not! (Well, maybe drinking warm beer, but I assumed... Read More
We’re having sewer put in at our house. It’s not my choice, the township is making everyone. I’ve had people digging in my yard on and off since December, 2009. I work for a plumbing and heating company. You would think that would give me a great chance to get my work done quickly. Nope,... Read More
I LOVE TAMALES. Nuff said. However, over the years I have learned something important. As much as I love tamales, I am not good at making them. Indeed, I kinda stink at it. Sure, nine out of the times they might be edible, but only once out of the remaining nine do they turn out... Read More
Did you know that you have royalty in your kitchen? In fact, it’s a fair bet that you are never without the King of Spice. Although he may rest quietly in your spice cabinet, he sports a long and varied history. The King of Spice was buried in the mummy of Ramses II. In The... Read More
Bored with just another ham sandwich? I love old cookbooks, especially my great-grandmother’s 1927 Butterick Book of Recipes and Household Hints. I love the old recipes, and I love that it tells you everything from how to cook rabbit to how to manicure your nails. (Really! In a cookbook!) They didn’t like to get bored... Read More
For some reason, I woke up today and just had to bake something. So while enjoying my first cup of coffee outside in the cool air, I decided that since we are having spaghetti tonight for dinner I wanted to make some bread. I gathered all of my ingredients for the bread and then I... Read More
Say hello to CindyP! Q. What are your favorite things to cook? A. I like to do the baking – my favorites are breads and desserts of any kind. Those are always my go-to when I feel the need to create. Q. How/when did you learn to cook? A. I remember helping to make dinner... Read More
“When you know better, you do better” — Maya Angelou There was a quote posted in the forum a few days ago in the General Canning Questions topic. This really got me thinking of the different processes of canning and how they’ve changed throughout the years through scientific studies so “we’d do better”. I have... Read More
Once upon a time I had a garden that was overtaken by spinach. It invaded the herbs, the turnips, the carrots, my dreams, killed off the onions, but shaded the cabbages. Soon that darn spinach was known as The Spinach. Eventually enough was enough, and my husband and I threw a Spinach Garden Party. All... Read More
We’ve all done it. It seems to happen the most often when we have company coming or are otherwise rushed and/or snowed in (okay, maybe that’s just me). We start cooking–and realize we don’t have something vital. Then we panic. Here’s a list of save-the-day substitutions I’ve been compiling. Emergency Substitutions: allspice = cinnamon plus... Read More
Yesterday, while sorting through my recipe box, I found something totally unexpected: a recipe from my mom on how she made Hardee’s biscuits. Mom died in 1996, and though there’s always some kind of memory I have of her daily, this was especially poignant. I guess because the page is written in her hand. For... Read More
It’s wonderful looking back and thinking of those great memories in the kitchen. It’s also important to make new ones to carry on. This past weekend was our family Annual Salmon Fishing Expedition. My two brothers with my nephew and his family all travel to my house to fish the local rivers and streams. We... Read More
So I was going to jam up the 16-plus pounds of onions I got for less than $2, plus all the onions from the garden at the same time I was trying to wrap up this year’s canning craziness. I had batches of cantaloupe jam, watermelon jelly, pickled limes, and peaches all cooking at the... Read More
There are few things as rewarding as making a salad for dinner directly from your garden! I love to take a walk through the garden before dinner, collecting things for the salad. It’s relaxing as well as productive. In the spring and early summer we are eating our own lettuce and spinach. These days I... Read More
As the leaves change and the air becomes cool and crisp, my mind starts wandering…which, at work, is not really a good thing. But it seems that most of my childhood memories revolve around autumn, our old farmhouse on the hill, and food. My mom has never been much into cooking but she did have... Read More
Pumpkin? In a dip? Yes, pumpkin in a dip. And it is so good. This is a really good way to get a compliment on your cooking abilities. No one will think the secret ingredient in this delicious, slightly spicy dip is plain old pumpkin. Pumpkin is versatile, it has a mellow, sweet flavor that... Read More
Mother found this recipe while I was in college–we never had squash of any kind growing up. My father used to tell a story about squash and his brother Conrad. After their oldest sister Doris got married and was living in Charleston, the family went there for Sunday dinner. Aunt Doris’ husband, Uncle Scratch (he... Read More
Have ever cooked something in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven? Or does the thought of trying to kind of scare you? Maybe you got great-grandma’s cast iron skillet or grandma’s dutch oven and have just put them away some place. Well, get them out! It is not hard to cook in these. They... Read More
Pizza is a family tradition at our house. We’re particular about our toppings and crust, and harsh in our judgments about the not-quite-freshly-made pizzas sold at certain well-known chain restaurants. Even though none of us have so much as a drop of Italian blood in our veins, we’re all pretty sure we know the secret... Read More
Do you like mint? I love it! Its one of my favorite flavors! I like mint tea, mint coffee, mint cookies, mint candies, mint ice cream – I love mint! I think this is a good thing, since mint spreads so rapidly that it soon becomes invasive. We have it growing everywhere! It grows wild... Read More
So, have you been on the lookout for an incredibly good caramel popcorn recipe? These ones are gonna knock you over! No – really! These are that good. And if they were that good and a pain to make – it still wouldn’t be worth the trouble. But the good news is that they are... Read More
As we come to the beginning of fall, there isn’t much left in the summer garden. There are a few tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, and one or two zucchini. That means it’s time to make the French vegetable stew – Ratatouille. There are many recipes for it, but they are all similar. The recipe is flexible.... Read More
We’ve been visiting friends from college and revisiting our youth. Here is a recipe from those days, cheap, quick, delicious, and easy to take to potluck parties as an appetizer. I used it for years afterwards as a side or even a main dish, depending on who present was a vegetarian or how slim the... Read More
I have a weakness for Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s not one that I give into frequently though — high sodium, high fat, you know the drill. When we began our low-sodium diet a couple years ago, I found a recipe that I tweaked to taste like the Kentucky Kernel Coating. But NOW, I’ve found the... Read More
We eat a lot of cookies around here so I have developed a recipe that makes them fairly healthy. Although they do contain a fair amount of sugar, it is not “empty” calories. One thing I have added is Quinoa grain (pronounced “keen-wah”). Here is more info about quinoa: “The quinoa seed is high in... Read More
There was a European folktale of a hungry traveler who came to a village with a soup pot. No one there would give him any food. He told an old woman that he would make soup from a stone. He conned her into an ingredient. Word traveled quickly and others became interested in the curious... Read More
We love rhubarb, especially rhubarb pie! This is my Rhubarb Pie Filling recipe: 4 cups chopped rhubarb 3 cups sugar 1/2 cup flour Combine well in pot and simmer on low, stirring well. Cook on low until slightly thick and bubbly, stirring more or less continually. Pour into prepared pie crust, put the top on... Read More
I’m constantly on the quest to make my own of whatever I usually buy in the canned food or frozen sections of the grocery store. One by one, I’m making my way down the list! The latest I’ve tried and really loved was homemade tater tots. John (SO) always makes homemade fries, they’re better than... Read More