Cornbread Salad

Just a great change-up salad! Goes great with jambalaya, gumbo, chili beans, pot roast and all by itself!

First, make your favorite cornbread. I prefer from scratch with a less sweet version. Mixes tend to be sweeter and more cake like. Cornbread is an easy quick bread. Try this recipe, here. For a fewer ingredient recipe try this.

 

Continue reading


Boston Brown Bread

Amazingly simple! Deliciously rich! Quick mix with a somewhat lengthy bake. So worth it! For the recipe ingredients I received a little help from Fannie Farmer. Yep, I grew up on canned brown bread … so, no family recipe. Homemade is so much better! Add a medley of seedless raisins or no raisins at all. It’s delicious.

Traditionally served with Boston Baked Beans. Try our many Baked Beans Recipes.

Continue reading


Making Vanilla Extract

This is a gift from a family gourmet who put together Ina Garten’s vanilla extract recipe. The ingredients are pretty pricey initially but over time you’ll save. You’ll be making a larger volume and the price per ounce of your homemade vanilla will be much cheaper. Plus, as you use your homemade you can simply add more vodka (bourbon or rum) to your jar. Believe me, if you’re using imitation vanilla to save you might wish to read about the making of imitation vanilla. It will bring you back to this recipe. Here are a few of my suggestions. Vodka will give a more pure taste to the vanilla extract. For a change up flavor try bourbon or rum. While Madagascar beans are premium (and a little difficult to find and price may be prohibitive) you can use other vanilla beans or do a mixture of beans. Grade B beans, too, can add more vanilla taste. Grade B beans tend to be drier and broken. They may have split open from the dryness and have little paste inside if at all. But with this dryness may come more flavor.

Continue reading


Caramel Banana Walnut Muffins

King Arthur Baking Products are high on my list. Nope, this isn’t a paid advertisement! I receive their free catalog routinely, and it’s one catalog I actually look through. Great recipes are included along with product suggestions. Their recipes are not included without their trial run. (Neither are my recipes, BTW.) Yep, you guessed it! This is one of theirs. I had all the ingredients (*well not white whole wheat flour) and we were hungry for muffins now. These didn’t disappoint!

*Just a word about whole wheat flour vs white whole wheat flour. As I mentioned this recipe calls for white whole white flour. I used whole wheat flour instead. White whole wheat flour is not simply bleached whole wheat. It’s actually a different wheat which leads to a less dense baked product. While my muffins were perfect I can’t say they might have been better if I had used white whole wheat flour instead.

Continue reading


Salami Peas and Pasta

Sunday’s Pasta Meal

When you have the flu and someone brings a care basket with salami, cheese & pasta you wait until you’re better and you fix this! (Thanks Will for all the goodies!)

Continue reading


Spaghetti Soup

When you’ve a house full of hungry guests (and creating more meals than expected) … here’s a way to put together a quick soup they’ll love. If you just made Italian gravy so much the better but a jar sauce with a few other ingredients will do in a pinch. Some sauce ideas, here, if you need.

Continue reading


America’s Test Kitchen Stew

If you’re into stew or even if you’re not this is to die for! This was our Sunday Dinner and yes, it’s the best Irish beef stew I’ve tasted to date. If you’re shopping for those newly weds or anyone who likes to cook America’s Test Kitchen Cookbooks are a treasure. It’s not so easy to find their recipes on line … You need to be a member. It’s all worth it! The recipes are tested just as it says. Thank you Will for the great dinner! I look forward to next Sunday!

Here’s a couple of tried and true order on line foods to make your Holidays easier, biscuitsĀ Here & piesĀ Here.


London Broil Dinner

Perfect for the Holidays

When turkey no longer gets everyone’s attention try this simple but elegant meal. Portions can be done days ahead. And just think … there’s no crazy clean up! Best of all this is not a budget buster!

Continue reading


Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Little different from our cheese enchiladas and a quicker prep. Worth a try for those who find enchiladas irresistible. We do! Happy 50th Birthday Stephen!

Continue reading


Best Turkey Meatloaf I’ve Ever Eaten

For those of you who won’t even try meatloaf, Dan, you’re missing out. Actually, this is the best meatloaf I’ve ever had, beef or turkey! Was it the turkey?! It was the care in preparation … It does count. Absolutely delicious! Thank you Ina Garten and Will!

Continue reading