I made a fun dish this week. Nothing fancy, just fun, and pretty good. I made what I call Sloppy Josés. Not Sloppy Joe’s, Sloppy Josés. It’s Mexican, you know, and a version of the American Sloppy Joes. When we were Senior High Advisers at church, one of the foods most in demand for Sunday night meals were Sloppy Joes. The kids loved them, and if your kids like Mexican, they’ll love … [Read more...]

  Since my bathroom scales have been growling at me every morning, I have been trying to eat more chicken. I have found Chicken Marsala to be a delicious choice and with chicken cutlets, it’s quite simple to prepare. Here’s my recipe for Chicken Marsala. For starters, you need Marsala, a wine that adds richness to any dish. When paired with portabella mushrooms, you cannot go … [Read more...]

  My good friend, Bill Hitt, recently shared a recipe passed down through the Hitt family out of Culpeper. It was Grandma Hitt’s world famous Buttermilk Pie. This is the kind of pie you’d get only at a Church picnic or family reunion. Grandma Hitt was born in 1910 and departed in 1986, but according to Bill, in her time on earth she created some monster meals. Give Grandma Hitt’s … [Read more...]

I made a fun dish yesterday – Pizza Sliders. The kids I cook for love pizza, and they enjoy sliders. Bingo! Pizza Sliders are easy to prepare, they cook in no time, and they are fun to eat. Some make these sliders as an appetizer, but I did mine as a main course and I made plenty. Here’s how. To make a dozen sliders (I made more), start with a package of Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. Slice the … [Read more...]

I dearly love Ritz Crackers. Give me a box of Ritz and a jar of Jif Peanut Butter and I’m good to go. I also have a weakness for Caramel anything. When my sweet tooth starts acting up, I’ll often get a big bowl of vanilla ice cream, drizzle it with caramel syrup and love life. So, when I saw this recipe for Caramel Ritz Icebox Dessert, it immediately found a way into my cookbook. This is one of … [Read more...]

Frittata. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it?  But it’s not hard to prepare. I did one last night and it was delicious. Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish. The word frittata roughly translates into “fried”. It’s like a crustless Quiche, which means it’s less fattening and easier to put together. The ingredients which can go into a Frittata are practically limitless. Use any vegetable or combination … [Read more...]

Today is Cinco de Mayo. So why not celebrate with some Mexican Muffins? Recently, I concocted a personal size Mexican Muffin, basically a Burrito baked in a muffin tin. What made all this possible was my discovery of a larger size muffin tin. The large size is about twice the size of a regular muffin tin. The cups were large enough that I was able to fold a small flour tortilla to fit inside … [Read more...]

    I enjoy planning meals – steak one night, maybe salmon the next, then fried chicken, pot roast, pulled pork, lasagna and the list goes on – of main dishes. Vegetables are an afterthought. If I could have Fordhook lima beans and mashed potatoes with every meal it would suit me, but in Cooking 101 it says you must have other vegetables from time to time. There is one fresh, … [Read more...]