Category: Blog

Lucky for me I grew up in a family that enjoyed food. My mother was a very good cook and her meals were delicious, and so complete. Our children used to look forward to eating meals at Grandma’s, especially breakfast. Meals never seemed to be made up of a dish to two. There would be…

Coarse salt, fine salt, pink salt, sea salt, salt flakes all make shopping for salt as fussy as shopping for shoes! The latest addition to the salt shelf is salt flakes. These have been around for a long time but usually available only to restaurant chefs. Not any more! Salt flakes are a perfect finish…

Just the other day our son and his fiancé were out in the yard pressing our early apples for juice so they could make some hard cider. We have had this old cider press in our shed for years. We bought it at an auction and have used it a few times at summer’s end…

Husking sweet corn is a pain, pure and simple. The husks come off easily enough but the silk sticks and clings and it seems no matter how picky I am in removing it all, there is still a straggler once it is time to eat the corn or cut it off the cob. The trick…

Everyone knows the myth about throwing salt over your shoulder.What about the truth in throwing salt down on your napkin? Often when eating out and ordering a pre-dinner drink, a cold ice-tea, or  having a brew during a happy hour, a server will bring me a small napkin and my drink glass. I set the…

Have you ever read a label on a mayonnaise jar? I mean have you read beyond the front label claiming to be ‘light”, “fat-free’, or ‘real’ mayonnaise? The ingredient list is long and complicated, and full of ingredients most people will not recognize. The labels made me cringe with bad memories of high school chemistry.…

The bowl of chips sets on the table, calling to you to come over and indulge. You know you shouldn’t start nibbling. You really don’t want to. But what the heck, maybe just one. Then before you know it you have eaten a ton of the chips. You feel gross (even though they were beyond…

  Bananas are high in potassium. You know it. You have heard it. Your mother told you. Low in potassium? Have a banana. Not so fast! First of all, why do you need potassium? Potassium helps to build proteins and also works to break down and use carbohydrates. Potassium builds muscle and helps control the…

  Food adventures are one of my favorite things. Trying new foods, new techniques, new restaurants and new gadgets are all exciting. So why not try alligator!  I was quite surprised when alligator was in my market’s frozen, seafood section. I had to try it. I was just plain curious as to taste and preparation.…

Years ago as a kid we enjoyed bakery items with poppy seeds. Poppy-seed kolatches and poppy-seed cake with custard filling were two unforgettable treats. All made from scratch and made at home.  Once opened poppy seeds were kept in the ‘spice’ cupboard in a mason jar to keep them fresh. I don’t remember how big…