Categories
Cookies Dessert

Treat yourself to a more grown-up version of a childhood favorite

Sugar cookie Rice Krispies treats feature a little bit of sugar cookie mix, along with browned butter and some extra marshmallows to elevate the childhood classic just a bit.
Sugar cookie Rice Krispies treats feature a little bit of sugar cookie mix, along with browned butter and some extra marshmallows to elevate the childhood classic just a bit.

I hate to waste food.

Even when I have mess ups in my kitchen, I try to follow my grade school art teacher’s advice and “take a mistake, and make it great.”

But that was not going to happen this week when I decided to try a fun dessert that features browned butter.

The directions said to turn the stovetop on high, but in what I’m sure is my own ignorance about how quickly butter can burn, I managed to take it from yellow, way past brown and into blackened territory in what felt like 30 seconds flat.

I very briefly considered still trying to use the now ebony slurry, but I thought about countless TV chefs I’ve heard repeat over and over that burnt butter is bitter butter, and while that might be a fun tongue-twister, it’s certainly not something I wanted to actually taste.

The good news is my second attempt—with my pot on lower heat—turned out great, and it elevated what would be fairly normal Rice Krispies treats to something a little more special.

This recipe comes from influencer Sarah Kraffty. You can find her under her name on pretty much all the social media platforms. I left out sprinkles and changed some of the directions in my version.

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Sugar Cookie Rice Krispies Treats

Sugar cookie Rice Krispies treats feature a little bit of sugar cookie mix, along with browned butter and some extra marshmallows to elevate the childhood classic just a bit.
Course Dessert
Keyword browned butter, butter, marshmallows, mini marshmallows, no-bake dessert, puffed rice cereal, Rice Krispies, sugar cookie mix, sweetened condensed milk

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 10-12 ounces regular-sized marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup sugar cookie mix
  • 9 ounces Rice Krispies cereal
  • 5 ounces mini marshmallows

Instructions

  • Add the butter to a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Stir continuously and remove from heat immediately when the butter reaches a light-milk-chocolate-brown color (when the butter starts browning, it will go quickly).
  • Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk. Add in the entire bag of regular-sized marshmallows, and stir until the marshmallows melt completely. (If there isn’t enough residual heat in your pot to accomplish this, place it back over medium heat, stirring continuously until the mixture is melted, and then remove it from heat to finish up.)
  • Stir in the sugar cookie mix, and then add in the Rice Krispies, stirring to coat the cereal in the marshmallow mixture.
  • Finally, fold in the mini marshmallows, and then press the mixture into a nine-by-13-inch pan.
  • Let the treats cool, slice and serve. Store the treats in an airtight container.

These weren’t drastically different from normal Rice Krispies treats, but they were enough dissimilar that the people I shared them with immediately asked me what I did differently. They just had a slightly richer flavor.

And I think I have officially conquered browned butter for any of my future endeavors. It’s sad I had to waste part of a stick in my journey, but the final result more than made up for it.

This first appeared in print Oct. 29, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Appetizer

Make potatoes with more flavor than you can shake a stick at

Papas arrugadas, alongside mojo verde, is a unique dish that originated with sailors in the Canary Islands. These salty potatoes pair well with the bright, slightly acidic sauce to create an excellent appetizer.
Papas arrugadas, alongside mojo verde, is a unique dish that originated with sailors in the Canary Islands. These salty potatoes pair well with the bright, slightly acidic sauce to create an excellent appetizer.

I would say that most of the savory dishes I share with you are in the snack, side dish or main dish categories.

This week’s is firmly in the realm of appetizers.

Papas arrugadas, or wrinkled potatoes, is a recipe that originated in the Canary Islands, when sailors would boil potatoes in seawater.

Traditionally, they are served with a red sauce, but the one I’m sharing with you has a green sauce instead. It comes from Chef Michael Voltaggio, who explained the history of the dish in a great video I watched.

The amount of salt on these potatoes is…well…intense. It’s a lot. I would say they are absolutely delicious for about four or five potatoes, and then the saltiness really hits, and it’s tough to want to eat any more of them—hence the appetizer category.

I certainly wouldn’t recommend these to anyone with a heart condition, but especially paired with the brightness of the sauce, they are worth a try otherwise.

You can find the original recipe on the Food Network site at https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/papas-arrugadas-with-mojo-verde-24877362. I added extra garlic in my version.

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Papas Arrugadas and Mojo Verde

Papas arrugadas, alongside mojo verde, is a unique dish that originated with sailors in the Canary Islands. These salty potatoes pair well with the bright, slightly acidic sauce to create an excellent appetizer.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Spanish
Keyword fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, fresh Italian parsley, Italian parsley, red wine vinegar, salt, salt potatoes, yellow potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes

Ingredients

Potatoes Ingredients

  • 1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes (think ping-pong ball size)
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons salt

Mojo Verde Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley leaves about 2 cups
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves about 2 cups
  • 1 bunch green onions sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Instructions

Potatoes Directions

  • Add the potatoes to a large pot. The more they can move around while the cook, the better. Add the water and salt (if you need more water or less, the ratio should be one tablespoon salt to each cup of water). You want the water to just cover the potatoes.
  • Place the pot on the stove on high heat, and just let the potatoes come to a boil, and keep boiling until the water is boiled out.
  • Swirl the potatoes in the pan to get a good crust of salt on them, and remove them to your serving dish.

Mojo Verde Directions

  • Add the parsley, cilantro, green onions, garlic and olive oil to a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. Once it is all incorporated, blend in the red wine vinegar, and pour the sauce into your serving bowl.
  • Serve the potatoes alongside the mojo verde as a dipping sauce. Refrigerate any leftovers.

We really liked these, and the sauce is worth making, even if you don’t do the potatoes. It is delicious.

Actually, because it’s just the two of us and we obviously had a ton of leftover salted potatoes, Joey had the brilliant idea of mashing them, adding some sauteed onion and garlic confit and mixing the leftover sauce into them to create a great mashed potato that we ate alongside some steaks.

And for those very rare people who actually need a little more sodium in their diets, I can’t recommend these enough. For the rest of us, though, a few bites are just enough.

This first appeared in print Oct. 22, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Prepare for a fine ‘rum’ance with this banana cake

Banana rum cake has deep brown sugar, molasses and banana flavors, thanks in part to overripe bananas and a little rum in the mix. It’s a great fall cake or one to have with coffee or tea.
Banana rum cake has deep brown sugar, molasses and banana flavors, thanks in part to overripe bananas and a little rum in the mix. It’s a great fall cake or one to have with coffee or tea.

Until my adulthood, I always just thought of rum as something fictional pirates sang about in cartoons.

Looking into it now, I know how nuanced the flavor profiles can be for the spirit, which is distilled from sugar cane syrup or juice or from molasses, which is what is leftover when you process sugar cane.

Rum’s flavor profile is created by fermentation length, additions or even the type of barrel it’s aged in.

According to the website “Rob’s Rum Guide,” for dark rums, they “gain most of their rich color and often their full-bodied flavor from added caramel or molasses.”

I tell you all of this to say that this week’s recipe features just a little dark rum, but if you’re normally not into the taste of alcohol, the use of it here is merely adding some dark, molasses flavors that really compliment the banana in this cake. In other words, don’t be nervous, and you can do the whole cake with just an airplane bottle of dark rum.

This recipe, by Wendy Klik, comes from the blog “A Day in the Life on the Farm.” You can find the original post at https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2024/03/banana-rum-cake-cakeslicebakers.html?m=1. I added extra nutmeg, decided to opt for overripe mashed bananas for the mix-in, and skipped the glaze in my version.

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Banana Rum Cake

Banana rum cake has deep brown sugar, molasses and banana flavors, thanks in part to overripe bananas and a little rum in the mix. It’s a great fall cake or one to have with coffee or tea.
Course Dessert
Keyword banana, brown bananas, brown sugar, bundt cake, buttermilk, dark rum, nutmeg, overripe bananas, vanilla

Ingredients

Rum Bananas Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 overripe bananas peeled and mashed
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 8 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 overripe bananas peeled and mashed
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk or milk with a touch of vinegar

Instructions

Rum Bananas Directions

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the bananas and brown sugar, and cook for about one minute or until everything is heated through and just starting to bubble. Stir in the rum and cook for one more minute.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it come up to room temperature.

Cake Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a bundt pan by spraying the inside with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugars, butter and nutmeg for several minutes until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy.
  • Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
  • With the mixer on low, drizzle in the oil until it is well combined, and then stir in the mashed bananas and vanilla.
  • Alternating between wet and dry, and beating between each addition, add the rest of the cake ingredients.
  • Stir in the rum bananas, along with any juices.
  • Spread the cake batter evenly into the bundt pan and bake for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before turning it upside down onto a wire rack and removing the cake from the pan. Let it cool completely, and then store in an airtight container.

This had deep brown sugar, molasses and ripe banana notes to it that made it extra delicious. If you wanted the rum to have more prominence, I’d go to the original creator’s website and make the rum glaze for this, but honestly, it was so moist that it didn’t need it.

You could also easily mix in some chopped walnuts, if you wanted some nuttiness in this, too.

And now we know rum is for more than just pirates, although, if you try this cake, you might figure out what they were singing about.

This piece first appeared in print Oct. 8, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

You’ll be so glad I ‘gochu’ to try a new ingredient this week

Korean spicy pork has a thick, spicy sauce that coats deliciously sauteed pork tenderloin. Served over rice and topped with some sesame seeds or green onions, this dish makes for a delicious meal.
Korean spicy pork has a thick, spicy sauce that coats deliciously sauteed pork tenderloin. Served over rice and topped with some sesame seeds or green onions, this dish makes for a delicious meal.

Since 2022, there has been a regular threat of a sriracha shortage by the main producer of the red chili sauce, Huy Fong Foods.

One was thanks to a Mexican drought. Another was because of supplier issues. And yet another was blamed on the peppers being “too green,” CBS News reported.

I have to admit that none of these shortages would have been on my radar at all, if it weren’t for some major sriracha fans in my life. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a bottle.

This week’s recipe originally called for sriracha, but since it didn’t exist in my fridge, I decided to substitute it with a new favorite of mine: gochujang. I figured I could sub one spicy, red-chili-based product for another, and I was not disappointed.

This comes from the blog South Your Mouth. You can find the original post at https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/09/spicy-pork.html. I switched around and added a few extra ingredients in my version.

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Korean Spicy Pork

Korean spicy pork has a thick, spicy sauce that coats deliciously sauteed pork tenderloin. Served over rice and topped with some sesame seeds or green onions, this dish makes for a delicious meal.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Keyword brown sugar, fresh garlic, garlic powder, gochujang, green onions, ground ginger, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, onion powder, pork tenderloin, sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, white rice

Ingredients

Pork Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 pounds pork tenderloin
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Ingredients for serving

  • White rice
  • Sesame seeds
  • Green onion sliced

Instructions

  • Cut the pork into thin strips. Add the pork, along with sesame oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and stir to coat the pork.
  • For sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until everything is well mixed, and set it aside.
  • Add about one tablespoon of vegetable oil to a large skillet (or wok) and heat over medium-high heat.
  • Once the skillet is hot, saute the pork, in batches, making sure to sear all sides. (The proper internal temperature for cooked pork is 145 degrees.)
  • When the pork is cooked, reduce the heat to medium low, and add the sauce to the skillet, stirring regularly. Let it cook for a couple of minutes to start to thicken, and then add the pork, and stir to coat it with the sauce.
  • Continue cooking until the sauce is coating the pork and everything is heated through.
  • Serve over white rice and top with sesame seeds and/or sliced green onions.

This was spicy and full of flavor. If you’re not into the spice, substitute in some more hoisin or some barbecue sauce for the gochujang. And if you do like some heat and haven’t tried gochujang, I highly recommend it. It’s a chili paste, rather than a sauce.

Just be careful, while the sriracha shortage is apparently pretty well-known, I did learn that there was a gochujang shortage back in February, too, thanks to a popular recipe on the Netflix show “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty.”

It’s probably best to go ahead and get yourself a tub now before it’s too late.

This piece first appeared in print Oct. 1, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

There’s no reason to be sour about tasty chicken and potatoes

Lemon chicken and potatoes features well-seasoned chicken thigh atop petite red potatoes that roast in a combination of seasonings, lemon juice and olive oil for a delicious, hearty dinner that gives a nod to traditional Greek potatoes.
Lemon chicken and potatoes features well-seasoned chicken thigh atop petite red potatoes that roast in a combination of seasonings, lemon juice and olive oil for a delicious, hearty dinner that gives a nod to traditional Greek potatoes.

In what I know is not an overly popular opinion, I must confess that I’m not a big fan of lemon being the star flavor in a savory dish.

I don’t mind some lemon pepper, along with other seasonings, on some spicy pretzels, and if we’re talking dessert, I’m all about a lemon bar, lemon meringue pie or any other baked good that includes juice or zest.

But when I see something like lemon chicken on a menu, I tend to avoid it.

When Joey shared a dinner recipe for something lemon-y with me last week, I kind of put it off a bit, until he pointed out that we happened to have a nice, big bag of petite red potatoes on the counter, just begging to be used in a new recipe.

I acquiesced, and don’t tell him I said so, but he was right. This dish, while having lemon as one of the key ingredients, was very well balanced, and I enjoyed every last bite.

This was based on the Greek potatoes recipe by Chef Steven Droulis of the Resto Vivaldi restaurant in Pierrefonds, Quebec. He can be found on Instagram @restovivaldi. I added chicken and other seasonings to this dish.

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Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

Lemon chicken and potatoes features well-seasoned chicken thigh atop petite red potatoes that roast in a combination of seasonings, lemon juice and olive oil for a delicious, hearty dinner that gives a nod to traditional Greek potatoes.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Keyword chicken broth, chicken stock, chicken thighs, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh thyme, garlic salt, lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, onion powder, oregano, paprika, petite potatoes, red potatoes, rosemary, yellow mustard, yellow potatoes

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
  • 48 ounces petite red or yellow potatoes
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chicken stock or broth

Rub Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Add the potatoes in an even layer over the bottom of a nine-by-13-inch baking dish.
  • Trim the excess fat from the thighs. Add the rub ingredients to a small bowl, and stir to combine. Rub the mixture under the skin of the thighs and on the bottoms of each.
  • Place the thighs on top of the potatoes.
  • In a bowl or mixing cup, add the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, mustard and salt, and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the mixture all over the thighs and potatoes.
  • Pour the stock around the edges of the dish, and cover the dish with aluminum foil
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the aluminum foil and put the dish back in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the internal temperature of the chicken is at 165 degrees.
  • Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes and serve, along with the potatoes.

This was fresh and flavorful and the perfect hearty dinner.

We ended up using the leftover liquid from the potatoes to make some rice to go with more chicken later in the week, and it was awesome, too.

So I suppose savory lemon dishes aren’t all bad. I may try to give a few more a try in the future. I just can’t let Joey get a big head about it.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 24, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Whoop it up in the kitchen this week with a lemon blueberry confection

Lemon blueberry whoopie pies feature fresh or frozen blueberries, along with plenty of lemon zest, to compliment a cream cheese-based filling that creates the perfect summer dessert.
Lemon blueberry whoopie pies feature fresh or frozen blueberries, along with plenty of lemon zest, to compliment a cream cheese-based filling that creates the perfect summer dessert.

I have to confess that I never heard of a whoopie pie until I was nearly in college.

A dear friend of mine from Pennsylvania introduced me to the classic chocolate version, and I was immediately hooked. Her recipe still has a place of honor in my recipe box.

According to the Cape Whoopies company website, “The exact origins of the whoopie pie are shrouded in mystery, but it’s believed that they were first created by Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch bakers in the early 1900s. According to one popular legend, the whoopie pie got its name from the sound of delight that would escape from children’s mouths when they discovered the treat in their lunch pails.”

I thought about my first whoopie pie taste recently when I decided to make a lemon blueberry version.

We had a get-together to attend, and I had a big bag of blueberries hanging out in the freezer from earlier this summer that I needed to use, so this was the perfect solution.

This comes from Nancy Mock via “Taste of Home.” You can find the original post at https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-blueberry-whoopie-pies/. I added extra vanilla in my version.

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Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies

Lemon blueberry whoopie pies feature fresh or frozen blueberries, along with plenty of lemon zest, to compliment a cream cheese-based filling that creates the perfect summer dessert.
Course Dessert
Keyword butter, cream cheese, fresh blueberries, fresh lemon, frozen blueberries, honey, lemon zest, powdered sugar, summer dessert, vanilla, whoopie pie

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen and drained blueberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk I used skim milk with a touch of vinegar

Filling Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Cake Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set them aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy.
  • Beat in the egg and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with the lemon zest and one tablespoon flour. Set it aside for now.
  • To the butter-sugar mixture, add the rest of the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk and beating in between each until the mixture is smooth.
  • Fold the coated blueberries and zest into the batter.
  • Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop the batter into mounds about two inches apart on the baking sheets.
  • Bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cakes are just slightly browned and the tops are slightly firm. Let the cakes cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Filling Directions

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until completely mixed together, and then beat in the honey, lemon zest and vanilla.
  • Beat the powdered sugar into the mixture, a little at a time, until the filling is completely mixed and smooth.
  • Once the cakes are completely cool, pair off the similarly sized ones, and spread the filling on the bottom half of each whoopie pie and finish off with the top.
  • Refrigerate the whoopie pies in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve them.

These were a huge hit. I doubled the recipe, and they were all gone really quickly. I also used a bigger scoop than the original recipe called for. It wanted the baker to use a tablespoon to scoop, but my blueberries were so large, they weren’t going to fit in only a tablespoon.

And I didn’t quite manage to let my blueberries drain as they thawed, so beware that if you’re impatient like I was, you’ll have some blueish-greenish streaks in your cakes (but they’ll still taste awesome).

Unfortunately, rather than solving some sort of whoopie pie craving, making these have made me keep thinking more about my friend’s chocolate version. Sounds like I’ll be back in the kitchen soon.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 17, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

I have lots of strong ‘peelings’ about this week’s orange cake

Whole orange cake lives up to its name and uses whole oranges—peels and all—to create a beautiful dessert with tons of bright, citrus flavor.
Whole orange cake lives up to its name and uses whole oranges—peels and all—to create a beautiful dessert with tons of bright, citrus flavor.

This week’s recipe is a redemption story.

Well, it’s as much of a redemption story as a cake can have.

It had to have been at least eight years ago that I first attempted to make a whole orange cake. I saw it online somewhere and thought the idea of dropping whole oranges into a food processor and then turning them into cake was really cool.

At the time, I followed the recipe’s directions to the letter, quartering some oranges and throwing them, peel and all, into my food processor, before adding some other ingredients and plopping it into the oven.

It came out and smelled absolutely delicious. The color was outstanding. I was so excited.

And then we tried it.

It was so disappointing—just the bitterest cake I ever tasted.

So I didn’t share the recipe in this space and kind of just chalked it up to a viral recipe that wasn’t as good as advertised.

But then, a few weeks ago, I came across another whole orange recipe. This one was a bit different, because it called for removing the pith from the oranges before using them. Brilliant.

So, with newfound optimism that I might be able to bake a very orange-y cake that might still be sweet, I tried a recipe from the blog “Two Kooks in the Kitchen” by Cheryl Avrich and Jenna Ursini. You can find the original post at https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/whole-orange-cake-super-moist/. I added a little extra salt and extra vanilla in my version.

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Whole Orange Cake

Whole orange cake lives up to its name and uses whole oranges—peels and all—to create a beautiful dessert with tons of bright, citrus flavor.
Course Dessert
Keyword fresh oranges, orange zest, powdered sugar, sugar, vanilla

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 2 large seedless oranges (I ended up using three smaller ones)
  • 3/4 cup butter cut into pieces
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze Ingredients

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • zest from one orange
  • juice from half of one orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a nine-inch springform pan by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
  • To prep the oranges, start by peeling them. Using your knife, scrape off as much of the pith from the peels as you can and discard it. Set the peels aside for later. Also carefully remove the majority of the pith from the oranges, and cut them into chunks.
  • To start the cake, add the butter, sugar and eggs to a food processor and process until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy. Dump the sugar mixture into a mixing bowl.
  • Add the oranges and peels to the food processor (it’s totally fine if there’s still some butter/sugar/egg in there). Process until everything is very fine.
  • Pour the orange mixture into the mixing bowl.
  • Fold the flour, baking powder and salt into the wet ingredients, mixing until it’s just combined.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool until you can comfortably handle the pan, and then carefully remove it from the springform.
  • When the cake is completely cooled, add all of the glaze ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Once it’s smooth, add more powdered sugar if it’s runnier than you like or a little more orange juice from the other half of the orange if it’s too thick.
  • Pour the glaze over the cake, and let it set up before serving. Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

This wasn’t overly sweet, but it definitely wasn’t bitter. It was very well balanced, and I thought the addition of the glaze was good to help with that.

The cake was moist and absolutely beautiful. I took this to a get-together with friends, and it was very well received. I think this would be a great dessert for a tea time or dessert at the end of a dinner party, along with some coffee.

And I’m glad I gave this recipe another try. Sometimes second chances are the best.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 10, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Snack

Show people how you roll with a classic customizable snack

Tortilla rollups are a classic staple for the snack table. This recipe features ranch dressing mix as the main flavoring in cream cheese, along with shredded cheese and deli meat.
Tortilla rollups are a classic staple for the snack table. This recipe features ranch dressing mix as the main flavoring in cream cheese, along with shredded cheese and deli meat.

In looking up ideas for summer snacks in anticipation of a recent get-together, I realized I have completely missed trying out one of my favorite items to see on a snack table: tortilla rollups.

If you want to go on a deep dive of about a million versions of the classic snack, just Google it and see how many posts pop up.

My criteria were that I needed it to be decently quick, easy and pretty to look at, and after lots of clicking around, I found the recipe I wanted to try.

This came from the blog “The Cookie Rookie.” You can find the original post at https://www.thecookierookie.com/ham-cheese-ranch-rollups/. I changed things around just a bit in my version.

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Tortilla Rollups

Tortilla rollups are a classic staple for the snack table. This recipe features ranch dressing mix as the main flavoring in cream cheese, along with shredded cheese and deli meat.
Course Snack
Keyword cream cheese, deli meat, easy snack, flour tortillas, green onion, no-bake snack, ranch seasoning, shredded cheese, snack table, tortillas

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 packet ranch dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/2 bunch green onion chopped
  • 5 flour tortillas burrito size
  • 8 ounces thinly sliced deli meat

Instructions

  • Beat the cream cheese, dressing mix, shredded cheese and green onion in a mixing bowl until everything is well combined.
  • Slightly warm the tortillas in the microwave (15 to 20 seconds) to make them more pliable, and lay them out on a clean countertop.
  • Divide the cream cheese mixture between all five tortillas, and spread it evenly on each, spreading it all the way to the edges.
  • Layer the deli meat evenly on the tortillas. (You won’t have complete coverage, and that’s totally fine.)
  • Tightly roll each tortilla, and place them in plastic in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the cream cheese is cooled through.
  • Slice each roll into rounds that are about three-quarters of an inch thick.
  • Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container if not serving immediately.

I made two versions of this recipe, and it was super easy to accomplish. Making 10 of these rolls meant my snack tray was overflowing, but almost every rollup was gone at the end of the night, so I’d call that a win.

One of the combinations I made used spinach tortillas, Monterrey jack shredded cheese and turkey. The other used regular tortillas, sharp cheddar and ham. Both were delicious.

I’m sure you could come up with even more great options for roast beef, prosciutto, salami or a variety of other meat and cheese combinations.

I feel like I righted a wrong by finally putting tortilla rollups into this space, although I’m sure most people already have their favorite version.

If not, I’d recommend giving this one a try, or you know, you could always spend a few hours digging through the hundreds online. It’s up to you.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 3, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Main Dish

Add more than a pinch of flavor with crab cakes for dinner

Crab cakes are extremely easy to make and are an excellent dinner for any time, but especially in the summer months, when seafood just seems to taste even better.
Crab cakes are extremely easy to make and are an excellent dinner for any time, but especially in the summer months, when seafood just seems to taste even better.

I married into a seafood-loving family. Apparently it’s weird that I am not nearly as excited about eating non-fried fish as the rest of them are.

I maintain that it’s perfectly logical for a lifelong Kansan to want everything with gills to be dropped into a vat of oil and fried to a crisp.

My only saving grace is that I do really like shellfish—shrimp, lobster, and apt to this week’s recipe: crab.

I have found that to be a solid compromise when hanging out with the Youngs.

And while Joey knows that if he wants to cook up a beautiful piece of salmon, his wife is going to opt for her own dinner that evening, he was very sure when he pointed out a good deal on some lump crab meat that I would be all in.

Of course, I had to look up a recipe right there in the grocery store. I was wholly unprepared for a seafood meal, but the good news is, I found a great dish to try, and our dinner was absolutely delicious and perfect for a hot summer night.

This comes from the blog “Schnell Rezept.” You can find the original post at https://schnellrezept.com/en/crispy-restaurant-style-crab-cakes/. I changed up the seasonings a bit in my version.

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Crab Cakes

Crab cakes are extremely easy to make and are an excellent dinner for any time, but especially in the summer months, when seafood just seems to taste even better.
Course Main Course
Keyword bread crumbs, dijon mustard, eggs, garlic powder, lump crab, mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, Old Bay, onion powder, panko, paprika, seafood seasoning, spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise I used Miracle Whip
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard I used spicy brown
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning like Old Bay
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound lump crab meat
  • 1 rounded cup unseasoned bread crumbs or panko
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, parsley, seafood seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt and pepper, mixing until everything is smooth.
  • Double check to remove any shells in the crab meat and add it, along with the bread crumbs, to the mayonnaise mixture, and stir gently to combine.
  • Split the mixture into six equal parts and form thick patties (about an inch thick), and place the formed crab cakes on a plate.
  • Refrigerate the patties for at least 20 minutes.
  • To cook, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the crab cakes into the preheated skillet and cook for three to four minutes on each side until they are golden brown.
  • Serve immediately with a side of lemon juice and/or tartar sauce.

These were really tasty. They maintained moisture while also having a really nice, crispy outside.

If cooking seafood isn’t your forte, the recommended internal temperature for the thickest part of a crab cake is 140 degrees, and you’ll want to be very gentle when you’re flipping the cakes over so they don’t break apart.

And I was able to live up to my married name for a change, when it came to something sort of fishy. Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t be breaking out the PB&J the next time I see a salmon fillet on our counter.

This piece first appeared in print Aug. 27, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Say ‘marlow’ to this vintage cold treat

Banana marlow is a vintage recipe from the ’30s that creates an ice-cream-like dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, using marshmallows in the base.
Banana marlow is a vintage recipe from the ’30s that creates an ice-cream-like dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, using marshmallows in the base.

Often, when I try a recipe I’ve never heard of, I love to jump into its history.

I was especially interested in marlow, an ice-cream-like dessert that was wildly popular for decades but fell out of favor sometime during the 1960s, when people had access to electric ice cream makers at home and no longer had to use the old, hand-cranked models.

I highly recommend an article by Andrew Coletti on “Atlas Obscura.” He goes into grand detail about marlow, which I was happy to dive deeply into.

He explains that before people could make ice cream at home very efficiently, marlow became popular, thanks to the use of marshmallows, which helped to keep the mixture a creamy, ice cream consistency, rather than letting it become rock hard in the freezer.

“The proliferation of mass-produced gelatin marshmallows in the early 20th century allowed for lots of recipes made with them, and marlow became a home ice cream favorite,” he writes.

You can read his entire article at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vintage-marshmallow-dessert.

So the real question: was it good?

Oh. My. Goodness. You guys. It was fabulous.

The marlow recipe I tried comes from a post by influencer B. Dylan Hollis. If you’ve never heard of him, look him up. He’s great. He makes a ton of vintage recipes and has a couple cookbooks out, too. He’s a fun watch. I figured out the proportions of some of the add-ins and added peanuts to my version below.

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Banana Marlow

Banana marlow is a vintage recipe from the ’30s that creates anice-cream-like dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, using marshmallows in the base.
Course Dessert
Keyword banana, heavy cream, lemon juice, maraschino cherries, marlow, milk, mini marshmallows, no-churn ice cream, peanuts, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup milk I used skim
  • 32 regular-sized marshmallows
  • 1 banana mashed (I used an overly ripe one)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 10 ounces maraschino cherries chopped
  • 1/2 cup peanuts chopped

Instructions

  • Add the milk and marshmallows to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring regularly to keep the milk from scalding, until the mixture is smooth.
  • Remove it from the heat and let it set until it cools to about room temperature.
  • Stir the banana, lemon juice and vanilla into the marshmallow mixture.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, and then fold it into the marshmallow mixture. Finish it off by folding in the cherries and peanuts, and spread the mixture into a nine-by-13-inch dish. Put the dish in the freezer and let freeze over night.
  • Serve like you would any other ice cream, and enjoy.

This was creamy and super banana-y, and the added pops of sweet from the cherries and crunch from the peanuts were perfect. The texture was better than any other no-churn ice cream recipe I’ve ever tried.

And, according to both Coletti and Hollis, there are tons of other flavors you can make. I’m definitely going to be making a chocolate version before the summer is up.

There are plenty of very weird vintage recipes that should probably stay in the past (Jell-O aspics, anyone?), but it’s time to bring this one back.

This piece first appeared in print Aug. 20, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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