You may notice a little theme this month, though it wasn’t actually by design. As autumn rolls around, I start cooking with (and eating) a lot of apples. In season, locally-grown apples are a wonder, on par with eating seasonal, local strawberries, instead of the chemically ripened fruit flown in from miles and miles away. So I make the most of the bounty in cooking both sweet … [Read more...] about Apple Ginger Upside Down Cake
Fruit and Vegetables
Roasted Pork and Sweet Potatoes with Hard Cider Cream Sauce
October is that transitional time of year, the leaves are beginning to fall, the weather is cooling and I’ve pulled the sweaters out of storage. I’m ready to cover up the grill and move onto to hearty roasts and vegetables, but I’m not quite ready for thick soups and heavy stews. So a perfect piece of pork surrounded by fall produce fits the bill perfectly. I love that this … [Read more...] about Roasted Pork and Sweet Potatoes with Hard Cider Cream Sauce
Whole Lemon Squares
My mom made great lemon squares. I say did, because she just doesn’t do it anymore. They were her go to take-along to school events and family functions, and a special treat for us. She had volunteered to bring lemon squares to a school field trip for me when I was in elementary school, but shortly before the scheduled date, she broke her leg and was completely laid up. But she … [Read more...] about Whole Lemon Squares
Nancie’s Asian Chicken Salad
Years ago, when I first thought about becoming a full-time food writer, I attended the wonderful and much missed Symposium for Professional Food Writers at the Greenbrier Hotel. It was amazing and inspiring and really made me understand that food writing is real and vibrant field, and it set me on the path to doing something I truly love. One of the first people I met was the … [Read more...] about Nancie’s Asian Chicken Salad
Red Pepper Relish
I love good pepper jelly, the wobbly kind with little bits of pepper suspended in the jar. The kind ladies used to bring to the Christmas party to serve over cream cheese, the jar topped with a pretty little cloth circle. And as much as I love canning, jelly, made with exact amounts of liquid and pectin, are a little bit out of my league. So when I saw this simple recipe in a … [Read more...] about Red Pepper Relish
