Dogs dictate much of what I accomplish in a day. I can run errands for exactly as long as it takes the smallest canine bladder in my house to reach capacity. I can cook efficiently only if the shepherd/collie mix doesn’t nap in front of a kitchen cabinet or the oven. I can chop onions…
Baked Eggs II
“These dogs have it made,” my husband declared, surveying three shaggy mounds reclining under and around our breakfast table. They could say the same about you, I replied, as I put a prosciutto-lined ramekin of eggs baked with cream on the placemat in front of him. One for B, and one for me. Freshly cut…
Classic Apple Pie
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…
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…
Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cake
I would have missed out on a great cake had I junked this month’s mailer from my electric co-op along with the Blair catalogs and offers from Mutual of Omaha. There’s little in the communiqué on rural electrical matters that interests me, but I’m a sucker for a page of recipes, so I always read…
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Cheesecake might’ve been a more appropriate, if ironic, choice for dessert to enjoy while watching the Miss America pageant on TV last week. Instead, people at my house had warm and delicious flourless chocolate cake. I would have made enough for everyone, contestants included, if that were possible. Those women looked like they hadn’t had…
Skillet Burgers
You do know how much better homemade burgers taste if you wrap them in squares of waxed paper and let them sit for a few minutes before serving, right? Cook the seasoned beef (I like ground bison) patties in a skillet filmed with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Turn to brown both sides. Cover with…
Two-fer: Fig Bruschetta & Fig Bites
Until he gave them up for good a few years ago, my husband loved Fig Newtons with an intensity people usually reserve for their favorite sports teams. I would buy five or six packages at a time and store them on a certain shelf in the pantry, so he’d always have a ready supply. He…
Peach Caprese Salad
Do you have access to two sweet, ripe peaches, grown by a farmer within your area code? Rinse, dry, and quarter them, and then array them like a first grader’s idea of the sun on a plate. Is basil still growing in a pot on your backyard deck? No? Has the sun fried it? Can…
Snapshot: Watermelon Plugs
Did you catch the video making social media rounds recently showing another new way to cut and serve a watermelon? It’s simple and works great. Pictured above is a mini-melon, the perfect size for my small household. Slice it in half on a cutting board. Place one of the halves cut side down. Slice it…
Cookbook Wall 