I'll be beginning a new series on this site called Kitchen Basics. The goal is to teach different basic skills in the kitchen that everyone should know, but perhaps not everyone does. Please let me know if you have any requests. If it's something I'm not familiar with, then we'll all be learning something! Please know that I won't be teaching how to cook fish or ham/pork, as my family doesn't eat either.
Read moreWild Rice Dressing.
As it gets chilly out, I tend to want to cook more. Couple that with the fact that I have a really hard time picking out side dishes for my meals, and you can end up with some very odd dinners. I've begun to keep a dinner diary to log meals, partly to keep me motivated, and partly to have something to look back at when I'm meal planning to see what worked in the past.
Read moreGlorious Morning Muffins.
When my husband and I first moved to Lincoln, we discovered that there is a fabulous farmers market here. (There's actually several, but we didn't know that at the time...) One of the things I looked forward to the most, besides the delicious fresh produce, and the honey, was this one particular muffin sold by a local smoothie shop stand. They called theirs the Morning Glory muffin, and I would purposely avoid eating breakfast so that I could enjoy this muffin that was the size of two normal muffins. Filled with carrots, walnuts, apples, coconut, and raisins, it also tasted healthy, if a bit rich. Here's the problem though. The farmers market ends in October, every year. Yes, I could drive down to the smoothie shop, but I never really want smoothies mid-winter, while I often desperately want these muffins.
Read moreGrenadine Syrup.
Homemade grenadine. Why bother? Surely there's tons of ingredients, its a huge hassle, and who wants to mess with juicing cherries? Here's the thing. Grenadine syrup is NOT cherry syrup. So you can cut that complaint out, no cherries involved. Tons of ingredients? Nope, two. That's it. Huge hassle? Takes about ten minutes total, mostly of just stirring a pot. Simple. Why bother? Because its so good! Trust me, try it, you'll thank me later. :)
Read moreBlueberry Nut Crunch Cake.
I made this recipe twice in one week for two different events, and, while I intended to photograph it, it was gone too quickly. You'll just have to trust me, it looks delicious, and it tastes even better. This is also possibly the easiest cake ever to make. Seriously, I considered having Jonathan make it all by himself. (He could have, but he was 'not in the mood for baking' that day.)
Read moreLemon Poppyseed Shortbread Cookies.
This cookie recipe could possibly be the easiest recipe I've made yet. Three ingredients before the customization, and a short baking time until nearly instant gratification. Also, this are one of the few cookie recipes I know of where the baked cookies tastes better than the dough. The only downside of these is they kind of need to be doctored, hence the lemon poppyseed. Next time I'm going to mix a bit of vanilla and brown sugar and use that in place of the white sugar. Should be great!
Lemon Poppyseed Cookies, from Anyone Can Cook, by Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. flour
3 T. sugar (or a mixture or vanilla and brown sugar, perhaps?)
1/2 c. butter
a generous sprinkling of poppyseeds
1/2 T. lemon peel, or to taste
Directions:
Mix the flour and sugar together, along with the poppyseeds and lemon peel, then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a knife. Roll out the cookies to desired thickness, very thin if you like shortbread crispy, slighly thicker if you prefer it crumbly and slightly moist. Cut in traditional rounds, simple squares, or fun shapes. Bake in a 325°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until bottoms just start to brown. Cool on a wire rack.
This makes slightly under two dozen cookies. Enjoy!
Grilled Zucchini.
Oh how I love summer grilling. Looking back at what I've posted lately, it would seem that I've only been cooking dessert, but that, I assure you, is not the case. We've been breaking out the grill often, which, while making delicious food, it is not usually especially unique and so I've remained silent. But now, now I MUST share this. Zucchini. Have you grilled this? It's not so much a recipe as an idea. Cut the zucchini into long thick planks, don't bother to skin it, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of seasoned salt on top and let the grill do its work. SO GOOD. If you've been hesitant about zucchini in the past, or simply prefer other vegetables to it, I implore you, try this.
Read moreApple Hand Pies.
Happy 4th of July! My family is definitely going low-key this year, hanging out at home and watching what fireworks can be seen from our deck. Nevertheless, there's going to be some delicious 4th of July fare, grilling and such, going on. One thing that always seems to be touted as a perfect 4th of July dessert, beyond the red, white, and blue trifles, is apple pie. I love apple pie, but frankly, in July, especially in this heat wave we've been having, I don't want my oven on that long if I can help it. I had some apples to use up though, and I do really like apple pie, so I decided to see if I could make mini pies that didn't take as long to bake. Success!
Read moreMoloka'i.
Moloka'i, by Alan Brennert
Moloka'i is the life story of a young Hawaiian girl named Rachel Kalama, who contracts leprosy, (later known as Hansen's disease,) at the age of 8. It is a rich tale, at times both grotesque and beautiful. Much of the story takes place on Kalaupapa, the leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Those who are afflicted with leprosy are quarantined there, with no medical aid beyond what the priests and nuns who volunteer there can provide.
This story is based on true events, with some of the characters being based on real people. Some true accounts are woven in, painting a vivid picture of what life was like for those suffering from leprosy at the beginning of the 20th century. Mr. Brennert pulls no punches when discussing the hardships faced, including what leprosy can do to each and every part of the body. For this reason, I can't recommend this book for any but adults, as some content is simply very mature. However, it is so well written that I can't help but recommend to any adult who finds the premise intriguing. I gained a new perspective on the actual historical events woven in throughout the story that I knew of, and learned of many more. Wonderful read.
Games.
Jonathan LOVES to play board games. Up to this point, we've been playing traditional toddler games, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, things like that. This week, after yet another request to play the endless Chutes and Ladders, I decided to try something different.
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