Lasaghetti–or is it Spaghagna?

I had decided on a vegetarian lasagna for dinner before realizing that I had a lot of spaghetti and no lasagna pasta. Never fear. We would just have a hybrid dish that would need some kind of new name. Whatever it would be called, it went together quickly and packed a great nutrition punch. The…

Winter Salad Basics

Occasionally one of the local chains may feature tomatoes even in these winter months at a “bargain” price, and I give into the temptation to buy one to make a nice fresh salad. And almost always, I am disappointed by even the reddest, sweetest looking tomatoes because of the lack of flavor. Over the years…

Another Microwave Meal

There was a time when I would often arrive home from the train well after 7:30, ready to eat without spending much time in the kitchen. Add in inviting friends over to share a late dinner, and I became adept at finding ways to make lots of foods in the microwave. The following recipe proved…

Quick Vegetable Main Dish

This is a recipe I have been using for over a decade. It’s great to make when time is short, using the microwave for the full preparation. The recipe makes two main dish servings, though it could be doubled easily (adding a little more time at each step in the microwave). I have liked it…

Quick Dessert for a Winter Night

The following recipe is a great one to keep available when you need to make a better than average dessert, either for the family or for drop in guests. I have made it with raspberries frozen from my garden, but it should work as well with frozen strawberries or peaches–the plain fruit, not sweetened or…

Apple Butter

Just days before the blizzard hit, I went out to Sekapp Orchard one more time, ready for another couple of bags of “deer apples.” Alas, with December’s very cold weather and their limited storage space, the only bags of these mixed windfalls and smalls had frozen. Still okay for the deer, but no longer good…

A New Christmas Cookie, Along with an Old Standby

Yesterday we started decorating Christmas cookies, even though the weather altered the plans a little. In the middle of a blizzard, only my two youngest grandsons, ages 4 1/2 and 6, along with their parents, were here to enjoy the fun. I had planned to make cookies ahead so that there would only be decorating…

Dinner Almost as Fast as the Pasta Cooks

If you are in a hurry and looking for a vegetarian (actually, vegan) main dish, here is one that has been a family standby for years. Garbanzos and Shells with Spinach 1 T olive or canola oil1 medium onion, finely chopped1 clove garlic, mincedred pepper flakes (optional)2 to 3 t tomato paste15 oz can garbanzo…

Cassoulet for a Crowd

One of the things I enjoy doing on a periodic basis is providing food for a group of medical residents, medical students, and other “miscellaneous” medical staff that meets weekly through the school term for dinner and Bible study together. Earlier this fall, I had the privilege of providing a main dish for the group….

Raspberries Again–This Time in a Salad

After being quite chilly and overcast all day, this evening turned warm enough that a salad seemed enough for dinner, but I had no tomatoes in the house. (That has been the hard part of giving over my garden this year to all the other things in my life. How can it be late summer…