A Fresh Start and Recipe for Low-Fat Blend

With over 100 cookbooks on my shelf, it’s easy for some to go unopened for a while. Our busy schedules keep us from being as creative with our meals as we would like. So the cookbooks languish with disuse and our meals tend to start repeating with ever-increasing frequency. Does this sound familiar, or am I the only food blogger that gets into occasional food ruts?

To avoid a rut, I opened two cookbooks recently that have sat forlornly on my shelf for a while—Great Good Food and Fresh Start, both by Julee Rosso of The Silver Palate fame. Very appropriate considering I’m in another watch-what-I-eat swing. Baby #3 arrives in early September, and I’ll be in my third trimester during the hot summers months. Knowing my luck, it will turn out to be the hottest summer on record! Read more

Layered Bean Dip and a Tribute to Fundraiser Cookbooks

I have a relatively small collection of fundraiser cookbooks. One is from my grandmother’s church, two are from hospital auxiliary groups, two are from elementary schools, two are from overseas women’s groups, and one is from a law firm that donated the proceeds to charity. I would really like to have more fundraiser cookbooks, because these books are treasure troves of all the great regular kinds of foods that people eat. The recipes are contributed by moms and grandmothers—veterans of the kitchen who know what it’s like to try and put a meal together while juggling kids, job, and everything else. So when I go hunting for a recipe, I almost always start with these because there’s a good chance that I’ll find what I’m looking for, or at least something very similar.

Today’s recipe is a good variation on the layered bean dip. It’s called “Walking Tostada” and it’s from the ClearGourmet fundaiser cookbook, submitted by Lana Crist and Elsbeth Simon. This dip is great for parties, poker or Bunco night, or just whenever the mood strikes. Read more

My Top Ten Culinary Flops (So Far)

You know what I’m talking about. We plan like crazy for a nice meal, then something is either forgotten, burned, dropped, broken, or grossly undercooked, and usually at the last minute when you have no time to plan for an alternative. Believe me, I’ve done my fair share! Good thing I’m not a professional chef.

So in honor of my 40th birthday (today), I thought I would have a good laugh while looking back on my worst culinary flops. I’m sure that I have many more flops coming in the years ahead, but here is my top ten list to date. Enjoy, and feel free to share yours!

10. My early attempts at pie crust. It was a horribly painful experience. I couldn’t roll it into a circle, it was too dry, and it was falling apart as I tried to move it into the pan. And when it baked it was tough as nails. I kept trying, but many tears were shed and I swore off making my own pie crust for several years. I trudged the aisles of local grocery stores buying frozen crust. Yuck. Especially when we are talking about frozen crusts that have been shipped to far away, overseas locations. After much cooking therapy, I started making pie crust again a few years ago. And I no longer look upon it with the same dread. Lesson learned: Making pie crust is good therapy in itself, as long as you have an open mind and leave the Type A personality at the door. Read more

« Previous Page