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
My friend, Bob Villing, who lives down the road, already has 3 kinds of peas planted: snow, sugar snap and English. He also has beets and greens growing. Bob is way ahead of me. I finally got the herb garden and the front field of the vegetable garden tilled a few days ago. My plan is to get the peas and early root vegetables in … Continue reading Chicken Vesuvio with Spring Peas
My Mary Garden Each week I chat with Matt Swaim of the Sonrise Morning Show. Today, since Mother’s Day is this weekend, we talked about Mary Garden’s. Here’s some fun information. A MARY GARDEN Mary Gardens were started during medieval times and were usually gardens that were enclosed, often in monasteries. I have always felt that an herb garden needs a statue of Mary, even before … Continue reading Container Mary Garden for Mother’s Day
Each week as you may know, I chat with Matt Swaim on Sacred Heart Radio, Sonrise Morning Show. Today, with Earth Day around the corner, we talked about the plants we’ve been blessed to have and how to grow them quickly as microgreens. What are microgreens? Most folks know what sprouts are – I grow those usually in water. They are eaten when the first … Continue reading Microgreens Super Foods
Each week as you may know, I chat with Matt Swaim on Sacred Heart Radio, Sonrise Morning Show. Today, with Earth Day around the corner, we talked about the plants we’ve been blessed to have and how to grow them quickly as microgreens. What are microgreens? Most folks know what sprouts are – I grow those usually in water. They are eaten when the first … Continue reading Growing Bible Microgreens
First, I have to thank Sue Koenig, whose eagle eye caught a couple of mistakes in the first recipe. I’ve corrected them to indicate the right amount of yield for the first recipe. I renamed it, too. Here’s why: I usually make 6 giant rolls but another reader said she gets 8. And checking my mail this morning, yet another person got 11. Looks like … Continue reading Updated Hot Cross Buns!
There’s one recipe that we make without fail during Lent: Majadra. It’s a most delicious, wholesome Middle Eastern peasant lentil dish with rice, caramelized onions, and laban/yogurt. My mom’s hand-written recipe is titled “Majadra”. You may know it as Mujadarra, Moujadara, or Mujadara. The main ingredients are lentils, onions, rice and yogurt. Lentils have been grown for thousands of years, even mentioned in the Bible … Continue reading Updated Recipe Majadara
Food can connect us in myriad ways. Like the city chicken recipe I’m sharing today. But here’s the twist: city chicken is made with pork, not chicken. I did a bit of sleuthing to find out why. City chicken originated with the Polish and Ukrainian communities who immigrated to the Great Lakes region during the Depression. Cleveland and Pittsburgh were known for city chicken. Earlier … Continue reading City Chicken: A Ukranian/Polish Dish
In Italy, the feast of St. Joseph is in March – SAT MARCH 19 – and is usually celebrated with a huge feast of food set upon a special altar around the world but especially in Italy. So why celebrate St. Joseph in this way? There’s a legend surrounding this feast day. There was a famine in Sicily hundreds of years ago. The people prayed … Continue reading Zeppoles for St. Joseph
One of my most popular cooking classes is “Fish without fear”. Quality seafood is expensive, and Lent is the optimum time to explore cooking seafood, since you’ll usually find a good variety at a decent price. When I teach a seafood class, I always include scallops, since students find them the most intriguing. Yet they are one of the easiest to cook! Scallops are amazingly … Continue reading Scallops 101
There’s an old saying that there’s no language like the Irish for soothing. I’ll take it a step further and say the same about their food. St. Patrick’s Day and comfort food go hand in hand. Like Irish stew. Meat, root vegetables and broth form the base of a hearty, uncomplicated, nourishing peasant stew. I will tell you I’ve made this a couple of times and … Continue reading Comforting Irish Stew and the Best Soda Bread
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