This weekend, I stumbled on an article by Gabrielle Drolet called, “In Defence of Garlic in a Jar: How Food Snobs Almost Ruined My Love of Cooking.” It’s a long read, but Drolet makes the point that cooking shortcuts are a great way to make the kitchen more accessible to people who have disabilities. She …
Continue reading “Make ’em go ‘coco’nuts for fudgy, layered brownies”
When I was growing up, my mom’s specialty, which was required at every family get together, was her deviled eggs. I remember my uncle jokingly blocking the door, looking for her tell-tale Tupperware box before we were allowed to come inside. I also remember one fateful day when I accidentally dropped the box, creating havoc …
Continue reading “This summer, let’s come together and give ‘pies’ a chance”
Last summer, we ended up with a large box of peaches, and when they started to get soft before we could finish them, I sliced them up, tossed them in a bag, and stored them away in the freezer. Well, rather than using them up sometime last fall…or winter…or spring…they’ve just been hanging out in …
Continue reading “Stone fruit and brown sugar are truly made for ‘peach’ other”
Sometimes, I ironically bite off more than I can chew when it comes to trying new recipes. This week was one of those times. I was invited to donate something to a dessert auction, and I decided it was the perfect time to try a recipe for some decadent brownies I’ve been eyeballing for quite …
Continue reading “From-scratch salted caramel pretzel brownies ‘knot’ an easy task”
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”
When my sister and I were kids, my mom would take us to the Rainbow Bread Outlet in Hutchinson on weekly grocery trips. If we were especially good, we sometimes got a chance to pick out a bag of Sathers candy, which were two for $1 at the time. One of my favorites was black …
Continue reading “These cookies are sugar, spice and everything ‘mice’”
The problem with writing this column every week is that sometimes I get a little too overzealous. I assume I can conquer any recipe the first time, and there are definitely moments where I crash and burn. That was the case recently when I tried to make poached pears to go along with the cake …
Continue reading “Pre’pear’ something different for dessert this week”
After years of saying I was going to do it, I finally took the plunge last week: I bought a tart pan. If you remember, I made miniature tarts earlier this year, aided by a cookie cutter and a cupcake tin, and that really pushed me towards making my ultimate purchase. I’ve been staring at …
Continue reading “‘Choc’ this recipe up to a new pan purchase”
It seems like everyone has an extravagant friend. The person in your life who likes the finer things, the fancier stuff, the flashy side of life. I have a few, but one who truly fits this description recently looked at me and said, “You know what’s delicious? White chocolate chip matcha cookies.” Challenge accepted. If …
Continue reading “There’s no ‘matcha’ for tea-flavored cookies”
Thanks to the Newton Rotary Club’s annual peach fundraiser and my three-year-old niece insisting that I buy blueberries for our recent fun day, I had quite a bit of fruit in my refrigerator this week. That, combined with Joey itching to use a cast iron Dutch oven he recently got for his smoker, meant we …
Continue reading “Baking cobbler outdoors can be ‘berry’ satisfying”
