This recipe for Smoked Pork Steaks came about somewhat accidentally when my plans for dinner one night went awry. Here’s the story: Menu planning for the week doesn’t work for me. It’s not my style. …
Enchilada Sauce
It can be fun to go to a garage sale because you never know what you’re going to find. When you host your own garage sale, you know what you’re going to sell, so there’s …
Twice Baked Potatoes
Spanish explorers sailed to the New World in search of great riches, especially gold. While much gold was found, but not as much as they wished, something else of great importance was found and transported …
Peanut Butter Cake
My dad’s birthday was in March. When I was really young, my mom would often make him a peanut butter cake. Just for fun, one year she put a big red, twisted taper candle right …
Fudge Brownies
One of my favorite forms of chocolate is a fudgy brownie. And here’s a funny story. My mom taught me to make cookies from “scratch”, which means gathering ingredients from the refrigerator and cupboards to …
Chicken and Dumplings
I remember my mom making chicken and dumplings while I was growing up. What fun it was to have a big dumpling in your soup bowl! But turning up as cook in the kitchen, I …
Chocolate Cream Pie
Whenever I think “Chocolate Cream Pie”, there’s an echo that goes off in my head: “Chocolate Cream Pie, Chocolate DREAM Pie”. Truly, that’s how I feel about this nothing other than delicious dessert. It’s a …
Cornbread Dressing
Everyone has their favorite holiday dish. The dressing has always been a favorite of mine. My mother made dressing from bread cubes. And my first experience with cornbread dressing had been at someone else’s house. …
Spiced Cider
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love changing decorations around the home to reflect the season that embrace us with a warm welcome as the crisp, chilly air sends us …
Roasted Root Vegetables
My grandma was born in Tomah, Wisconsin. I inherited her mother’s cookbook, The Tomah Cook Book, second edition, 1914. Under Vegetables, it says, “We now come to the root of matters.” Cute. Then it goes …
Polynesian SpareRibs
My mother came away with a variation of this recipe from her high school home economics class. It was one of my favorites, even a birthday request. Making this recipe for my family has brought …
Marshmallows
I love working in the kitchen, and I’ve passed that interest on to my kids. At young ages they worked beside me, perched on a kitchen chair. Gradually they learn to cook on their own…complete …