We had a bit of a scaled-down celebration for Christmas this year, with several of our family members traveling outside of Kansas, so I very carefully considered what treats I would be making. Normally, I overdo it with several types of candies and baked goods to share, but knowing that our group would be a …
Continue reading “Become ‘nut’orious for simple pecan brownies”
As a child, I remember Brussels sprouts as being held up as the epitome of gross vegetables on every kids’ show I watched. The mere mention of the little green vegetable made actors and cartoon characters wrinkle their noses in disgust. As an adult, I love Brussels sprouts. I figured it was just due to …
Continue reading “It’s time to sprout a new opinion of the old Brussels”
Despite being a “food columnist,” I have to admit that a lot of my tastes are fairly, well, childish. For rare meals where I’m eating on my own, I’m likely to give in to my cravings for a serving of box macaroni and cheese or a bowl of cereal, or even more likely, a peanut …
Continue reading “It’s jarring how great leftover peanut butter can be”
It turns out, chocolate chip cookies are a much newer invention than I would have thought. An article on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library website notes that the famous cookies were first invented in 1938 by Ruth Wakefield. Wakefield and her husband, Kenneth, ran the Toll House Restaurant in Massachusetts, hence the enduring “Toll House Chocolate …
I know now that we’re in post-Thanksgiving life, I’m supposed to transition to only Christmas-y flavors and foods with tons of sugar and peppermint and red and green food dye, but I have to be honest, I’m still not ready to be finished with fall vegetables. Luckily, our local grocery store isn’t, either, because I …
Continue reading “Winter can’t squash my love of fall vegetables”
For a recent meal with friends, I made a cherry pie to share, and since I knew I sometimes get carried away with lattice pie crusts and run out before I’m done weaving, I made one extra crust, just in case. Of course, once I was done making pie, I wrapped the crust up, determined …
Continue reading “A hearty pot pie is a ‘crust’-try recipe this time of year”
Last weekend, Joey attended a day-long bowling tournament. The day before he left, he lamented that he didn’t think he would have time to throw a whole chicken we bought on the smoker and may have to toss it back in the freezer. Instead, I offered to put it in the oven on my day …
Continue reading “You can cook a whole chicken—even under pressure”
Recently, I had the chance to meet one of our readers from Hesston. We had a fairly short (but very pleasant) conversation, and before I left, he gestured to a bag on his kitchen counter. “Do you like apples?” he asked me. And that’s how I became the excited owner of four huge, beautiful golden …
Continue reading “Breakfast bars are ‘apple’utely great for a morning treat”
International cuisine website “Saveur” features an article called “Pasta’s Predecessor: The History of Gnocchi,” that I found really interesting when trying to figure out how the little potato dumplings came to be. As with all traditional foods, there is controversy about where in Italy the dish originated, as well as when it was first developed, …
Continue reading “Say ‘oky gnocchi’ to trying this creamy pasta dish”
For a recent get-together at our office, I decided I wanted my snack table to look ready for fall. I set up a mini scarecrow, laid a garland of orange and red leaves along the back of the table and sprinkled candy corn strategically around the plates of goodies. To compliment the look of fall, …
Continue reading “Try a cookie recipe that is a piece of cake”
