Thanksgiving Prep Begins with a “To Do List”

I have been asked many times by my students, “How do you get everything to the table, hot and ready at the same time?”  “How do you not, get overwhelmed and stressed out?”  “How can I enjoy the hosting the holiday and still have time with the family?” Well, it all begins with with a “To Do […]

Read More…

Who Put The Devil in Devil Eggs?

  Thanksgiving is just 6 days away!  And what is on my mind?  Deviled Eggs. As long as I can remember there was always a appetizer platter at every Ramon’s Thanksgiving celebration, consisting of Stuffed Green Olives, Black Olives, Midget Sweet Pickles, Stuffed Celery, and Deviled Eggs.  I couldn’t wait to have my very first taste of a […]

Read More…

New School Pumpkin Pie Filling

“Don’t mess with a good thing!”  Well sometimes messing with a tried and true recipe can be good!  The Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe is one of those recipes that has become the standard in the American home and professional kitchens for Thanksgiving. When family and friends gather together in homes, hotels, and restaurants on this holiday, it is […]

Read More…

Old School Pie Dough | The Proof Is In The Crust?

‘Easy as Pie!’  A saying that we all have heard before, but for many home bakers why does making a tender, flaky, crisp, and oh so rich and buttery pie dough remain so elusive? Is it the recipe?  Is it the ingredients?  Is it the skill of the baker?  The answer is yes to all of the […]

Read More…

Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cookbook: Bon Bon Cookies

Cookies or Candy you decide for yourself.  These delicious little Bon Bon Cookies are easy to make ahead and give as gifts.  Add flavorings to the dough or change the filling to suit your own taste.  My favorites are bourbon marinated cherries wrapped in chocolate dough dipped in chocolate ganache, and mint flavored dough wrapped around Andes […]

Read More…

Playing With My Food, Still

“Stop playing with your food!”  We all have heard these words at some point in our lives.  Usually it’s children who are on the receiving end of this advice and sometimes adults.  I’m sure my mother told me this more than once when I was a kid.  I always had a pension for playing with my food.  But […]

Read More…

What Happens When A Nice American Apple Pie meets a French Tart?

  The fields behind my home were glazed with frost as the sun came up this morning. Triggering memories of visiting apple orchards around Marshall, Michigan in the fall when I was a kid. Picking up an apple from the ground in the early morning. Covered with a light frost of frozen dew. That first […]

Read More…

Betty Crocker New Picture Cookbook: Merry Christmas Cookies

Even though I didn’t grow up celebrating Christmas.  I still made these cookies…learning to bend the rules at a early age…using non-Christmas cutters. This is from the Rolled Cookies section of the book. Note: I’m writing this exactly as written with (my notes) in the book. Rolled Cookies: Gay shapes….for holiday and year ’round cheer. Merry […]

Read More…

Practically Perfect Pasta

I know we’ve all been there.  You look in your pantry and refrigerator trying to decide, “What’s for dinner?”  This was my predicament last night.  It was 7:00 pm and I was hungry.  Time to make something, but what? I thought of a dinner I had made for my parents years ago when they visited me.  Center […]

Read More…

A Morning Ritual, Espressoly for Me.

Is it the caffeine?  Is it the ritual of making my morning latte?  Is the smell of the freshly ground coffee as the coffee grinder whirls the whole beans into a magical powder.  Or is it that first taste of a perfect blend of a freshly pulled double shot with its thick crema and the […]

Read More…