MMmmm, sausage and pepperoni pizza. The staple food of College kids everywhere. How about making it into a dip? Serve this up with



Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

Coconut macaroons, delightfully simple, but oh, so yummy.  You just whisk together a few ingredients over lightly boiling water, stir in some

Remember those Bisquick Sausage Balls served every year at Christmas and New Year's parties? They are good, sometimes spicy, sometimes not

OK, trying to strike a lighter note, and this one will do it. Chicken Sausage - same great flavors as pork sausage, but made with chicken. No, it won't

Yum - I love mac and cheese and I usually fall on the convenience of Annie's Organic Shells and Cheddar, but there are times when you

Wow!  Today would have been Mom's 69th birthday.  She was famous for having breakfast for dinner because it was easier.  There are times

Deviled Eggs - I love them even though I hate boiled eggs.  I also love egg salad ~ not often ~ but from time to time, I make these for a party

This year, I'm thankful for many things.
In my opinion, the Top 5 (in reverse) would be

• For you - the ones who read this blog
• For my family and good friends
• For our military persons - who fight so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have

I was looking for an alternative to putting the stuffing inside the turkey (since hubby longed for that in-the-bird taste) and found something via the internet that became the foundation for this recipe.

During part of my early childhood I lived with my Granny.  I remember having many meals of pinto beans and cornbread.  I don't think of this meal as soup, although you can certainly characterize

My Granny used to make a fresh apple cake.  I've looked through much of the papers and such that I have of hers, but I have not run across her recipe for it yet. 

You know those awful days when you just don't feel good - you want to stay in bed - it's a miserable, cold, rainy, nasty day?  Here's a warm and comfortable meal that you can toss together and curl back up on the couch until it's ready.

Here lies another adaptation of Mexican cooking. 

The western part of Kentucky is known for a dish called Burgoo. 

Wow!  One.  Hundred.  Posts.  Oh, Wow!

Warm comforting soup, who doesn't like walking in from work

I like to make macaroni and cheese, but I'm not always a fan of making the white sauce to melt the cheese in.  I tweaked a recipe for slow

Nothing is better than a buttermilk biscuit, hot from the oven, buttered and then spread with apple butter.  It's getting close to Fall and the apples are coming into the stores.  Try this and see what you think?

I love beef and noodles.  It's a great comfort food.  Here's my version.

Oh, potluck season is coming.  Do you have a go-to recipe for it? 

Another of my favorite sweet treats is Pecan Pie.  It's rich, gooey and

Calico Beans.  Old Timer's Beans.  It doesn't matter what they're called,

Pastries are delightful treats that go nicely with coffee or tea.  Here's a nice pineapple pastry that is fairly easy to make although they might

Summertime BBQ - Weekend Grilling - Whatever you call it, I'm sure you hope it's good.  Here's a different spin on BBQ Ribs that might

Chocolate Pie - mmm!  During these hot days of summer, no one wants to bake, so here's a yummy treat that cools you down, too.  

Time for another recipe using that sourdough starter you're feeding from a previous post.  Love rye bread?  Come on, you know there's nothing better than a piece of fried fish and tartar sauce tucked between two slices of fragrant rye bread.  Try this one, it's easy.

I'm posting this a couple of days early since it requires a bit of advance prep.  I'm glad that I live in a place where I have the freedom to do what I'm doing right now - sharing my love of food with all of you.

Here's another turkey recipe that's actually wonderful to serve company.  Pair it up with a mixed green salad alongside some steamed vegetables and potatoes baked on the grill.  Enjoy!

Most people don't even think of turkey unless it's November or December OR they use ground turkey for various recipes.  How about grilled turkey with a Southwest flair?  Try this and you won't relegate turkey just to Thanksgiving anymore.

Happy birthday to me. 

It's June, time for those summer barbeques.  Here's a few recipes to help out with that.

I love soup - any time of the year.  Here's one I stirred up recently to go with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

It's Sunday, a perfect day for a nice leisurely breakfast with all the family.  So . . . how about pancakes?  De-lish!  Let's get started . . .

OK - it's been a week since I posted the Sourdough Mother recipe, so your mothers should be about 3 to 5 days old now.  Lets start using them with this . . .

Sourdough - yum!  Here's a version I adapted from another process.  Recipes for using the starter will follow.  You have to get it going first.

Happy Derby Day! 

One of my favorite memories from when I was 8 or 9 years old was the time Mom took Granny and me on a trip through Kentucky.  We visited Fort Harrod and then drove to the Shaker Village before heading to Bardstown to see The Stephen Foster Story along with My Old Kentucky Home.  My first memory of corn pudding was when we had lunch during our visit to the Shaker Village.  It wasn't until Mom bought me a copy of The Derby Festival Cookbook published by the Junior League of Louisville that I found a recipe I could use to make it at home.

Move over McDonald's - my Granny's fried pies beat yours any day (even before they changed to baked ones).  I don't remember her making these very often, but when she did, it was a special treat.  Psst . . . uncooked pies freeze well if you fill with fruit.

Here's a make ahead casserole that gets topped with a crunchy, cheesy topping that is akin to dumplings, but it has more texture. By using prepared alfredo sauce, frozen vegetables and precooked chicken, it's so easy to toss together. I've used an italian blend instead of the provolone with yummy results.

I like to have soup almost any time of the year. The easiest way to make it is to use the slow cooker. Here's one I've made recently.

 I don't have the exact recipe, but I remember Mom making a similar dish when I was a teen.  This is a really nice casserole to prepare ahead of time so all you have to do is pop it into the oven when you get home.

I like making my own dough for pizzas, bread sticks, calzones, etc.  Only thing is, I want it to be easy yet, different.  I know, that sounds weird, but we like whole grains, or unusual textures for some kinds of breads.  Here's a recent recipe I used to make a cheese and garlic appetizer bread.  I used an organic Sunflower/Millet flour and a Mexican Blend cheese for it.

Now that spring is here and warm weather approaches Central Ohio, it's time to think about getting the grill ready for the summer.  Yay!  Here's a unique approach to the usual Saturday Burger affair.

As a child, I loved those frozen pot pies with a full crust all around.  Flaky pastry, some veggies, chicken or beef and gravy - yum!  Then I got older and made one for myself - OMG! 

I happen to like Mexican-type food (we know that authentic Mexican is hard to find when you live northeast of Texas and Arizona).  Here's a fairly decent recipe that's easy to do.

I mentioned this recipe in a Facebook reply last Sunday and decided I'd better post the recipe in case anyone asked about it.  Yes, this is comfort food at it's finest, well . . . for southern folks, that is.  Don't let that stop you from trying it . . . you just might like it - like Mikey.

Sometimes my hubby buys a large package of ground beef at the "warehouse" club because it's been marked down.  That's my cue to take part of it to make meatloaf or my Italian sloppy joes or chili (depending on season).

We like to have pancakes on the weekends, but I like the convenience of having the batter ready to go come Saturday morning.  Here's a recipe I discovered a few years back that let's you mix up the batter on Friday night and you cook pancakes all weekend or until the batter runs out!

The ultimate chicken soup that's both comforting as well as sophisticated enough to serve to company.  I've labeled it easy if you follow the recipe as is.

I definitely didn't like broccoli as a kid, until we went to Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's home one year.  I'm not sure if it was Doris's recipe or maybe Nina's Mom's . . . and it's entirely possible that I might have changed it to a degree over the years, but this recipe is what inspired me to eat broccoli more often and that's the important part, right?

Ham and cheese is a great combo . . . in grilled sandwiches, on a pizza, or in a quiche.  The person who coined the phrase, "Real men don't eat quiche," must never have eaten one.  Quiche is a super dish on the fly when you need something semi-substantial but don't feel like slaving in the kitchen.

I'm sure you've read me lamenting of my love of bread in the past.  Whole-grain, white, wheat, rye - I'm not a bread snob by any means.  I saw this in USA Weekend and wanted to share it with you. 

I'm not much of a vegetarian, even though I know it's better for you.  I'm sorry - I like meat; however, I found a recipe online by Emilie Sennebogen that sounded intriguing.  It uses lentils and I love lentils.  So, I decided to try it.

Yum!  Pizza & Pasta combo'd into one dish.  Here's a really great recipe for those days when you want to stir something up, throw it in the oven and relax.

Amish Friendship Starter - you may also hear it called Herman Starter.  This is a sweet starter mix used for sweet breads, coffee cakes and the like.  It's not typically used for regular bread baking.

I first heard of steel-cut oats while watching Alton Brown on the Food Network.  Later, I found that they have a lower value on the Glycemic Index than regular oatmeal - which prevents glucose spikes for diabetics.  Plus, they have a better texture than rolled oats - they have to be chewed.

Now, my Granny usually made her chocolate pie from scratch, particularly if she knew we were coming down for a visit, since Mom's favorite pie was . . . yep, chocolate.  Once, while I was visiting during summer break, I asked her about a butterscotch pie and she said, "Well, we can make one.  It's not much different than a chocolate one."  Granny was right, as usual.

Last year, I entered a contest to create a new Chex Mix.  I didn't win - but I still like my recipe, what's not to like?  Garlic, Parmesan and Chex along with a few other things, too.  Here's a great mix to add to your movie night.

Welcome to a new year!  I've been blogging for about a year now.  I hope that you found some interesting recipes over the last year and maybe learned a few things you didn't know before.   I'm going to try to include more pictures (and I'll try to update older posts with pictures, too).

Here's my ultimate comfort food for when I'm feeling down or sick.