Mornay Sauce like Heritage Restaurant

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

Trends for 2026: Collard Greens and Ham Hocks

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

Leftover Holiday Ham? Make Ham & Bean Soup!

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!

Thanksgiving Family Favorites

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

Pumpkin Pie 2 Ways!

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!

Jalapeno Poppers Two 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

Blue Plate Diner Special: Salisbury Steak & Mushroom Gravy

Yesterday we had to take our vintage kitchen screen door off for repair. It’s one of those plain wooden doors with screens on top and bottom.I already miss that door. It dawned on me what I’m missing is what it represents. Fresh air coming through the screen. The sound of the door slapping shut when the little ones come in with armloads of produce. A … Continue reading Blue Plate Diner Special: Salisbury Steak & Mushroom Gravy

Nell Wilson’s Pickled Peppers

Nell Wilson’s simple pickled hot peppers My friend, Ron Wilson, and I love his Mom’s recipe. “She uses sweet peppers, Ron told me”. For some reason I thought she used all hot. Anyway, you can use whatever peppers or a combo of what you like here!It’s now recommended to process these peppers in a water bath for 15 minutes. But I still just sterilize the … Continue reading Nell Wilson’s Pickled Peppers

Fattoush!

I so enjoy chatting with Matt Swaim each Thursday morning on the Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio. Today it was all about Fattoush – that Lebanese salad that incorporates toasted pita and sumac in the recipe. Fattoush, the word, is from the Arabic word “fatt,” meaning “crushed” or “crumbled,” referring to the bread pieces in the salad. It’s actually the root word of fattoush. It’s an … Continue reading Fattoush!