I find that the toughest time of year to make desserts is summer. If it’s a particularly good recipe, I’m willing to heat up my kitchen by using my oven, but my problem is how the dessert will travel with the heat. And if the event I’m taking my dessert to happens to be outdoors, …
Continue reading “In July, heat-proof desserts are a ‘pine’ of the times”
After spending a few days out at Camp Mennoscah last week, hanging out with a rambunctious group of 8-year-olds and sweating profusely, I decided I wanted something light and refreshing when I went to cook dinner back at home. I spent way too much time going through recipes online, convinced that there had to be …
Continue reading “Get ready for ‘summer’ all the hot weather with this pasta”
There are a few dishes that feel specifically American. Meatloaf is one of those, despite it also being the butt of many sitcom jokes over the years. According to an article by Erica Martinez for “Food Republic,” meatloaf has been on recipe cards since the 1870s, but it may be even older than that. “[F]ood …
Continue reading “You’ll ‘loaf’ this lightened-up classic dish for dinner”
There are many times when I silently curse my past self for inconveniencing me in the present. I’ll fail to put something away correctly or decide I’ll totally remember we’re out of something rather than putting it on the shopping list, etc. But the past couple of weeks, I have been pretty proud of past …
Continue reading “Wrap up your dinner plans with crispy lumpia”
People often comment that they don’t understand how Joey and I can work together as a married couple and not want to kill each other. Honestly, 99 percent of the time, we get along really well, both at home and at work. If there is something that could spell trouble in paradise, though, I’d say …
Continue reading “Want a veggie stir fry this week? I say go ‘floret’”
Last weekend, our house was the scene of an end-of-season party for Joey’s bowling team. I always love when that crew comes over. They are a super nice group, and it’s always fun to share a big meal and hear them tell stories and tease each other about their bowling gaffes. It’s also a great …
Continue reading “Earn brownie points with your friends with these awesome cookies”
Someone told me last week that I don’t really qualify as an amateur baker, since I’ve been writing this column way too long for that, but I still claim the title, especially after taking on a recent huge project. A dear friend of the newspaper, Debbie Pierce, celebrated her retirement last week, and since we …
Continue reading “Cupcakes the best way to say ‘auf Wiedersehn’ to a good friend”
There is really only one part of winter that I like: getting to eat soup. But then I realized one day that you really don’t have to reserve having a big bowl of soup, stew or chili to the cold months. Honestly, despite being a warm food, it’s not an awful summer meal. You don’t …
Continue reading “Think you can’t eat chili in summer? That’s your ‘poblano’”
We attended a high school graduation this past week, and since I only knew one graduate, I had a little time to let my mind wander during the ceremony. I thought about how making friends has changed for me in the 20-plus years since I was in high school. It used to be so easy: …
Continue reading “Look cool at your next gathering with an icebox cake”
Any time I find pork shoulder at a great price at our local grocery store, it’s a no-brainer for me to put it in the cart and let Joey know that I wouldn’t mind if he threw it on his smoker over the weekend. That’s why it was a little weird last week when Joey …
Continue reading “You ‘nita’ stop what you’re doing and try this pressure cooker recipe”
