I remember once spending an entire afternoon helping my mom make applesauce. My sister and I loved the apple-peeling machine that cut each apple into cool spirals, and we took turns manning the crank. Mom was at the stove, cooking down the sliced apples and then ladling it off into containers as the applesauce was …
Continue reading “Bread will ‘apple’solutely get you ready for fall”
Is it just me, or has it been particularly difficult to decide what to make for dinner lately? OK, so I know it’s definitely not just me—it’s Joey, too. If you’re not having this same “let’s stare at each other until one of us breaks and makes a decision” moment every evening, I envy you. …
Until I began this column, I had no idea how many variations of pasta there are. I used to think I was pretty knowledgeable until I continued to discover new types that often were tough to find in small-town Kansas grocery stores. My recipe this week called for ziti, a tube-shaped pasta I’m definitely familiar …
Continue reading “Let’s embrace the ‘pasta’bilities this week”
I have a ton of amazing memories about my paternal grandma, who passed away in 2012. She was such an awesome person and a crazy good cook. Near the end of her life, she invited me over to her small apartment for dinner—just the two of us. She made a chicken and biscuits meal with …
Continue reading “You’ll have ‘fillings’ for this pot pie casserole”
Well, I did it to myself again. I noticed a lonely bag of 60-cent lentils sitting at my local grocery store, and I decided to bring them home and figure out what to make with them. I mean, 60 cents? Who can resist such a bargain? I’ve only made lentils once before, for a soup, …
Continue reading “Recipe proves you don’t know ‘lentil’ you try”
One of the habits my mom taught me when I was first learning to bake is to go back through a recipe before popping something into the oven. Giving each ingredient a once-over to make sure nothing was left out is a good idea, since you inevitably realize you forgot something when the mixture has …
Continue reading “It’s ‘butter’ to double check ingredients”
When I first moved out on my own, one of the first items I acquired for my kitchen was a deep fat fryer. I’m a sucker for anything fried, but I could eat French fries every day and never get sick of them. Joey makes fun of me, because if there is any kind of …
Continue reading “Fryer lets you ‘air’ in the side of less oil”
Years ago, when Jimmy Fallon was on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream came out with a flavor called “Late Night Snack,” which was inspired by the show. The combination was “vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chip clusters.” Being slightly ice cream obsessed, I …
A few weeks ago, I was a bridesmaid in a good friend’s socially distanced wedding, and in preparation for the big day, I did something I have never done before: get a manicure. I opted for French tips—a layer of very light pink on the bottom and white for the ends of each nail. It …
Continue reading “This will make you ‘patty’ yourself on the back for a dinner well done”
I have had this block of leftover almond paste just sitting in the back of my refrigerator for weeks. Every time I would open the fridge, I would just stare at the container, knowing I needed to use it up but not being 100-percent sure how. But then there were beautiful, fresh blueberries sitting in …
Continue reading “Bread perfect for leftover that was driving me nuts”
