I loved to cook as a kid.  I remember one particular cookbook that my mom had that featured recipes made with brand name products.  It was at least two inches thick — and I was pretty convinced that each recipe was magic.  Even if the main ingredient was Stove Top Stuffing.  I guess the corporate...

Good risotto is one of those things that is nearly impossible to get at a restaurant.   Certainly, there are places that do it well.  But if I order it, I am usually disappointed nine times out of ten.  It just doesn’t lend itself well to advance prep and requires lots of stirring while cooking....

Whenever we have friends over, I am always lacking in hors d’oeuvres.  I usually get so in over my head with a main dish and a dessert that I am lucky to put some cheese and crackers out.  I’ll blame it on the fact that everyone in my house is a slob.  Including me.  So if I can pull...

In the middle of Pennsylvania, we fight hard for spring. We endure a long winter that only reveals itself in shades of black and white (and sometimes brown) — so when I start to see the mint sprouting up in my backyard, I become a happy person.  Mint is a crazy perennial grower — plant it...

I have hit the point in the year where I am officially out of my summer tomatoes.  And my strawberry jam (which makes everyone very unhappy).  I never freeze enough because I am always limited to my meager amount of freezer space.  So I have to either learn to can or buy a deep freeze — both...

A farmer at our local market had “Sunday Dinner Chickens” the other day, so I bought one.  Of course, I fell right in line and cooked it on Sunday — because that’s what the marketing told me to do.  It was delicious and left us with a whole lot of leftover meat (he promised...

One afternoon last week, I was putting something away in my baking cabinet and I spied a bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans that I had forgotten about.  The evil wheels in my brain started turning and I instantly thought about cookies.  And given the caffeinated nature of espresso beans (have...

My mom grew up in a very small town in Northern Pennsylvania.  And apparently there was this guy named Rueben who was responsible for all the chicken grilling at local events.  His famous marinade has graced our family’s chicken for as long as I can remember.  I remember tasting it before my...

Our spring this year has been very dreary.  And cold.  And cloudy.  Actually that is pretty typical, I think.  We get one sunny day and I am nearly manic — excited to exercise and clean and parent with limitless energy.  But then we have to endure at least three cloudy and cold days because...

This morning brought rain, cold, and being housebound because we have some major construction occurring on our house.  No sense explaining it, but suffice it to say that I wanted to be nearby as our entire  chimney was being rebuilt.  When I looked at the clock and it said 10:18 (that’s not...