Anytime you are in a group of people who cook eventually someone will ask whether you use fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin. One person will say fresh and another will say canned. Pretty soon you have a canned verses fresh free for all…and if it goes on too long it can get ugly.

So…I decided to check it out. Which is better? Canned or fresh? First of all let’s chat pumpkin. There are numerous kinds of pumpkins. The big jack-o-lanterns are edible but not as flavorful as their smaller cousins, the sugar pumpkin (or pie pumpkin). Within that category there are …read more

You guys know I am such a freaking rebel. I know you do.  I am really frustrated about the blogging rules from the FTC and here’s why.
Does the government really have to control everything we do? Seriously, being micromanaged makes me grumpy.  You know I review things on my blog. I will say, “so…xyz sent me a cookbook for review” …Honestly someday I would like to say “Lowes sent me an entire kitchen for review!” but so far it is a dream that dissipates with the cold light of day.

Because you read my blog, interact with me on twitter, are …read more

O.k…Here is the deal. I love sausage but I do not like all of the additives in it. I don’t have a meat grinder that works real well so I never thought about making my own sausage – at least not until the other day.I was looking through Marc’s Championship Barbecue cookbook  and saw several sausage recipes. I realized that I could use ground pork, or have a pork butt ground at the market and then just season it myself. I changed up the seasonings until I got what I wanted.

This was not too spicy but just spicy enough to …read more

All the way last February I recieved some of Jane’s Seasoning Salt and  Mixed Up Pepper.  From that point on both have more or less been a staple in our house.

I like the added flavor that the salt brings to a variety of foods. We have used it on garlic bread, vegetables, meat…even my homemade hamburger buns.
The pepper is my favorite though. It is a not-too-spicy slightly sweet blend that really adds layers of flavor to almost anything. I am a big pepper fan, and this is great on eggs, beef, just about anything.
You know how you can go somewhere …read more

We like Celestial Seasonings Teas here…just always have. I like that I can add sugar to one of the teas and end up with something the kids think is Koolaide.
I was making pancakes the other morning and I wanted something different for syrup. While I wish I could always serve my family real, organic maple syrup I just can’t. We go through almost a quart of syrup at breakfast and that kind of cash racks up. So, I make homemade syrup using a little organic maple syrup and organic maple flavoring for flavor.
But sometimes I want something a little different. …read more

Coffee chipotle meat rub? Just say WOW! and get it over with — you know you want to.

Seriously, what is not to like about summer…well besides the 107 degree heat? Cooking out is the best! I must admit that Marc likes the gas grill and I miss the taste of good old fashioned charcoal in my burgers but still, there is just something about eating a hamburger that has been cooked out of doors that is amazing.
My dad used to brush hamburgers with a little honey. I can’t seem to replicate that flavor and he never told me how he …read more

But too good not to share it.
Backtrack with me, k?
On Monday last week I got a letter from the VA hospital letting me know that I had a sonogram on my thyroid scheduled on August 6 at 1 o clock. I asked her why, when I thought they had decided to remove it. She was a little snotty, but patiently explained to me that the doctors had ordered it, they knew what they were doing..etc. Did I know more than the doctors, hmmmmm?

Tuesday Marc tried to find out what was going on by talking to a doctor while he was …read more

Having recently gone to pick blueberries I am now in the process of  using them for as many meals as possible. We try to get enough to last an entire year but we may be a little short this year. In any case I could not resist attempting to create a sauce for meat. I had originally been thinking of pork medallions for this sauce because it has some presence.  I had chicken breast so that is what I used but I think that  the pork is the better choice due to the fact that it has more flavor.  I …read more

A wonderful friend of mine asked me the other day to give her a list of items that I felt should be staples on the shelf of someone who wanted to move beyond homestyle cooking. Staples for the adventurous pantry, items that add that little bit of Shazaam to your meals. I gave her a few ideas and then told her  would post the rest.
I am not sure the foodies are genetically different from other people. I have a hunch that it has to do with many things but that eating a variety of foods while you are growing up …read more

Cumin comes in a close second to chipotle on my top ten list of ingredients.  If you are just using cumin in Mexican and Indian main dishes you are really missing out.
Believe it or not cumin is fantabulous with…of all things…vanilla.  And chocolate.  And citrus.

That beautiful golden color is an indication of the flavor because the flavor of cumin is warm, and caressing.  The flavor of cumin is the flavor of a summer day in the country…endlessly long and lazy.
Ground cumin is much more intense that the seed, but getting the seed and grinding your own is the best way …read more