Much of what I do in the kitchen depends on seasonal produce or what has been on sale lately. Recently, there were some really good sales on store brand peanut butter and bananas, so of course, I stocked up on both.  While the peanut butter has a nice long shelf life, the bananas have been…

In my continuing quest to find uses for lentils, I couldn’t miss out on a curried main dish. This one is especially fast if you have the lentils pre-cooked. Just chop some vegetables and saute long enough to get them cooked through while you are getting the table set and putting a little fruit together…

As much as possible, I try to post only “original” recipes here, those dishes that I have created from scratch or have changed significantly enough to call them my own. Today, I am bringing you a recipe so simple you can find hundreds of copies in any basic web search. I think I have even…

Cookbooks from a century or so ago usually included “icebox cookies” in their desserts section. These were generally quite rich cookies that could be stirred up in the evening, formed into a roll, and chilled until the next day–probably when the woodstove was being heated up to bake the day’s bread as well. Today of…

When cleaning out my refrigerator recently, I discovered four partially finished jars of homemade jam. There were two jars of cherry jam, one of my own, just barely started, and another with just a little of my daughter-in-law’s incredible spicy recipe–just enough for a breakfast of homemade toast with a peanut butter and jam topping….

According to T.S. Eliot, “April is the cruelest month,” and this year that seemed to ring true, weather-wise. But now in May, the grass is bright green, the birds are singing, and it is time to lighten up our menus at least a little. For me, spring is the time to bring out some lemon…

Some time ago, I saw “whole grain” rye flour at a local grocery store and thought it might be fun to try my hand at rye bread. I have used rye flour in some multi-grain batches, but the flavor never really came through. Maybe this heartier version would be more like the rye bread I…

If you have ever read any of my posts here, you know that I am a) definitely not a professional food photographer and b) I am not “monetizing” the blog with any kind of promotion, either of ingredients or equipment. What I do like to do with my little essays is present some recipes I’ve…

Perhaps we are far enough away from the pumpkin spice madness to try one more pumpkin recipe. This could be helpful if you still have a little pumpkin–canned or homemade–left from all that holiday baking. These also make good take alongs for any New Year’s Eve party you may be invited to. Not quite so…

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I stopped at my favorite orchard to pick up another bushel of apples for the apple-butter-making party we’d be having later in the week. While there, I thought I’d pick up another pumpkin or two, for a few cakes and other things. Unfortunately, that very morning they had decided to compost…