November 7, 2025 *It's just three weeks* until Thanksgiving. Hard to process how quickly the year has flown by, but it has. We're keeping the holiday fairly low key this year; I'll roast a turkey because you can't have good gravy without true roasted turkey drippings and what's Thanksgiving without gravy?? Jim's also asked me to make cream of mushroom soup for starters. It used to be a tradition, but it's been a few years since I made it. Also, my nephew likes green beans cooked the way I do, til they're dull gree ...Continue Reading

October 31, 2025 *It didn't take long* for me to get swept up in Dodger Mania-- I've been wearing blue all week, my nails are painted blue, and I've watched more baseball this week than I have in the last two years. Hopefully the game tonight will have a better outcome than Tuesday and Wednesday. Last week we got a taste of fall weather with a few brisk days, this week the Santa Ana winds made an appearance and we're back to beach weather here in Southern California. Which clearly influenced my choices for recipe ...Continue Reading

October 24, 2025 *Y'all, we are two months away* from Christmas! This year has flown by. My birthday in early February will be here before I can blink, and it's a big one. I need to start thinking about what I want to do to celebrate. Speaking of, our great nephew celebrates a birthday on Tuesday and of course he chose a taco place for his celebration, so Taco Tuesday in style next week. For the recipes this week, simplicity rules. First up, catfish filets are rubbed with a spicy blend and pan sautéed, the ...Continue Reading

October 17, 2025 *We had our first* significant rain earlier this week and it's getting down to brisk weather at night. We have a beautiful weekend in store, though, with highs in the mid-70s with lots of sunshine. I think I'm going to make pizza Saturday night, and get some red beans soaking on Sunday for a Monday cook. We'll see how the smoked sausage I've found stands up in my recipe. For the recipes this week, first up, easy food food: A bourbon chicken stir fry that definitely benefits from an overnight mari ...Continue Reading

October 10, 2025 *I wrote last week about* soft, fluffy dinner rolls- technically, they turned out perfectly, but the end result just didn't suit me. I used a recipe for Japanese milk bread from King Arthur Flour, and it called for 4 tablespoons of sugar; WAY too sweet for my tastes. The dough would be perfect for cinnamon rolls, though, so I'll hang onto it. Back to the drawing board! I sure do wish my mother had written her recipe down. For the recipes this week, first up, comfort food: Creamy, cheesy Ench ...Continue Reading

October 3 , 2025 *I'm making up a list of recipes* to test ahead of Thanksgiving dinner; first up is one for soft, fluffy dinner rolls. I'm looking at one that's made all in one day, and another that calls for letting the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator. I strongly suspect that the latter is going to be the best, but I'm not going to say no to TWO batches of home made rolls! I'll need to make beef stew to go along with one of the batches. It's still getting up into the mid 70s here, but the temps drop to ...Continue Reading

September 26 , 2025 *Jim and I bought a new car* last weekend; we'd not bought a new one in YEARS. Funny, we accidentally both dressed in orange-hued shirts, so were very matchy-matchy. Then, we ended up buying an orange car, so we were matchy-matchy-matchy. The entire dealership was laughing. Channeling our Hallowe'en jack-o-lantern and Thanksgiveing pumpkin pie, I guess...  For the recipes this week, first up, a classic Cajun dish, seafood boulettes in a rich tomato gravy. Cajuns demand it b ...Continue Reading

September 19 , 2025 *We had a last-minute family get together* at our niece's house on Sunday. The guys cooked amazing wings and smashburgers. I made an amazing "poor man's" lobster mac and cheese using langostino tails in place of lobster because who can afford lobster, and a big fruit salad. Our nephew and his new wife brought dessert, and Jim's sister supplied the beer. It was a nice day; I'm really glad we get to see more of them. For the recipes this week, first up, catfish fried in the style ...Continue Reading

September 12 , 2025 *I haven't been cooking much this week.* Thinking of making pizza this weekend, but I really haven't been motivated. I did make a good paella Wednesday night with pork, smoked paprika, and cumin; a recipe I've made off and on for years, but not for years. It was really good. We're on the cusp of weather changing, I'm ready to start making soups and stews but it's still a little warm for that. The recipes I selected for this week reflect that state of mind! I hope it's cooler where you're at. F ...Continue Reading

September 6, 2025 I made a rich meat sauce for pasta last night that is to die for. Equal parts ground beef, Italian sausage, and ground mushrooms. I smashed the meat out in a flat layer, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and let it cook, undisturbed, until it really browned on the bottom then flipped it and let it brown on the second side. While the meat was browning, I sautéed some diced onion and minced garlic in a little olive oil. When the meat was brown, I broke it into chunks, made a well in the cen ...Continue Reading