Pizza is a family tradition at our house.   We’re particular about our toppings and crust, and harsh in our judgments about the not-quite-freshly-made pizzas sold at certain well-known chain restaurants.  Even though none of us have so much as a drop of Italian blood in our veins, we’re all pretty sure we know the secret
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Sometimes when the kitchen’s hot, and the stove is dead, and the cat nibbled on the pork shoulder roast that was thawing . . . and the houseguests still expect to be fed . . . well, there are choices.  Eat out or improvise? When you live in the middle of nowhere, it’s usually easier to improvise.   First, I
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On hot summer days when you don’t feel much like cooking, a quick vegetable stir-fry can get you in and out of the kitchen in a hurry.  The food’s fresh, filling, and not too heavy.  I particularly like this recipe for front porch cooking on days when I don’t want to heat up the kitchen.
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If you like crepes, you’ll love this old family recipe for German Pancakes.   I first learned to make these as a young bride, taught by my mother-in-law, whose ancestry traces back several generations to a royal baker for the ruling house of Bavaria — back when there was a ruling house of Bavaria.  Whether this recipe’s roots
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Rich, beefy smothered steak is comfort food, with a long simmering time.   It’s Friday food here at the farm, as long as there’s round steak in the freezer, although we’ll make an exception and serve to guests on other days if the guests are special enough. Warning!  This is not a low calorie, diet friendly dish. Usually
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Summer blackberries are still ripening, and somebody here at the farm believes blackberry cobbler has been neglected in favor of my peach obsession. We’ll have to rectify that terrible situation. I use the same cobbler recipe as for Grandma’s Peach Cobbler, except blackberry cobbler needs a little more sugar. Aside from that, the recipe and
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For close to 20 years, my grandmother’s fruit cobbler recipe has rested on my kitchen shelf between the pages of an old cookbook that also belonged to Grandma.   It’s the simplest of recipes, easy to remember, easy to make, and easy to adapt to whatever fruit is available. Grandma’s handwritten Peach Cobbler recipe calls for a can
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My favorite snow pea recipe isn’t much of a recipe.  I like them best fresh picked while I’m standing in the middle of the garden. I like them steamed, too, and in stir-fry dishes.  My favorite recipe, though, is Snow Peas with Caramelized Onions. It’s a flexible recipe, more of a general way of cooking
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Sometimes when I’ve had a tough day, my daughter makes me a Rich Crusty Apple Pie to cheer me up. Pie makes most things better. If it’s been a really, really, REALLY tough day, she makes Dark Chocolate Volcano Cakes.   Sinfully rich, not too sweet, with a soft goey center, they’re incredibly delectable served warm
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Yesterday might have been my last morel hunt of the season — or more precisely, the last productive one.  I found some, though all but two were so far past their prime that I left them out in the woods.  In my youth, when my vision was sharper, and I was agile enough to bend
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