Roasted lamb has been an Easter tradition in our household for many years. After the Easter holiday, lamb usually goes on sale at the grocery store. It's a good opportunity to buy it then, put in in the freezer and use it later. When we roast a leg of lamb, we take it out of... Continue Reading →
CRANBERRY-APPLE SAUCE FROM SCRATCH
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." And it's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas in many kitchens across the country as well! At this time of year cranberries begin to go on sale at discounted prices, apples from the fall harvests are needing to be used up, and so this Cranberry-Apple Sauce... Continue Reading →
Making Popcorn the Old-Fashioned Way
Perhaps the header picture is a bit deceiving: we are not using a campfire to cook the popcorn this evening, we are using a gas stove indoors. However, the principles of making the popcorn are the same. We stopped using microwave popcorn several years ago, and now only cook it over the fire as my... Continue Reading →
Homemade Cream of Mushroom/Chicken/Celery Soup
With the prices going up on groceries, cans of cream of mushroom [or chicken, celery, etc], are flying off the shelves at two and sometimes three times the price you'd pay for them only 6 months ago. It's a tragedy. Many comfort-food recipes may call for up to 4 cans of the stuff, and if... Continue Reading →
Dehydrated Lemon-Pepper Zucchini Chips
I'm not new to dehydrating. But I am new to this new commercial dehydrator we recently purchased. I am used to using really old, round, vertically stacked dehydrators without the ability to control the temperature. I had to constantly watch it to make sure the contents on the bottom rack didn't burn, rotating the trays... Continue Reading →
Pressure Canning Corned Beef
Corned Beef is a staple around our household. The prices have gone up and up in recent years, but they still go on sale around St Patrick's Day every year. This year we took a "quick run" to the grocery store the weekend before, just to grab a few things. (Yeah, right!) We were not... Continue Reading →
Delectable Beef Stroganoff
I haven't met anyone yet, who doesn't like beef stroganoff. Because of the rich creamy base, I always thought it was exclusively a French classic, but the name "stroganoff" didn't sound French. I was curious about the history of this dish and found a well-written, concise article about stroganoff's history. You can find the article... Continue Reading →
Old Fashioned Fish Stock
It seems like autumn is the season when preserving the harvest from land and sea is at full swing! Kitchens across the world at at their busiest, and ours is no exception. We are in the mountains and landlocked (not near an ocean), however, we were blessed with a huge donated load of wild caught... Continue Reading →
Old-Fashioned, Simple Pot Roast
One of the easiest dinners to make is a simple pot roast! Every Sunday my mother would put a roast in the slow cooker, early in the morning, and get it to cooking. We would wake up to the comforting aroma, get ready for church, go to church, come home and...dig in. We couldn't wait!... Continue Reading →
Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes: my mother's favorite go-to recipe for get-togethers. Whenever she was involved in a ladies' gathering or church functions, many asked for these cupcakes. For years, she refused to share the recipe with anyone. They were "her special secret." My beautiful mother passed away a couple months ago after a short battle... Continue Reading →