Our sweet and hot peppers are ripening faster than we can pick. We’re out in the pepper rows every day gently twisting peppers from stems. Time to get those peppers in my country kitchen to make hot & sweet confetti jam. You may know this time-honored jam as hot pepper jelly or Christmas jelly. (It’s the colored peppers responsible for the moniker). Hot pepper jam is … Continue reading Some Like It Hot or Maybe Not
Here’s a good Chai mix – the cardamom is pretty expensive usually so if you can’t get it, do 1-1/2 teaspoons nutmeg. Even though it’s in the 90’s here on my little patch of heaven (it’s August, after all….) I’m thinking a mug of chai during those snow filled winter days! Pumpkin pie spice would work in a pinch with the addition of a bit … Continue reading Homemade Chai Spice Mix
When I share recipes with you I usually have a photo of the finished dish to accompany it. But today I thought it would be fun for you to see the genesis of the Mexican elote street pan nachos we made. It all started in our corn patch. Granddaughter Ellery and I picked corn together. Yes, it was humid and hot, but she was diligent … Continue reading Elote Style Street Corn Nachos
Every year about this time I make pesto. But not the pesto you may be familiar with. The pesto I make is for the freezer – thicker, more like a light textured paste. Yes, it can be used right away by adding a little more olive oil. I used a combo of Genovese, lemon basil, and spicy globe miniature basil because I had so much … Continue reading Pesto for the Freezer
I like to keep you up to date on my gardens. Both my teaching herb garden and family vegetable gardens have gotten a boost from the much needed rain. And so have the weeds, which means I’ve been spending time happily tilling and hoeing between rows. How about you? Are you enjoying being more outside than in? If so, and you’re the cook, I think … Continue reading Slow Cooked Pepper Steak
As I write this column, the first day of summer is on the horizon. It won’t be long before July 4 gatherings celebrate our nation’s independence. Back in the day, home churned, hand cranked ice cream was a staple on the summer entertaining menu. A much treasured ritual, especially on this meaningful holiday. Today homemade ice cream doesn’t have to involve “elbow grease” to churn … Continue reading Ice Cream, Ice Cream, We All Scream for….Ice Cream!
Today Matt Swaim, Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio, and I chatted about Father’s Day. Now Matt has a veggie garden and shared a photo of an amazing head of broccoli. So I thought to honor him and all dads I’d share again an iconic broccoli salad from a famous department store. Also I reworked the frozen strawberry dessert I shared a week or so ago. … Continue reading Redo Frozen Strawberry Dessert
Today Matt Swaim, Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio, and I chatted about Father’s Day and St. Joseph, Jesus’ Dad. I made a big “whoops” – saying to Matt that I didn’t realize Joseph was from the House of David. I meant to say “Mary” (Jesus’ mother) because when I researched her, her lineage wasn’t clear at first. Of course, when she married Joseph, she became … Continue reading BBQ Ribs
When I was growing up back in the fifties in suburban Cincinnati, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day. That was the day our family made the annual trek to Dayton, Ohio to visit relatives and to “decorate” graves of our ancestors with fresh garden flowers. Mom and dad piled us older kids in the back seat of dad’s Chevrolet and if I remember correctly, my … Continue reading A Story of Road Trips/Picnics in the 50’s and Broccoli Salads for Memorial Day
