While you might not notice it at first, everyone has a couple ingredients that they just always have. Really, it’s helpful to know what these are for menu planning and panic cooking when you realize that your chicken is still frozen and your spinach has gone bad. As I was thinking about it, I came up with five ingredients that …

Three cheers for soup season! If you’ve been following me long, you know it’s my favorite. Here at our house, we have soup for dinner every Monday night. I began the tradition back when we were first married and it just stuck. So October through March, every Monday, the soup pot comes out, the chopping boards get filled and the …

Have you been wondering about my cake challenge? Maybe you’ve been excited for progress. Maybe you’ve been doubting I’d be able to keep up. Either way, you’ll be pleased to know that we’re half way there. As of July 1st, I’m half way through! Mainly I’ve been able to keep to the book above, Vintage Cakes, though I had two …

Isn’t it funny how a smell can transport you to a different time and place? I have several smells that do that for me, but this month I resurrected a recipe from the archives that made me want to cry. I started making Irish Flapjacks for Dearest Carl in the early days of marriage. Our first year, I would make …

Valentine’s Day is over. The fancy dinner is eaten, the roses will last for a few weeks and hopefully you’ll get to snack on chocolate for the next few days. But what about that leftover bit of champagne? After all that rich food, it’s tempting to just throw it out. Luckily I have a solution for you. Grab your apron …

I’m not a big leftover person. However, Thanksgiving is the exception to that rule. Growing up, my grandma spent the weekend after Thanksgiving turning all the leftover turkey into Turkey and Noodles for everyone. I still look forward to those noodles. Now that I’m married, we spend Thanksgiving with Dearest Carl’s family. Being such a large family who is all …

Who’s had their first Pumpkin Spice Latte? I’ve had a few since Chicago Starbucks served them before Indy. At first sip, you remember what Fall should taste like. Everything apple and pumpkin and cinnamon and nutmeg. I used to be on the fence with PS because it’s such a popular flavor and you know how I am about those bandwagons. …

Food has a powerful influence over many childhood memories. The smell or taste of a certain dish can jet me back to ten years old, watching my Grandma Jayne make homemade fried chicken. There are a few memories in particular that warm my heart and most of them have to do with my own parents. My Dad was famous for …

On these hot humid days of summer, we tend to opt for recipes that are simple to make and refreshing to eat. Nobody really wants soup when it’s 90 degrees at 9 AM. But breakfast was always a quandary for me. What’s cold and refreshing for the morning meal? For a long time, I thought smoothies were complicated and expensive …

Summertime is burger time! Two years ago, we decided to experiment and make our own burgers from scratch. I found a recipe I liked and since then, we’ve modified it a bit to our taste. I make the burgers and Dearest Carl cooks them and then we both enjoy the fruits of our labors. Especially with all the burger fixings …