If you were to choose your career all over again, what would you be? I love what I do, but I could have been very happy as a scientist. Given my love of experimenting in the kitchen, a career in the lab would have suited me well. Though it’s not exactly research for a new…
An authentic recipe from a German friend, a steam pot is one of the easiest, most flexible dinners – and the special sauce bumps it up an extra level! What, you may ask, is a steam pot? I first learned about this rustic yet satisfying meal through Marga, a former neighbor and self-described war-child…
Thanks to the easy horseradish sauce and crisp topping, even those who don’t love cooked carrots have gone back for seconds of this colorful dish. Recently, I conducted an informal poll, asking a dozen or so people what comes to mind when they think of carrots. Bunnies and celery were often mentioned, but so…
On occasion in this space, I have mentioned the inspiration for The Fountain Avenue Kitchen–my maternal grandmother, Gladys Langford. Amazing aromas continuously wafted from her narrow kitchen, but it was her spunk and zest for life that made people want to sit down in that cozy space and stay a while. Day in and day…
Last fall, a friend mentioned that when she uses part of a can of pumpkin, the leftover portion always seems to go bad before she gets a chance to finish it. To avoid this problem, feel free to click on the link to my Pumpkin Roundup, below. But also consider giving the following recipe a…
Make crisp, tangy pickles just like your grandmother used to make them with these step-by-step instructions for naturally fermented pickles. It’s a truly simple process and you can taste and adjust as you go. What is the difference between pickling and fermentation? Pickling involves soaking food in an acidic liquid – usually vinegar-based –…
A delicious addition to a holiday table and anytime ham is served, this quick and easy recipe may be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch casserole. Can Easter really be less than a week away? After a weekend of delightful weather-so welcome after the long, cold, snowy winter-it’s actually starting to feel a bit…
Four basic ingredients are all that’s needed for single-serve, protein-rich muffins that can be customized to taste…and they take just minutes to make! When preparing a bowl of stovetop oatmeal or one of my many baked oatmeal recipes, I use regular or steel cut oats. So when I was challenged a while back to…
A small amount of maple syrup is the key to a wholesome applesauce that allows the natural sweetness and flavor of the apples to truly shine. My grandmother was always known for her amazing applesauce. She used transparent or “early” apples–the ones that appear in farmers markets here in mid-July. Their appearance never fails…
By now, my love of baked oatmeal has been well established. Truth be told, I hold back some of my variations because I don’t want to over-oatmeal people. I think the time has come, however, to release another! My sister-in-law, Melissa, is to thank for this delicious creation. She is a nurse who leaves…
A while back, I picked up a good tidbit of information from a stand owner at our local farmer’s market: Rhubarb season lasts through the longest day of the year–the first day of summer. Same for asparagus. I find this helpful as the early days of summer approach. It is a reminder to get my…