This one is easy.  Friends were coming for dinner and I was planning to serve a garden salad and scalloped potatoes and ham–yup, even in the summer, potatoes served in this old-fashioned way are just the right kind of comfort food. Even with the salad, however, I thought one more brightly colored food would be…

Years and years, and years, ago, I cut a recipe off the back of a package of Knox Unflavored Gelatine (sic), pasted it to an index card, and have had it as a key recipe ever since. This has always been a favorite of any kids who wander into the house, tasting a lot like…

Many years ago, I became part of an extended family that celebrated almost every birthday, anniversary, new baby, etc, within the large, geographically close-knit clan. That meant at least monthly get togethers, usually in the evening after the many farmers in the group wer through with their chores. There were sometimes sandwiches but most of…

Two years ago I posted a couple of “strata” recipes for possible brunch menus, one savory and one sweet. (You can find that post here:  http://frugalfastfun.blogspot.com/2014/05/sweet-and-savory-stratas.html) Today I was looking for a bread pudding for a dessert that would incorporate apples. Guess what: that sweet strata (very similar to a French toast dish) can be…

Sometimes, “leftovers” can become a wonderful base for a new dish. That is especially true of a really good bread pudding. For the best bread pudding, you need really good bread. Sorry, soft and squishy “WonderBread” types won’t work too well, at least for the bulk of your pudding. No, instead you need some fairly…

All of us have had those times when we have volunteered to bring cookies for a potluck or snacks for some meeting, only to realize the night before the event that we really aren’t in the mood or don’t have the time to bake even the simplest drop cookies. So we shift our thoughts to…

Some of our old family recipes go back to generations of frugal Midwesterners and further to New England roots, but others have even more interesting back stories. The origins of this cake fit in that latter category. Back before food stamps, “commodity foods” were distributed to clients of our county’s Department of Social Services. With…

Over the years, I have compiled a large number of recipe cards, enough to fill four or five long card files like the kind you used to see in libraries. My primary source of recipe inspiration these days is via internet searches, but there are times when it is fun to review the old tried…

Hanging those new calendars, doing some planning and organizing for the year ahead, or maybe just kicking back to enjoy the last of the college football bowl games–all good ways to spend this last holiday vacation day before going back into the routine of work, school, and meetings. This could also be a good opportunity…

Our local Fareway store has an old-fashioned butcher department, with very helpful staff and, I have discovered, ground pork that is both lean and often on sale. Even at its regular price, it is almost always far more reasonable than ground beef here. After I had decided to make cassoulet for guests, I discovered that…