Category: Blog

Often a quick lunch, whether on your plate or in your brown bag, includes a sandwich which usually means lunchmeat for many people.  Lunchmeat hasn’t made its way into my grocery cart for years. Not since I became aware of harmful antibiotics and nitrates in many processed meats, along with tons of sodium and unhealthy…

Nothing rounds out a bowl of soup, a plate of pasta, or just about anything like a piece of grilled bread. Slathered (is that a word?) with butter it just has to be good. But sadly, yes you know it’s coming: not good for you.  Here’s my trick for great crusty, flavorful grilled bread with…

Chew your food!  Goodness, I heard Chew your food! Goodness I heard that often enough as a child. As a mother I am sure I said it even more times, and as a kindergarten teacher I am still saying it. It makes sense. Health sense and weight management sense. Studies have shown the slower you…

For some reason I just love having chickens. My dad had chickens as a matter of neccessity when young and I like to think I inheirited my fondness for anything chicken from him.  Chickens have been on our acreage for the past 26 years.  As I calculate that number, and recalculate, and recalculate it over…

  Not long ago I shared adding cocoa in tomato-based chili.  Many have found it to be delicious, and several have been curious how it came to be.  Cocoa in my chili was an accident.  I wish I could say my culinary adventuresome spirit, or spice knowledge was responsible.  Sorry, no.  It was purely an…

You plant your tomatoes.  You nurse them along.  You imagine all the wonderful things you will make with fresh, red, garden tomatoes.  The very thought makes your mouth water.  Sure enough, eventually your tomatoes ripen and ripen and ripen. Soon tomatoes are present at nearly every meal and take up counter space, sill space, refrigerator…

Broccoli is easy to find in any season just about everywhere.  Fresh from the garden or the farmer’s market is always my first choice, it’s the best. Most grocery stores have ‘fresh’ broccoli in the produce section year round.  Frozen broccoli is a convenient alternative when fresh isn’t available. Broccoli can be eaten raw, sauteed,…

Chili is a favorite soup for countless people.  I think  there are as many varities of chili as there are people who like it.  A delicious secret to any tomato-based chili is baking cocoa.  Yes.  You did read that correctly: baking cocoa.  I discovered this totally by accident but cocoa in my chile is now…

Love, love, love fall.  I have been thinking about this and don’t quite know why fall is my favorite season.  Maybe all the colors, maybe knowing Thanksgiving, the best holiday of all, is on the way, or maybe it’s the food associated with fall.  I think it is a bit of all of those, but…

Making pasta is something I absolutely love doing.  It is relaxing and satisfying. Making my own noodles of every type, my own ravioli, whatever is heaven.  I like using fresh eggs from my hens and good flour.  I don’t worry about what is in my flour, or where my eggs have been. Little did I…