Tonight we had a much delayed corned beef and cabbage dinner, and I wanted to make a dessert that would be a little festive after this rather peasant-y kind of main dish. I ended developing a variation on the Lazy Daisy cake my mother often made for meals such as this; it seemed like the…

What’s in a name? Sometimes, in baking, the shape of the pan in which a recipe is baked will affect what the final product is named. Today’s main recipe is like that. Baked in a springform or other straight-sided round pan, it is likely to be called a torte; in a 7 X 11 pan,…

Cracking an egg seems about as basic as boiling water, but separating yolks from whites can seem a little trickier, especially if you have never been able to watch someone else do this. Since the separation step is probably the hardest part of the Lemon Pudding Cake, here are a few hints to 1. If…

Over the years, one of our family’s favorite comfort foods has been a brownie pudding cake from a very old edition of the basic Betty Crocker cookbook. It’s a good recipe to use when there isn’t an egg in the house. It doesn’t cost a lot, and is fun and easy for kids to help…

I probably should have included a comment in yesterday’s Cabbage Rolls recipe, that it was no typo that there is no salt added anywhere. Then I decided the subject of salt is important enough to have its own entry. An article in the August 1, 2008, Woman’s Day quoted our own Mayo Clinic with these…

Starting this blog has caused me to change a lot of habits! I am far more a “dump and taste” than a “measure everything” cook, which means my usual instructions and amounts are sometimes more than a little hazy! To be sure any recipes I provide are workable for any reader so inclined to make…

Almost the Ides of March and what does that mean for those of us who cook? Cabbage, potatoes, corned beef, and, sometimes onions, are all on sale this week. No matter where I have moved, I have learned to watch for really big cuts on prices for these foods at some of the grocery chains,…

Here it is, less than two weeks from the first day of spring, and the wind chill even in the middle of the day stands at 11 below zero. Meanwhile, the economic news continues to be dismal, and we all try to tighten our belts just a little more. Friends will be coming for lunch…

The February 13-15, 2009, USA Weekend magazine included this list of “10 healthful foods for cents a serving:”• Canned pumpkin• Beets• Spinach• Kiwi• Sweet potatoes• Frozen berries• Canned tuna or salmon• Oranges• Yogurt• Beans No real surprises here, but I wonder how many people reading this brief item might have passed it by. Beets, spinach…

Frugal, Fast, and Fun for Fourteen Friends Take eight children, ages six and under, and add six adults. Stir in a schedule that keeps the hostess away from her home for about 6 hours the day of the meal, bringing her home only an hour before the first guests arrive. Blend well with a lot…