Cooking Articles

Ginger and Its Roots

Nostradamus made a magic love potion from it. �Confucius professed to have never eaten a meal without it. �The Irish concocted a rich, dark ale marked by its flavor. �Ginger has been a cherished spice...

The Fruits of Your Slow Cooker's Labor

Usually you pull out the slow cooker to make a savory dish. But have you ever thought of the possibilities when it comes to slow cooking with fruit? There are all kinds of sweet sauces, compotes, jellies,...

It's Easy Being Green

With the recent celebration of Earth Day, being more environmentally conscious is on more than a few people’s minds. Maybe your kids had a special activity at school and are bringing home new ideas...

Mother's Day Brunch

Like many others, my annual Mother's Day tradition is to get together with my siblings and serve my mom breakfast in bed. Each year we make a plan to visit her and have a relaxing brunch where we can...

The King of Fish

When a man is courting a girl, some bring gifts of flowers, others bring jewelry, and still others sweep them away on romantic vacations. If you were my boyfriend in our early dating days, then you knew...

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

As the mother of two boys, and being married to an avid sports fan, I know our summers are likely to be filled with the All-American sport of baseball. Now I cannot profess to knowing every statistic...

To Stimulate Your Kitchen Economy, Make the Most of Your Meat

There is no question that these are uncertain economic times. And there is no category where that is more evident than in the price of things we need every day like gas, diapers, and food. Rationing...

Jenny's Caesar Salad

It all started with a book of 50 salads. And at the dentist’s office, no less. My daughter had been perusing the book while waiting for me to finish. And after a winning no-cavity visit, who could...

Mexican Slow Cooker Night

Quick: What’s your favorite Mexican food? Salsa, enchiladas, burritos, nachos …? Taco Bell? (Sorry, couldn’t resist). Mexican food has become so popular that it’s not difficult to find a Mexican...

Aprons, Times Two

Sometimes it’s the simple things that make the most impact. Take the aprons that I ordered with a gift card recently. Now, mind you, I’ve never worn an apron to cook, much less gotten coordinating...

Cooking By Hand In A Modern Kitchen

There was a death in my life this week, something so tragic that I have been left feeling rather… impotent. Okay, this death was not a living thing, per se, but such a part of my life that without it,...

Apricot Bread (Who Would Have Guessed?)

Recently, I was in a small grocery store, picking up a few items, when suddenly a craving hit me. All I wanted was dried fruit, dried fruit of any kind. I would have accepted pretty much anything at that...

To Take the Scary Out of Fish, Steam

When new friends find out I am a cook, questions inevitably follow. “My chicken never gets crispy and always dries out. What am I doing wrong?” “I have pork tenderloin I got on special from the...

It's All in the Kraut

Summer is so close I can taste it. If I didn't know differently, I would never have guessed from the 90 degree temperatures while I was in Sacramento this week that Northern California had experienced...

Shoo Fly, Shoo: A Different Kind of Pie

Now where in the world would you find a pie named after a fly? Home to multitudes of the plain sect and Amish, our home county is privy to some unusually good baked treats, one of which is Shoofly Pie....

On the Cheap: Red Beans and Rice

Shortly after I returned from an expensive two-week research trip I realized I had yet to do my taxes. To my surprise I owed the federal government a hefty sum, and this was because I did a little moonlighting...