I think that the manna that the Israelites had in those 40 years of wandering in the desert was none other than pasta. I can’t prove it biblically but think about it. Is there any other bread-like substance that you can eat every day and never tire of it?
See?

This is one of those “Dear Lord what am I cooking tonight?” dishes. The refrigerator was skimpy and so was the pantry. I used to have a regular day for everything…Grocery shop on Monday,clean on Tuesday and Wednesday, day off on Thursday, paperwork and scheduling on Friday…
Please note the words “used to”.

I love making homemade candy. It is really easy if you have a candy thermometer and it is a great way to make people’s eyes light up. Candy making is one of those old fashioned skills that has gone the way of making your own butter, bread and cheese. Hopefully it will make a comeback!

I think it is a fun thing to make because it is so completely unnecessary. Cookies, cakes, breads, dessert, and the like are all fillers. You can say, “Yeah, I made these brownies to help fill the kids up”. With candy? Not a chance. Everyone knows …read more

Browned butter is a wonderful ingredient. It was used a lot in vintage recipes because it gives a lot of flavor easily. In these cupcakes the butter adds a rich, nutty, caramel flavor that pairs nicely with the very sweet penuche frosting.  Although the frosting has coconut and pecans it is more like pralines than the traditional frosting for German Chocolate cake.

The frosting is very thick and has a creamy fudge-like consistency. It is best just to spoon a dollop on the top rather than trying to spread it. You wouldn’t believe how amazing the house smells while these are …read more

This is my entry for this weeks Presto Pasta night hosted by Haalo of  Cook Almost Anything.
One of my favorite things to experiment with is pesto.  It is just so darn good!  I like to grow different kinds of basil because each one adds a different complexity to the pesto.
Then I started experimenting with different herbs as the basic ingredients.  I found that one of my favorite spins on fresh pesto is to make it with cilantro and pecans.
Welcome to Texas.

I am loving the after Christmas clearances at the grocery stores.  I don’t know how it is where you are but apparently people around here did not bake, cook, or buy as much as usual because there are a ton of things clearanced.

Image: “Mostly Martha”
O.k..catchy title, huh? I was relaxing this evening after a long day at the VA with Marc…(o.k..it wasn’t so bad, he had alot of long tests and stuff and I read almost a whole book for FUN…) and I was relaxing and surfing..and I came across this article from Men’s Health. No, I don;t usually read Men’s Health but I was intrigued. The premise was that a man could seduce a woman with a fancy meal. I believe that baby spinach salad with goat cheese and toasted pistachios was mentioned.
Maybe …read more

Cinnamon rolls are the ultimate breakfast treat for me. The way they smell when they are baking, the wayt he icing melts onto the warm, fragrant roll, the combination of sweet/tender/warm/spicy/ gooey when you bite into it…gets me every time. I made them for breakfast this morning…not that big of a deal because in the heat we are having they rise really fast!!

There is no real trick to making them. You want the dough to be softer, and I don’t punch it down after the first rising. I just roll it out gently..it seems to make for …read more

More blueberries? Yeah. I had just about 3/4 cup left after last night’s blueberry extravaganza and I knew that one of the kids would sneakily find them in the freezer and the next time I looked there would be one lone blueberry in the bottom left hand corner of the bag. Yep, better to dispense with the frustration.

1 1/2 c flour
1 c bran
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c oil or melted butter
1 egg
3/4 c buttermilk
1 c blueberries
1/2 c chopped pecans
confectioners sugar for dusting
Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in blueberries and pecans so …read more

These are really rich with a crumbly shortbread crust and a smooth praline filling with just enough coconut and pecans to add interest. They don’t take long to make and the results are spectacular. For the base: 1/2 c butter softened 1/3 c sugar 1 egg 1 1/4 c flour pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and ebat to blend. Add flour, salt and vanilla and mix into a smooth dough (will be sticky.) Press into the bottom of a 13″x 9″ pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Filling: …read more

 
I love the challenges set forth on the different blogs. Challenges..well..challenge me! I find I am challenged to try new things and to stretch in my cooking skills..to think outside the box. This weekend was no exception.
  You can find the information at
foodie chickie
and the deadline is tomorrow so if you are really quick you can enter it!
  The subject was cornmeal. How mediocre, how boring..how challenging and intriguing! I collect vintage and antique cookbooks so I was determined to find something there.
In the pages of my 1940’s copy of Ida Baily Allen’s Money Saving Cookbook-Cooking For Vicory I found …read more