It must have been sometime when I was in middle school that a family acquaintance gifted us with a basket of homemade goodies during the holidays. Most of the items were run-of-the-mill, well-done treats, but there was one none of us could identify initially. Upon further inspection, we discovered a sweet that none of us …
Continue reading “Overcome old assumptions with something sc‘rum’ptious”
When I was a teacher, I often said that I wished I could have a day or so to audit my colleagues’ classes, just to get a feel for their style and methods. I had a bucket list of people I would have loved to sit in on to learn some tricks of the trade. …
Continue reading “This is a really ‘yammy’ way to eat sweet potatoes”
One of the benefits of being married for as long as Joey and I have is that there are times when I can perfectly judge what his reaction to a recipe will be before I even make it. When I spotted this week’s recipe—featuring cherries, coconut and pecans—online, I knew I had a hit on …
Continue reading “‘Chews’ something sweet and nutty this week”
If you have been reading my column for very long, you might remember a fancy lemon tart I made last year about this time. It was a French recipe and included making everything from scratch. I decided to try it as a donation to one of our local non-profits, Peace Connections, for their annual soup …
Continue reading “This gooey, fancy souffle can’t possibly fall flat”
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”
The names people choose for recipes often crack me up. There’s the embarrassing-to-talk-about “better than sex” or “sex in a pan” variety of dishes, followed by “blue-ribbon” and “award-winning” options, and of course, there are a million recipes purporting to be “Mom’s” or “Grandma’s,” although few identify which matriarch those actually belong to. So you’ll …
When I first moved out on my own, I discovered that I had no idea how to cook for only one person. I was great at making portions for four, but cooking for one was a challenge. So I generally still made my four-person meals and brought lots of leftovers to work for lunch throughout …
Continue reading “Stop ‘pudding’ off sweets with a dessert for two”
I have said before that I actually really enjoy making pie. I think now that I feel confident with pie crust, the idea of creating a shell and a filling that (at least in theory) comes out in whole, beautiful slices is one of my favorite things. Joey has been a wonderful and willing participant …
Continue reading “‘Tassie’ together some mini pies this week”
It’s probably not surprising that I have cornered the market on bringing desserts to family get togethers. I absolutely love to bake, and my family has been gracious enough to endure my recipe experiments on a regular basis. For Christmas this year, we’re keeping our group small with immediate family, so I sent a text …
Continue reading “There’s ‘snow’ time like the present to try these cookies”
One of the cooking habits I have developed over the years is to push recipes just a bit. I love to double spices, add extra ingredients and play with proportions. Normally, that works out really well for me. I love the extra flavor an additional teaspoon of vanilla can provide, and there’s nothing like the …
