I love cake….no, that’s not right. I LOVE CHOCOLATE CAKE! There’s little better in the dessert world for me than a delicious, moist chocolate cake. I love how the batter smells; I love the smell of it baking. Frosted? Yeah, that’s great. But a plain old piece of chocolate cake really, well, takes the cake! My oldest sister made a…
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Growing up, we always knew Christmas was coming when mom started her baking. She usually made just a couple types of cookies – candies were another matter (more on that another time) – but our family favorite was Aunt Catherine’s Rollout Cookies. It was so special, she only made them at Christmas. Rite of Passage It was a bit of…
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Holy CATS that’s hot…well, I’m not sure I used the word “cats”, but you get the picture. My entire family is a bunch of recipe explorers – we all love to try new recipes. My dad collected chili recipes, made new ones of his own, and some you wouldn’t dare eat with beer or you’d be one drunk skunk by…
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There’s been a resurgence….again….of a beautiful piece by Max Ehrmann called “Desiderata.” Ehrmann wrote this piece in the late 1920s but never officially published. Sadly, Ehrmann died in 1945, long before one of his most beautiful works was made known. For all its beauty and popularity, he received little recognition for it. Then, in the 1970s it started showing up…
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I used to work with a gentleman who made the best refrigerator pickles. We all looked forward to pickle season! I’ve been making these for the last 25 years, without fail, every summer when fresh cucumbers show up at the farmer’s market. These are so super simple to make, and quick too. You can start “sampling” them within 5-6 hours!…
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As I get older, all sorts of odd things are happening. I’m told they’re all perfectly normal. The latest… my “sniffer” has become unreliable. Somedays, I can smell just about anything from 100 paces. Other days, you could shove an onion under my nose and I wouldn’t smell it. It’s frustrating! Imagine someone who cooks in large part by smell! …
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I had a conversation not too long about with a young professional just a few years into her career. We touch base now and then as she navigates challenges. I tend to not give her too many answers, preferring to ask questions that might lead her to her own answers. Sometimes it works; sometimes I just frustrate her more. It’s…
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