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Rethinking Thanksgiving Turkey
As we come upon Thanksgiving, I find myself asking: “Why turkey?” After all, the traditional feast was built around mythology; authentic records don’t exist. Historians actually surmise that the 1621 colonists viewed the large birds as hard to prepare. Hmmm.…
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Soul-Satisfying Soup
The weather is downright cool at night and the leaves are falling: It’s soup season. When I visited my mother on the farm in mid-October, she requested ham soup with dumplings. Upon returning home, I’ve been following that lead, cooking…
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Lazy Cooking
I suspect I’m like most family cooks; there are times when I’m just not up for preparing dinner. I don’t want restaurant takeout or a premade meal from the grocery store – but something homemade and really easy. Sound familiar?…
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Saving Summer Herbs for Savory Winter Flavors
It’s time to harvest the last of the summer herb garden, and this year I’m vowing to preserve what’s left after a summer of fresh flavorings. The average frost date in our area happens this week, so we’re on borrowed…
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Royal Treatment for the Food of the British Isles
The UK has just finished celebrating British Food Fortnight, an event that commenced two decades ago to encourage consumers to buy from local farms. The idea was that the fun of a national celebration would encourage people to actively seek…
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Can You Name That Apple Dessert?
This is the time of year when my mother and grandmother would get together to make apple pies that were put unbaked into the freezer for a future dessert. They were masters at pastry, and the apples were from my…
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Adding a Little Spice to Your Life
I have an ample supply of herbs and spices in my pantry and herb garden, but I know that a lot of home cooks get by with just a few – the ones that they use over and over again.…
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What to Do with All Those Tomatoes?
I have a bounty of tomatoes in my garden, and I’m looking at new ways to use them. It’s been a good season, a welcome change from last year. But after a few BLTs, several different salads, salsa, and a…
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Whetting Your Whistle with a Refreshing Drink
Hot and muggy summer days are still with us, and you yearn for a refreshing beverage – something beyond a cool glass of water – that will not only satisfy that thirst but tingle your taste buds. I found a…
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The Many Delights of Baked Beans
A half-century ago when I was serving in the Army, my boss periodically ate lunch at his desk. To my curiosity, one of his periodic lunches was a baked bean sandwich, a taste sensation that I had never experienced growing…
