Winter is here, and with it comes my favorite, soup season.  Second only to cooking with cognac season.  The best soups start with bones, so as  you bake those holiday hams, chickens, and turkeys – be planning your best soups yet!  Beans are another food group I didn’t consume until at least 25, so in […]

Read Full Post »

This grilled chicken salad was inspired by my favorite salad at La Duni Restaurant, the Pollo Asado a la Menta Limon.  I forgot about the onions on the side and the guacamole, both of which are superb additions.  I think La Duni puts the mint in the salad dressing, but I minced it and mixed […]

Read Full Post »

This Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe is the most requested cookie recipe from my husband and children.  It’s taken some adjusting over the years, but the end result is perfect.  My personal three cardinal rules of baking apply.  They are: 1) For any baked goods, use White Lily Flour.  2) Always, always completely preheat your oven.  and […]

Read Full Post »

Cherry Pie reminds me of Lums Diner in Peoria, hot tea, good friends, and deep conversation.  Back in my high school days, my crowd and I would congregate at the the Lums Diner, as years of soul searching, bored, but generally well behaved teenagers had done before us. This wasn’t your wild crowd, it was […]

Read Full Post »

No picture sadly, but I’ve missed writing recipes.  I have a backlog of photos without recipes written down and recipes without photos.  At this point I find I’m killing myself with wasted time, trying to remember how I came up with that delicious dish 3 months ago.  So while it may not be pretty, the […]

Read Full Post »