You know when you get the urge to bake and every biscuit recipe you can find requires an ingredient you don’t have? It’s a real reason to treasure the recipes that use regular pantry staples. Like this strawberry cake. Found on Once Upon A Chef, I’ve made this cake a couple times and every time, topped with a little whipped …

Easter is one of those holidays that I don’t help much with. I might make a dessert but we spend Palm Sunday enjoying an Easter meal with my family and then Easter Sunday with Dearest Carl’s. It’s wonderful to get to celebrate with both families! So when I was thinking up Easter posts to share, I thought an Easter brunch …

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 …