Category: Dessert

One of the best parts of post-Thanksgiving leftovers (in my humble opinion) is going to the fridge and grabbing a piece of pie to just eat with your hands over the sink. It’s not the most elegant move, but it’s definitely one of my favorite things. I was thinking about that experience of getting to …

Continue reading “‘Lattice’ talk about blueberry pie bars”

In one of our first shopping trips together over 20 years ago, I remember Joey grabbing a bottle of ketchup off the end cap at the grocery store. “Whoa,” I said. “Why are you buying the expensive ketchup?” He looked perplexed. And that was the day I probably made my then-boyfriend reconsider his relationship choices …

Continue reading “Don’t have the right fruit? Your ingredients may ‘berry’”

There’s a phrase we often hear when we travel north: Minnesota Nice. It refers to how friendly the folks in Minnesota are, and that’s especially true when you visit in the summer months. After being snowed in and freezing in sub-zero temperatures all winter, they are ready to go out and about and are happy …

Continue reading “‘Chew’se a chocolate-free bar cookie for your summer treat”

When I graduated from college and rented my own home for the very first time, I decided that I would do my darnedest to cook meals for myself as much as possible and avoid premade stuff from the freezer section. I remember one of the first times I fired up the stove, heating some oil …

Continue reading “Oven mistake? Just keep calm and ‘berry’ on”

If you didn’t know, we recently celebrated the first-ever “Local News Day” on April 9. The effort to observe local journalists around the country came from a push in Montana. In Newton, we had a small, but mighty, group of community members who stood outside our office with signs, touting the importance of having a …

Continue reading “There’s no doubt you should cobble together dessert this week”

When I look at my bookshelf of cookbooks, I often think of a lady I never got the opportunity to meet in person but whom I feel connected to through a very sweet gift: Merna Snay. Merna, a former resident of the Mount Hope and Haven area, was a prolific cook—and by all reports, a …

Continue reading “Vintage crunch recipe gets two ‘plums’ up”

I was a pretty stereotypical kid when it came to liver and onions. It was a “no, thank you” for me. Actually, I’m sure I said something much less refined than that, but the message was the same. On one occasion, my mom decided to trick my sister and me by telling us we were …

Continue reading “This traditional Indian milk sweet is simply ‘moo’velous”

The National Pecan Shellers Association has a wealth of knowledge about pecans on its website. One of the items that interested me the most is that the pecan tree is the only major nut tree native to North America. I thought that was strange, because I know quite a few nuts who were born here, …

Continue reading “Raise the bar with a dangerously easy pecan dessert”

In past years, January and February have felt like reset months for us. Things slow down, activities are fewer, and it’s time to catch our breaths. Not so this year. Last week, Joey and I were honored to be invited to speak at the Kentucky Press Association’s annual conference, and we ended up spending an …

Continue reading “Don’t be ‘choco’late to the party if you want a chance at these brownies”

I generally make the exact same New Year’s resolution each year. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure my resolution messes up some of your resolutions, so I’ll apologize in advance for the calorie-laden recipes that will continue to grace my column in the coming months. It’s necessary, though, in order for me to meet my ultimate goal: …

Continue reading “Try as you ‘maple,’ you can’t avoid these delicious bars forever”