I was going through my bread files (yes, I still have recipes typed on paper) trying to decide which ones I no longer use. Space is a premium in my office. Well, guess what I ran across in that file? A recipe I had been meaning to try for a long time but had forgotten about. It’s yeast bread made in a food processor. … Continue reading Food Processor Yeast Bread: Easy to Make
Sometimes the simplest meals are the best. I was reminded of that yesterday evening, when I was simmering elderberries with aromatics for elderberry syrup, a soothing medicinal. The elderberries had to infuse slowly, and that required tending. So what to fix for dinner? I had spicy Italian sausages in the refrigerator and butternut squash from the garden. And plump red onions in the basement … Continue reading Sausage, Squash and Red Onions (and a side of Farro)
“Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot 9 days old.” My garden peas have pushed through the soil, still tiny but looking strong. For some reason, that childhood rhyme came to mind, so indulge me! Peas are really a lovely seasonal vegetable, so when they’re abundant, peas are in my meal rotation a lot. These legumes are good for you, too. … Continue reading Spring Stir Fry: DIY Universal Stir Fry Sauce
Photo credit kitchn.com Today, Matt Swaim from Sacred Heart Radio’s Sonrise Morning Show and I talked about the upcoming All Saints and All Souls Day and how they relate to a secular Halloween. When was All Saints Day first instituted? Lots of legends abound about the beginning of All Saints Day. From what I can gather, though, way back in the 800’s the Pope … Continue reading Chorizo Nachos with Homemade White Queso
I was getting ingredients out of the pantry to make a batch of one hour yeast rolls for dinner, when Oliver Phillips, my 10 year old neighbor, called. Oliver wanted to come over and “make something”. So he and I made the rolls together. I let Oliver do the measuring and mixing. “Does this seem hard to you?” I asked. “Not at all,” he said. … Continue reading 1 Hour Yeast Rolls – Yes You Can!
Ron Wilson, Garden Guru for Natorp’s and Host of “In the Garden” on WKRC 55 radio here in Cincinnati, always keeps me update as to what I need to do outside. It has been HOT and DRY on my little patch of heaven. How’s it been on yours? Ron says: Keep watering as needed. General rule of thumb for established plants and turf is 1 … Continue reading Garden and Lawn Tips for Hot Summer Days
It was fun chatting, as usual, this morning, with Matt Swaim on the Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart radio about foods eaten during Biblical times. After the heavy eating of the holidays, we’re going with simple. And I mean simple. This sauce recipe from famed Marcella Hazan for pasta uses 4 main ingredients: butter, onions, salt and, of course, tomatoes. Now the butter, onions and salt … Continue reading Marcella’s Simple Pasta Sauce
Oh gosh, I don’t know how I misplaced the email from a reader whose mom used to work at The Heritage Restaurant with my husband, Frank, back in the day. So much of the restaurant’s recipes were famous and one of the most loved was their mornay sauce. I have the quantity recipe for their “white” sauce which I’m assuming is the basis for mornay. … Continue reading Mornay Sauce like Heritage Restaurant
As we start another year of cooking and chatting together, it’s time to reflect a bit on the lifestyles we choose and the food we prepare for ourselves and others. You’ve heard me many times talk about this little patch of heaven that we’re blessed to call home. Nothing fancy, rather plain really. We built the home we live in decades ago. It overlooks the … Continue reading Trends for 2026: Collard Greens and Ham Hocks
Those of you who are “regulars” know that during the holidays I share a recipe for peppermint bark. It makes the best gift from the kitchen!Looking at the ones we’ve swapped over the years, there’s some common threads that run through. It’s about quality and technique. Here are answers to both. To replicate famous, super expensive candy like Wms Sonoma’s bark, use quality bar chocolate … Continue reading Best Peppermint Bark!
As promised, here’s a nice ham and bean soup recipe for those of you with leftover holiday ham. This is a real basic recipe, so use as a guide rather than a recipe set in stone. If it’s a honey glazed ham, you’ll notice a slight difference in taste – not exactly sweet but maybe a bit more mellow. Now if you don’t have leftover … Continue reading Leftover Holiday Ham? Make Ham & Bean Soup!
Today, as I do every Thursday morning, the chat with Matt Swaim, Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio, centered around food and its Biblical roots. We talked about Thanksgiving and our favorite foods. Matt shared his roasted Brussels sprouts recipe (check out the Sacred Heart site for that) and Annie is sharing her family’s stuffing (that’s below). For Thanksgiving, now even though fowl/chickens were part of … Continue reading Thanksgiving Family Favorites
With all the recipes I could share for Thanksgiving, I didn’t think pumpkin pie would be top of mind with some of you, but I’ve been getting a fair amount of queries so let’s get the pumpkin pie situation under control. Some questions were about dairy – evaporated or condensed milk? And there were spice questions – can apple pie spice be used? First, pumpkin … Continue reading Pumpkin Pie 2 Ways!
As I do every Thursday morning on Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio, I chatted with Matt Swaim about Halloween. Now for us Christians, Halloween has this meaning (along with the fun dressing up and ” begging” for treats): Halloween refers to the Feast of All Saints. The word itself is taken an older English term, “hallows,” meaning “holy”; and “e’en”, a truncation of the word … Continue reading Jalapeno Poppers Two Ways
When I was a kid, we walked to school, and hot lunches were 25 cents and included a bottle of milk with a paper cap. (I know, I’m dating myself.) My absolute favorite was sloppy Joes with a side of slaw. There may have been chips, too, but that’s hazy in my memory. I always looked forward to the “sloppy” part — that small amount … Continue reading Chicken Sloppy Joes – Maybe for Halloween?
About Eating 