Sometimes the best place to start with a cooking or baking project is with the sides or accompaniments. Think about your basic boneless, skinless chicken breasts. On their own, they are really pretty tasteless and, well, dull. However, prepare some great sauce or cook up a vegetable side and add some marinaded and braised chicken…
Using Up those Hard-Cooked Eggs
First there were just boiled eggs dipped in salt and pepper. Then perhaps came the egg salad sandwiches, then the deviled eggs. Now, every time you open the refrigerator, you are still faced with three, four, or even more colored creations staring you in the face. Will the family really accept another night of eggy…
Pinto Bean Cake–Just had to try it!
When I cook dry beans, I generally do a great big batch, since two pounds will take little more time or energy than a cup or two, and the prepared beans are easily frozen. This week, however, I had a ham taking up a lot of freezer space, so some of the pinto beans that…
To Boil an Egg…and Then to Use It
The perfect boiled egg…how hard can that be? Actually, not too hard at all, but it can also be an elusive goal, especially if you want to avoid that gray-green ring around the outside of the yolk or to have the center still runny when you had hoped to make deviled eggs or use the…
Papaya Cake (Frugal?)
For most of us, most of the time, papaya hardly seems like a “frugal” ingredient. However, some time ago, a local grocery had some large papayas at a very good price. Remembering the wonderful fruits I was able to enjoy when visiting my kids in their South Pacific home, I couldn’t resist and bought one….
Quick Chocolate Fix Dessert–Can Be Vegan Too!
Here’s a quick dessert that could be stirred up and baked while finishing the rest of dinner, or even made after drop in guests arrive, ready to be served hot from the oven. It’s a good one for kids to help with, both because it is fun to see how the sauce ends up on…
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies–or Not
A few weeks ago, I used friends and family as pilot testers for some cookies labeled Batch A and Batch B. If they wanted to try one of the chocolate chip cookies being offered, they had to try two, one from each plate…and then they had to give me their feedback. The things you have…
Chocolate, Applesauce, Oatmeal–Great Cookies in the Making!
One of those automated invitations arrived in my email the other day, asking for three dozen cookies for an event this weekend. I was glad to sign up, but I knew that there are lots of really fantastic bakers who will also be providing cookies, so I wanted to try something that might be a…
Special Bruschetta Toppings–Versatile Too
It seems like the Super Bowl is becoming one of those “food holidays” like Thanksgiving, with the focus on all kinds of snacks, many of which are pretty much the antithesis of health foods. Looking at the prices in the stores this week, many of the menu items planned are not necessarily budget friendly either….
Baked Apple Breakfast
The day is cloudy with sleet starting to rattle against the windows. Just the day for warm houses and lovely baking smells. Three of my grandchildren had a sleep over, and I wanted to have a special breakfast for them before church. However, yesterday’s brunch had already featured scrambled eggs, and I wanted to stay…