Focaccia
When my kids were little they used to call this “salty bread”. When Abby’s college friends asked for it they called it “Fa-fa-fa” (this was before Focaccia was a “thing” in the US). I’ve been making this for years, from…
Polly’s No-Garlic Garlic Bread
Say what now? No-Garlic Garlic Bread? I guess I could’ve called it Parmesan Onion bread, but there are so many ideas of what Parmesan Onion Bread might be, I don’t think that anyone will have a clear idea of what…
Fresh Corn Soup
This is such a plain and simple recipe, it’s hard to believe such a good tasting soup comes out of it! The ingredient list for this soup is so ordinary that it’s hard to imagine the exceptional taste. Been there,…
Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread
As a young kid, Jiffy brand cornbread was my favorite and because it was cheap—about fifteen cents a box—it fit into my family’s budget. The mix only required one egg and a ¼ cup of milk or water to make…
Sourdough Bread
Recently, I have gotten into making Sourdough bread. I have posted my recipe below. I’m not pro! I probably don’t have the optimal crumb, air pockets, “ear” and what all, but the recipe is reliable and the bread is delicious.…
Ham Bone Bean Soup
Photo by Home & Plate I love Honey Baked ham. Love it, love it, love it! But have you heard the definition of eternity? Two people and a ham! Thank goodness I have a panini press for grilled ham and Swiss sandwiches. Thank goodness…
Pho – Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
Depending on where you live, you may or may not have a proliferation of “Pho” restaurants in your community. If you do have a Pho restaurant nearby, I encourage you to try it out. You’ll be rewarded with a huge bowl of…
Gringo Grandma’s Chili
Gingo Grandma’s chili! That’s me! This is my chili! You’ve probably guessed that this is NOT serious cook-off chili. This is big pot, throw-it-all-together, family friendly, low-budget chili—chili that everyone likes! Chili with ground meat! And beans! Oh, my! A recipe…
French Onion Soup
As a newlywed, and married to a man who owned a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, French Onion Soup was one of the first things I learned how to make well—thank you, Julia Child—and one of the…
Chicken Tortellini Soup
This soup is delicious, hearty, and very, very easy to pull together, so it’s a staple around here. Everyone likes it. You could leave out the chicken, I often do now (I seem to want to eat less meat as…
20-Minute Coconut-Lime Shrimp Bisque
This soup is wonderful, one of my favorites. It can be on the table in less than 20 minutes, if you have all the ingredients, and it tastes d-i-v-i-n-e. My 15 month old grandson slurped up his bowl and then…
Rustic Rosemary Bread
My webmaster’s sister, Jocelyn, gave me this recipe last summer. A no-knead bread, that makes TWO loaves, with VERY little mess—WOWZACOWZA! I added a little sprinkle of salt, cornmeal, and extra rosemary to the crust before baking which, I think,…
Polly’s Seafood Chowder
It was my turn to host book club tonight. The book was Ahab’s Wife, which I knew we had to discuss over a bowl of chowder and a slice of pie. Not having made Seafood Chowder before, I began a…
One Dough-Four Cookies
The actual recipe includes five cookie versions, but four are much easier to make at once: make a double batch of the dough, divide it in half, then add half the quantity of ingredients for each variation to make four…
Peppermint Bark Cookies
Mmmm, the flavors of Christmas! For me they are gingerbread, eggnog and peppermint 🙂 A decade or so ago, Bon Appetit magazine featured this Peppermint Bark Cookie. It’s a shortbread base that’s topped with melted chocolate, crushed candy canes, and…
Fruity Pumpkin Bundt Cake
This bundt cake is moist, pumpkin rich, studded with 2 cups of dried fruit and nuts, with a splash o’ rum, a hearty heap o’ cinnamon and topped with an orange-cinnamon glaze—what’s not to like?! I’ve been making this cake…
Fruity Cream Cheese Danish
It’s hard to explain how easy these are to make, but I might start off by saying that they are not entirely made from scratch—I use puff pastry from the freezer section of my grocery store 😀 If you can…
Bourbon Marinated Steak-Kabobs
Run out of time? Looking for something to BBQ or grill at the very last minute that doesn’t require a lot of esoteric ingredients? Don’t want too much prep, but still want something super yummy and a bit special? I…
Herby Flatbread for the Grill!
We love this! It does take a bit of finesse to cook the flatbread over a fire, and we are not always successful, but it’s a fun project to do while the BBQ’d meat is resting and the coals are…
Blueberry Crumb Bars
For a few years, we subscribed to Raddish, a cooking program for kids. Every month we received a box with three recipes, a kitchen tool, a cooking badge, table topics, and some related educational materials. Each box had a theme:…