First, I know it has been a while since I visited with you through my site. We’ve been helping out here on our little patch of heaven those folks who need a lift, a smile, or a bowl of soup. Yes, Covid has been raging here with family and friends. But, like you, we will get through these challenging times with faith. So, with that … Continue reading Rita’s Easy Chili

Ok if you haven’t, now’s the time! Here’s a lovely recipe from Clermont County, Ohio reader Kathy Lane. Kathy is the mom of our neighbor, Wes Lane. Wes and his wife, Liz, live a couple doors down from us and have 2 of the cutest boys ever, Oliver and Calvin. Anyway, Wes brought me a piece of his mom’s mincemeat pie (she also makes the … Continue reading Have you made Mincemeat Pie?

I was driving home on my old country road when I had to brake softly to share the right-of-way. For a flock of very slender, wild, turkeys robed in shiny black feathers. Talk about escaping the Thanksgiving dinner table…check out the photo on my site. Now we’re well into the holiday season with celebratory dinners and gifts from the kitchen to prepare. Here’s 2 recipes … Continue reading Two Foolproof Roasts and Gift Giver’s Hot Chocolate

Cyndi Mitchell’s stir down yeast rollsA tender, yet substantial roll They are easy – no kneading or shaping and just the right size for a holiday dinner.  I use a sprayed small ice cream scoop to scoop the dough out. Ingredients 1 package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water, 105 -115 degrees Couple pinches sugar PLUS 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 large egg, lightly … Continue reading Cyndi’s Stir Down Rolls and Do-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Thanksgiving!!

Some names of food are so descriptive you can “see” them in your mind. Like angel food cake. Pecan pie.  And popovers.  Popovers are fun! They’re sturdier than they look, too. They bake all puffed up with their own importance. Some are high-hat tall. Others have billowy cloud-like tops with squatty bottoms.  It’s simple food science: a combination of milk, eggs, flour and salt creates … Continue reading What makes Popovers “Pop”?

Today when chatting with Matt Swaim, Sacred Heart Radio, Sonrise Morning Show the conversation turned to holiday entertaining, and how folks in Bible times entertained. Well, as guests arrived they washed their hands right at the table. Sometimes they carried their own towels; sometimes the host provided them. Guests may have sat on the floor on cushions, mats or rugs, or at low tables with … Continue reading 3 Favorite Holiday Appetizers

How fun! Readers and listeners share recipes perfect for a night of trick or treating and partying. Here’s 2 family faves: WITCH FINGER COOKIESThe nice thing about this recipe is that it can be made from scratch, as well as from a refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Fun to eat. Even more fun is to have a bowl of sieved  strawberry or raspberry jam. Place in … Continue reading Witch’s Fingers and Lychee Eyeballs Halloween

From friend and colleague, Joe Boggs of OSU Extension Oct 27, 2021 Bristly “woolly bear” caterpillars commence their annual crawl-abouts in search of sheltered winter quarters in the fall. You may see noticeable numbers crossing roads with some unfortunates becoming laminated onto tires. Their crawl-abouts may start as early as late September and continue until early November in Ohio. It depends on the weather. Woolly bears (woolly worms … Continue reading Can Wooly Worms Predict The Weather?

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