Category: Summer Favorites

Have you ever noticed how much shelf space at your grocery store is dedicated to pickles?  The jars go on and on, row after row. Up, down, right, left. That’s because pickles are a favorite of so many people.  Infact, where I live there is a little pub/restaurant to the north called ‘Pickles’. How clever!…

Have you ever noticed how much shelf space at your grocery store is dedicated to pickles?  The jars go on and on, row after row. Up, down, right, left. That’s because pickles are a favorite of so many people.  Infact, where I live there is a little pub/restaurant to the north called ‘Pickles’. How clever!…

It’s blueberry season and the luscious fruit is showcased in so many different ways. My blueberry coffee cake is a nice change from so many coffee cakes that taste similar to a giant muffin. This coffee cake is filled with fruit and the blueberry flavor goes right to the bottom. The base of the coffee…

Making a salad for any meal for me is a favorite. Okay, maybe not for breakfast!  I like salads that are refreshing, a bit crunchy, and filling. Salads don’t have to be loaded down with high-calorie dressings and sodium to be good. This salad fits all my requirements. The dressing has no mayonnaise or sour…

Pasta dishes are just about my favorite go-to-meal. I love the pasta, the sauces, and the combinations. The other day I was picking some of my late peas. Usually I sauté the pods and eat them just like that. I had waited a few days too many to check my peas and some pods were…

Summer fruits are fresh and luscious. I love fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and peaches. So here is a bar recipe that puts a bit of fresh fruit to a good purpose. If you don’t have your own fresh fruit, it will be plentiful at your grocery store or farmers market. Use any fresh fruit that…

Creating and blending my own spice rubs is something I love to do. I know what is and isn’t in them. Home-made rubs are less expensive than those you purchase ready-made. Best of all, I can control the sodium or eliminate it all together. You would be amazed at how much salt is in most…

Raspberry pie is just plain delicious. Seriously, I cannot even begin to describe it well-enough. It has to be my most favorite dessert ever. The raspberries are a bit tart, but just sweet enough. I never add whipped cream or ice cream to my piece of pie. OK, pieces of pie is more accurate. This…

My mother canned so much food for our family. As a little girl I remember the glass jars of dilled yellow-wax beans, as we always called them, lining the shelf of our basement fruit cellar. The beans were crispy and delicious, and always a treat. One time when about 8-years old my neighborhood friend and…

Cold pasta salads are always the rave in summer. They are good, and sometimes even scrumptious. But let’s get serious for a minute. Anything would be delectable if you poured on a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing, refined sugars, lots of bacon and hard-boiled eggs. They would even be yummy if you slathered on a bottle of…