I made pie for me, just me, last Thursday. It was delicious. I ate almost the whole thing, and I am not sorry. Filling made with 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples and 2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, prepared according to the recipe in The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, by the editors at America’s…
Category: Holiday Foods
Snapshot(s): Halloween 2015
Last night’s Halloween was one for the record books. Five hundred ninety-six trick-or-treaters came calling, descending upon our neighborhood in hordes of super heroes, princesses, and pirates. We had just enough candy to go around. After days of endless rain, the weather turned autumnally perfect — crisp and cool, stars speckling the damp night sky…
Sausage Rolls II (In Case You Missed It)
Champagne and hot sausage rolls, a capital way to begin a festive holiday. ♦ ♦ ♦ My mother guffawed when, at 17, I told her I was in the running for an award from the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Teachers did the nominating, and I was happy to be considered….
Cooking with Red and Green
I like to cook with color any time of year, but especially during Christmas holidays. Red and green food is festive and delicious. Have a Christmas cookie! Christmas Shortbread To the shortbread and linzer cookie dough I write about elsewhere in this book, add 3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) finely chopped pistachios and 3/4 cup (4.25…
After the Feast
Thanksgiving is over, and it was good. We started the morning with Pumpkin Scones, served with a little cinnamon butter on the side. These were tender and delicious, and I’ll make them again. (Note for next time: try freezing the unbaked wedges overnight, and adjust the baking time accordingly. Might hold their shape a little…
Halloween 2014 Wrap-Up
Halloween is a Big Deal in my neighborhood. I bought 30 pounds of chocolate candy last week and prayed it would be enough for an expected 350-400 trick-or-treaters. And I prayed harder as temptation caused the chocoholics in my household (in other words, everybody) to dip into the supply again and again. Pretty soon, 27…
Cheesecake with a walnut crust
August 20, 1964 – Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho Today is the 50th anniversary of my third birthday. Birthday cakes are the subject of intense consideration in my family, always homemade unless the cook has a doctor’s note, and always of a type and flavor chosen by the guest of honor. I wear two…
Birthday Cake
I’m a big fan of back-of-the-box recipes, and not just those on food products. My favorite baking pans come wrapped in cardboard sleeves that each feature a recipe using that particular pan, and every one has been a keeper. When Last born said she wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for her recent…
Breakfast Casserole
My breakfast casserole is delicious but not photogenic. So the photos here are of the roses that decorated my brunch table on Sunday, not the entrée. But, if you’ll permit a little indulgent metaphor, the real flowers in the bouquet were the faces around the table. This was a gathering of old friends, too-long absent…
Christmas and the Non-Chocolate Offering
I can’t have been the only person in America balancing a ham on my hip on Christmas Day, reliving a memory. With a little imagination, ignoring the refrigerator chill, an 11-pound smoked ham feels a lot like a bundled baby. I took a few steps between the stove and sink and stove again, fully immersed…
Cookbook Wall 