Not your typical blackberry cake, this mouthwatering blackberry pound cake is large enough to feed a crowd. Blackberry Pound Cake Today I’m going to be like Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes! Why? Because I’m taking this fabulous ‘Blackberry Pound Cake’ to an unsuspecting recipient and giving it to them!! Oh, I just can’t wait!! Actually, it’s one slice shy of a…
Read More
We have more crabs than Carter’s got pills in our inlet! Ben will just bait the crab traps, toss ’em out from the floating dock, leave them for about 48 hours or more, and when we pull them in, they’re usually loaded with big fat crabs! Throw ’em in a pot with some Old Bay seasoning, fire it up, boil…
Read More
When Ben usually eats something I’ve made, he’ll say, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!’ Well, I’m like Ben on this one~~this is the best bread I’ve every made! Moist, tender, dense, yet light, a heavenly yeasteee aroma cooking and pull apart fluffy and soft! It reminded me totally of my Grandma Cook’s yeast bread and rolls she…
Read More
You’ll need a fork with this ‘pizza’~~it’s gooey and oooey and fat and sassy and full of yummilicious, and only seven, ingredients! Why not speed up the process of fixing a dinner by using a pre-packaged pizza dough~~I mean you get home from work, your draggin’ and tired, there are hungry mouths opening and chirping like baby birds waiting to…
Read More
My heart gravitates to certain cookbooks~~those that are ethnic, those that have a rustic peasant allure to them, those that incorporate non-typical ingredients including spices and herbs, those that take me out of my culinary comfort zone, those that expose me to a global table and those that have gorgeous photography of dishes in traditional cultural settings. Two of my…
Read More
This makes a nice starter for any dinner~~a combination of sauteed veggies, interesting flavors with the red curry and cumin and sweet brown butter~~now, it’s mandatory that you add some hot crusty French (or Italian, or Greek, warm pita…whatever) with it…you might want to serve on the side some drizzling homemade bleu cheese or Gorgonzola vinaigrette~~this colorful, whimsical and boholicious dish is…
Read More
Usually my cheesecakes are rustic and peasant meaning I just dump the ingredients into the mixing bowl, blend, pour into the crust and bake. This ‘Lemon Orange Marmalade Ultimate Cheesecake’ is different~~I took more time with it, like I used a hand mixer and actually let things get fluffy and blended well together, I used several cheeses, which means it’s…
Read More
Who doesn’t like free! I got free dandelion greens, nice succulent fresh tender green ones, while walking with my girlfriend alongside the road a couple of days ago. Brought those critters home~~we both had a mess full we carried and passing cars must have thought we were strange looking with all these greens pressed against our chests as we walked~~and,…
Read More
Seems that many times when I cook for only Ben and me, there’s always just a ‘tad’ leftover of a few things, and when it’s a cucumber and tomato salad and roasted veggies, I just don’t have the heart to toss them out, although there’s not enough there to make a real difference for the next real ‘meal’….soooooooooooooo, this is…
Read More
Unless you’re Southern, you may not realize what a fried green tomato is or why a fried green tomato is so revered. First of all, it’s fried~~think crunch. Second of all, it’s dipped in buttermilk~~think luscious tartness. Third of all, it’s got an al detente-ness that lets you know it’s not reached its peak of ripeness, and that’s why it’s…
Read More
This jelly is not only stunningly green and beautiful, but it’s got a kick that bites back when you bite into it! I made it to use with a leg of lamb roast, but I know it’d be equally as delicious with chicken or pork. All you need is just a tad to create new sensations on your palate as…
Read More
One Saturday morning when Ben, my hubster, came into the kitchen he sat down at the island work table. It looked like a bomb had gone off…the table was laden with everything—cheeses, fruits, breads, greens, butter, meats, veggies. I knew what I was doing, but he didn’t. I’d seen a contest for a grilled cheese sandwich with Wisconsin Cheese and…
Read More
Deviled eggs are always a great snack or side dish for holiday meals. Seems that’s the main time that I think of these petite treats, and they’re usually on my Easter dinner table~~the egg mood time! While the standard recipes for deviled eggs works, finding ways to change them up, add new ingredients, and create more eggilicious delights is part…
Read More
There are just so many ways you can put new twists on your deviled eggs! Since I’ve boiled up a big batch (14 to be exact), I decided to about 3-6 each differently. One batch was done with jalapenos and bacon, so this one got the smokey slant with paprika and a flavor burst of finely chopped green onions. I…
Read More
This would be a ‘Southern’ appetizer created for a girlfriend party! Now why grilled pork chop and mustard green bites? Well, most of my ideas come from ingredients I find the day I’m shopping for them. I like to shop and buy local, seasonal and on sale, so both of these were on special. The thing that clicked when I…
Read More
In America’s South, the equivalent of broccoli rabe leaves is turnip greens. Broccoli rabe is common in Southern Europe and China, and its Italian name is ‘rapini’~~ the flavor of rapini has been described as nutty, bitter, and pungent. Rapini is a source of vitamins including A, C, K, as well as potassium, calcium and iron. Like its other cousin greens,…
Read More
Finding new fooding products to play with is like finding new toys for my cooking! I leisurely hang out in grocery stores spending sometimes hours in the aisles looking at various products. (Each of us has our idiosyncrasies ) My wheels are always turning to have that light bulb go on. Even if there’s no spark at that particular time, my brain…
Read More
I make a lot of what I call, ‘rustic peasant bread’…now these breads are really easy, you’ll find many on my website by just putting in the search box the word ‘bread’! Since it’s all natural, as in no preservatives to make it last until my youngest child graduates from college, it’s usually good for a few days after which,…
Read More
April is ‘National Grilled Cheese Month’ and as it approaches, I am having mixed emotions. Excited to share my fabulous experience as the 2012 Wisconsin Cheese ‘Grilled Cheese Academy’ grand winner, and sad, because, like Miss America, or in my case, Miss Cheese, I’ll relinquish my crown to the next lucky cheese creator. Not that I don’t have another winner up my…
Read More
I’ve been experimenting more and more with different types of flour for baking purposes…some of this is spurred on by the gluten-free movement, some of it’s just because I want to branch out from regular wheat flour and try some of those cute little, albeit expensive for sure, packages of Bob’s Red Mill flours, like tapioca, rice, and others. This…
Read More