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…

The day after the Super Bowl, I stopped in at my local Fareway and discovered they were clearing out some beautiful avocados for 25 cents each. (They also had big bunches of cilantro at 3 for $1 along with their usual good specials.) Unable to pass up such a bargain, I brought home 12 large…

Many years ago our family put together a cookbook of some of our favorite recipes. Included in the Breads section was one for Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins my sister Linda had gotten from a neighbor. She noted that this had long been a family favorite. It was several years before I got around to trying…

For some of us who prefer savory over sweet, many morning coffee gatherings don’t provide a lot of options. So when I was called on to bring a treat for one of these occasions this week, I decided to make these quick little bites to go with some apple slices and a quick bread. With…

This post shows the versatility of many batters. It started out as just a muffin recipe, one that has been sitting in my draft folder for months. I’ve made these muffins several times, but this week, with the first of the fall crop of raspberries just really getting up to speed, I was looking for…