Lemon Curd Bars It never ‘a curd’ to me that this lemon dessert was worth a try

Every time I feel like I may have tried pretty much everything in the grocery store, I run across another ingredient I can’t believe I’ve never tasted. For this week’s recipe, that magical ingredient was lemon curd. I knew lemon curd existed, but I can’t remember ever buying or trying it before. If you’re like …

Berry Pie Bars Don’t have the right fruit? Your ingredients may ‘berry’

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 …

Southern Pecan Chewies ‘Chew’se a chocolate-free bar cookie for your summer treat

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 …

Carrot Cake Cobbler There’s no doubt you should cobble together dessert this week

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 …

Maple Apple Pie Bars Try as you ‘maple,’ you can’t avoid these delicious bars forever

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: …

Beans in a Pot Easy recipe proves the crock pot is no has-‘bean’

On Jan. 23, 1940, the United States awarded a patent to inventor Irving Nachumsohn’s newest creation: the crock pot. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, it was originally marketed as the “Naxon Beanery,” with its name coming from a shortened version of Nachumsohn’s last name. With the public’s opinions of German last names during the mid-1940s, …

Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Blondies Bake a ‘cinn’sational treat to celebrate autumn weather

In 2024, the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released a study about the ongoing popularity of pumpkin spice lattes. Apparently, according to their study, apple spice was starting to edge out pumpkin on the popularity scale last …