Feeling Nostalgic

I like trying new recipes, but there are times when I crave a dish from my past.  The trigger to making Bacon and Tomato Soup was seeing large, luscious-looking tomatoes at the grocery store.  They reminded me of my childhood, when a tomato tasted like a tomato.  I bought some and sliced them up as a side dish.  They were so good that Bart and I ate them all in one sitting.

Two Recipes for the Same Dish Equals Confusion

I recently cut out a recipe from a local newspaper for Ricotta Stuffed Shells.  I’d never cooked giant shells before and thought it would be the perfect dish to serve to some vegetarian friends.  I added the ingredients to my grocery list and headed out to the store, where among other items I bought a box of giant shells.

Back home in my kitchen I noticed a Ricotta Stuffed Shells recipe on the box.

Sage: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

I always think of sage as a spice that belongs in Thanksgiving stuffing.  I used it years ago, back in the days when I didn’t know much about any spice other than garlic.  I may well have just dumped a couple tablespoons of dried sage into the stuffing and didn’t mix it well.  In fact, I’d probably had that bottle of sage for years.

If Eating Out, Do You Prefer a Restaurant or a Friend’s Kitchen?

Sometimes eating at a friend’s home is so much better than going to a restaurant.  My friend Dorothy is a whiz in the kitchen.  No matter what she serves, it is guaranteed to be better than anything ordered at a restaurant.  Try her Shish Kebab recipe and see for yourself. 

Mom Cooking Tip 171

Do you cry when you're slicing onions?  When I start tearing up, my method used to be walking away from the cutting board until my eyes stopped bothering me.  Now thanks to some good advice from my sister-in-law Sue, I simply drop slices of onion in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.  When I remove them, they no longer have the power to bring tears to my eyes.

                                                     See all my Cooking Tips!

Don’t Cook for 10 When You Are Feeding 2

I’m a big fan of roast pork, but I don’t like it enough to eat it 5 days running.  I have gone that route several times, and each time I decide No More.

When Making Cookies...

Making cookies seem so simple, but if you're not paying attention, things can go wrong.  So here is a cheat sheet to help keep your mind in the game.

When Monday Night Dinners Were Special

Growing up, I always looked forward to Monday night dinner.  My father was off at his Kiwanis Club meeting, and my mother almost always made spaghetti.  “Made” was a flexible word in her vocabulary.  In this case it meant using the can opener to get access to Chef Boyardee’s fully cooked spaghetti in tomato sauce. She plopped it into  a pot, heated it up and served it in bowls.  My brother and I were in heaven.