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Corn & Tomato Pasta Salad with Basil Corn Goddess Dressing

I have made some kind of corn and tomato pasta salad for years based on a recipe that won me $400 in Better Homes & Gardens monthly recipe contest. This weekend as I was making the salad for our family Easter gathering, I used white balsamic vinegar and wasn’t thrilled with the flavor of the…

Vegan Truffles

Sometimes experimenting in the kitchen yields surprisingly yummy treats! Read along in this formerly archived 2016 post to learn how to make these all natural, vegan chocolaty gems.

The Original Tuscan Mac N Cheese

Years ago I submitted a recipe to Better Homes & Gardens monthly prize tested recipe contest and was shocked when it was a winner! The recipe was for Tuscan Mac and Cheese, and I developed it as a comforting casserole for a friend who was having surgery. What made it Tuscan? The recipe was inspired…

Chipotle Corn Sandwich Rolls

You know that can of Chipotles in Adobo you have sitting in your pantry? Or if you’re like me, you open the can to use in a recipe and still have half a can left so you freeze it and forget it’s there? Here’s a recipe for using up those leftover Chipotles. I guarantee you’ll…

Oweeo Snickerdoodles

Or…what else can you do with Homemade Opera Cream? I had some opera cream in my freezer leftover from Easter (I never got around to making candy with it). I also had some black cocoa powder sitting in the pantry and was hankering for something that tasted like that famous cocoa and cream sandwich cookie….

Hot Peach Jam

This recipe will take you back to summers past with the amped up flavor of pepper jelly. What could be better than fresh peach flavor combined with the zing of hot peppers? Smother a block of cream cheese with it and break out the crackers! Hot Peach Jam 3/4 cup chopped fresh peaches, fuzzy skin…

Strawberry Ice Cream

Because any day is National Ice Cream Day in my world, I’m sharing an easy recipe that you can adapt for any fruity flavor! For best results, let the ice cream base chill in the refrigerator overnight, so prepare your base the night before you want to indulge. This recipe calls for a shortcut in…

Chocolate Chip Crater Cookies

I was trying to use up little bits of goodness left in my pantry this weekend and came up with a creatively cratered chocolate chip cookie! I added some mini marshmallows to the mix and they melted in the cookies while baking. The look reminded my son of the surface of the moon so we…

Italian Wurst Burgers

It’s a Thursday Two-fer! Two burger recipes in one day. This one is a riff on a family recipe for ravioli stuffed with a mixture using German Bockwurst (what my family called “box sausage” because it was purchased at the market in boxes). It makes a great hamburger, especially when served on good Italian bread,…

Mushroom Blended Burgers

It’s officially burger season…fire up the grill! Bored with the same old burgers? I have a new grilled hamburger recipe for you to try out; Mushroom Blended Burgers. The mushrooms lend flavor and moisture and stretch the ground beef a little further. If you aren’t a beef eater, simply substitute ground chicken or turkey. Let’s…

Basic Focaccia Recipe

This recipe is a rework of an old post, Sourdough Buckwheat Focaccia published in 2017 that I took down to simplify and quicken the process. Using ready made sourdough starter and quick rise yeast, you can significantly shorten the wait time to crunchy, salty, olive oil goodness! What follows is a basic recipe that yields…

One Pan S’mores Bars

What do you get when you cross a pan cookie with campfire treats? Inside campout dessert heaven! Whether you are indoors due to weather, pandemic or murder hornets or if you just don’t like camping out you can still have your toasty marshmallow treats! And you don’t have to worry about burning marshmallow. The recipe…

Very Versatile Skillet Puff Pie

In a pinch over meal ideas in this time of quarantine cooking? Here is a simple dish that comes together quickly, tastes great and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner! An added bonus is it can be prepped and cooked in the same pan! I came up with the idea for this puff…

Quick Corn off the Cobb

This quick and easy corn off the cobb recipe goes back to my “full-time working Mom” days. All Moms work full-time but I mean the days when I worked away from home and was always looking for evening meal shortcuts! Simply cut the corn off the Cobb directly onto a microwave safe plate, add some…

Duxelles

Pronunciation: Duk-sell A fancy but easy French saute or paste traditionally made from any variety or combination of mushrooms, shallots, cream and/or wine. Named for the employer of 17th century French chef Francois Pierre La Varenne. Here in the United States we would probably call it mushroom dressing. Duxelles sounds so much nicer. It…

Easy As…Strawberry Pie!

Strawberries from Florida are finally in the grocery stores here and I am in Heaven! First strawberries are a distraction from cold temperatures and a reminder that spring is on the way. I’ve already made Strawberry Vanilla Jam and Strawberry Sugar and was craving a fresh sweet that could be enjoyed for dessert or breakfast….

Bock Beer Grits & Chicken Skillet

I love this meal for a cold winter’s night. How can you beat chicken cooked in a skillet? This combination of chicken, grits, mushrooms and beer will warm tummies and hearts and get dinner on the table in no time! Skillet grits cook more quickly and absorb liquids differently, giving them a more toothsome texture…

Anatomy of a Cake Pop

When one of my daughters requested cake pops instead of cake for a party recently, I panicked. I’m almost ashamed to say I had never made them before. Frankly, I wasn’t crazy about the ones I had eaten in the past. They were too sweet and overly decorated to the point where you couldn’t taste…

Drying Cowhorn Peppers

So you planted cowhorns this year and now have a plethora of peppers! You’ve used them fresh in salsa and sauces, stuffed and baked them, pickled them and still have a few left over? Dry them on a parchment lined baking sheet at low temperature. I use 185 degrees Fahrenheit on the convection setting and…

Eggland’s Best America’s Best Recipe Contest ~ Hummingbird Streusel Coffee Cake

Eggland’s Best has just opened voting for the Southeast Regional Semi-Finalist recipes, and I am honored to have had my recipe for Hummingbird Streusel Coffee Cake chosen to represent Georgia! The contest closed in 2018 and the recipe is no longer available online, however you can try my newer adapted version of the original recipe…

Carolina Wren In Song

I’ve kept my camera out in the kitchen for a couple of months now, hoping to catch the birds. This little Carolina Wren provided a fleeting moment before he flew away after singing a very short tune; tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle! The shots are courtesy of my Dad’s old Minolta 70-210mm f4 autofocus lens. Adapted to…

Farmer Pancakes ~ Easiest Pancakes Ever!

My son and I have been reading the book “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book is based on her husband, Almonzo’s life growing up on his family farm in upstate New York. Her description of farm, family and community life during the mid 1800s is a wonderful history teaching tool! After reading about…

Avocado Sourdough Biscuits

Avocado Biscuits ~ A Heart Healthy Alternative! Today I’m resurrecting an old post~Avocado Biscuits, that I had removed so I could fiddle with the recipe and see if I could improve the flavor without adding too much sugar or other fats. This recipe is a flavorful dairy free alternative to the standard buttery biscuit. The…

Grind your own Oat Flour

I love oat flour as a tasty, nutritious, fiberful addition to baking. Lately, I have had great difficulty in finding it at my local grocery stores. The only stores that carry it are the natural foods stores, who seem to think their customers will pay an arm and a leg for it. So I started…

Making Homemade Granola

There are so many good brands of packaged granola on the market these days, it’s a no-brainer just to buy it instead of making it from scratch. However, if you have food allergies or loved ones who have them, finding a brand you won’t react to can be difficult. Thankfully, granola is so easy to…

U-biscuit-ous ~ Biscuit Basics

Biscuits are everywhere these days. It doesn’t surprise me as a biscuit lover. What’s not to like? Lightly browned and crunchy on the outside, warm and dreamy on the inside. Easily adaptable, as evidenced by the infinite variations out in foodland today. Including the canned kind. Which, in my opinion, do not qualify as biscuits….

Raspberry Chocolate Jam ~ Simple Gifts

If you’re looking for something simple to share or give as a gift for the holidays, you’ve come to the right place. Simple doesn’t have to mean less and in this Raspberry Chocolate Jam it means so much more! Just a few ingredients and a little time and you will have a gift worth giving…

Chocolate Pan Cake ~ Sprouted Wheat Flour

I have a confession to make…my husband is known to troll the clearance baking rack at our local discount store. He has a serious sugar addiction and I have been trying to bake more sweet stuff at home to prevent his binge buying. But I want to provide something other than just sweetness when baking,…

Oh My ~ Sugar Pie! Sugar Pie Pumpkins

“Sugar pie, honey bunch…you know I love you!” I think the song is definitely fitting here. Even the name of the group who made it famous, The Temptations is fitting here. “I’m tied to your apron strings, and there’s nothing that I can do.” I’m talking about Sugar Pie pumpkins! Powerhouses of nutrition, beacon of…

Applesauce Graham Cake with Pumpkin Spice Cream

Looking for an easy, hearty, dessert to warm up these cool fall days? Try this applesauce graham snack cake. It comes together quickly, and you can dress it up for company with Pumpkin Spice Cream and Apple Cider Caramel! Make your own from scratch applesauce for freshest flavor. Follow the instructions here: A is for…