Spring Recipes
Pasta with Escarole, Sausage, and Beans
The classic Tuscan pairing of beans and greens meets sausage and pasta for nourishing comfort food the whole family will enjoy. If I told you that eight ounces of pasta could generously feed four adults and up to six depending on appetite, you may be skeptical. The following recipe, however, accomplishes that in a most…
Pork & Sauerkraut (with lots of options)
Get ready for a New Year filled with luck and good health with this traditional dish, which can be customized in several ways to keep everyone happy! (slow cooker and oven method) There seems to be two distinct camps where pork and sauerkraut is concerned: those who love it and those who…well…tolerate it. Growing…
Mother’s Day Menus
Planning a meal to celebrate the special moms in your life but need a little inspiration? From breakfast in bed to brunch and dinner, the following recipes are sure to delight with minimal effort. Helpful menus pairings are included. We hope for the best on Mother’s Day, but the age-old joke often involves…
From the Recipe Box: Edition 2!
In this recurring series, I dig into my decades-old recipe box (I guess I should say boxes!) and share three tried-and-true recipes, which after over a dozen years, STILL haven’t made it to the blog. A little different than my usual posts, this is more like an old-fashioned recipe swap. (Feel free to rifle through…
A Few of Our Favorite Things – Spring Has Sprung!
Spring flowers are blooming, the days are growing longer, and we are itching to get back outside. Following are a few of our favorite things as we welcome the new season! When the weather becomes mild again, so many of us anticipate a return to our favorite outdoor activities and celebrating the holidays of…
7-Minute Salted Caramel Sauce
With just five basic ingredients, foolproof caramel sauce is easy to make and is perfect for last minute desserts and holiday gifts. Delicious in coffee too! You’re entertaining and dinner alone feels like a sufficient task. Or maybe you need a last-minute hostess or teacher gift. Or perhaps you’d like to elevate your cup of…
A Few of Our Favorite Things – Spring Garden Edition
April ☔️ bring May 💐, and we are ready for them! To help us all with spring plantings, we asked local expert, Laura Lapp, to share her favorite gardening tips, tools, and tricks this season. Laura grew up surrounded by flowers – her mom owned a flower shop. So it wasn’t surprising when she…
Baked Tomato Bruschetta
Canned tomatoes work beautifully in this fresh-tasting, crowd-pleasing appetizer that’s easy to whip up any time of year. I’ve been making these tasty bites for more than 20 years, and they still haven’t lost their luster. A simple tomato mixture (which may be prepared in advance) is scooped onto toasted baguette slices (which may…
Baked Artichoke Dip
Loaded with artichokes and elevated with a trifecta of cheeses, party-perfect Baked Artichoke Dip is creamy, crusty, salty, and tangy–and it can be prepared in advance! Two Christmas Eves ago, when holiday celebrations of all kinds were canceled because of the pandemic, my sister-in-law, Melissa, prepared this dip for family and friends. She baked multiple…
Shrimp Salsa or Salad
Serve this colorful salad as a light yet filling entree or scoop it up with tortilla chips for a unique appetizer. Either way, the pop of flavor and ease of preparation is bound to make it a keeper. I first made this recipe when seeking an appetizer that felt fresh and exciting. Served as…
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries (with oven option)
A few simple tips and 15 minutes is all you need to transform sweet potatoes into irresistible fries. A choice of dipping sauces takes them over the top! Sweet potatoes can be a polarizing food. For every person who adores them, there seems to be someone else who abhors them. With a passion. Yet,…
Stovetop Lentils with Veggies
Colorful vegetables and hearty lentils come together with ease in this one pot dish that can be served as a filling vegetarian stew, a flavorful side dish, or a restaurant-worthy base for seared salmon or another protein of choice. This meal goes way back. I first discovered the delicious brilliance of plating salmon on…
