Madras Shrimp

Just tell your guests you’ve been at this for hours. They’ll believe you because that’s how good it tastes! Nobody has to know that this is an incredibly simple, fast dish to make. Don’t just save it for company, either. It’s so quick and easy that it makes a great weeknight meal, too. If you…

Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup With Mint

It may be September, but since summer seems to have decided to stick around for another week, I think I can get away with one more summery recipe. Chilled soups are best in warm weather, of course. Don’t we always want what we don’t have? Cold soup when it’s hot in the summer, hot soup…

Pork Tenderloin Carnitas

  Score another one for the Instant Pot! Since I bought mine, I’ve been adapting some of my slow cooker recipes for the pressure cooker. Beef stew was magnificent; black bean soup not so much. I think the bean skins need the long, slow cook, even if the bean innards don’t. Mind you, it’s still…

Honey Wheat Rolls

These soft, really light, delicious rolls are from a recipe I found on the King Arthur website. They’re not your typical heavy, dense whole wheat, and okay, that’s because they aren’t 100% whole grain. But two-thirds of the flour is whole grain, and personally, I’m willing to sacrifice the other third once in a while. Because these rolls are that…

Beef Stew (Instant Pot)

Once a decade. That’s what I used to tell my kids when they suggested I might be wrong. I mean, Rule Number One is Mom’s always right, and Rule Number Two is if you think Mom might be wrong, see Rule Number One, right? But I’m also sciencey. (Is that actually a word? If it’s not,…

Homemade Applesauce

Fall is nearly here, and do you know what that means? Fresh, homemade applesauce! Definitely one of my favorite foods to make, and to eat. And soooo much better than canned!  I’m fortunate to live in an area with several nearby orchards. Going apple picking is a favorite family and school activity around here, or you can buy your…

Sichuan Style Shrimp with Spinach

Szechuan? Sichuan? It’s all about which system is used to write Chinese using the Roman alphabet. Szechuan is the Wade-Giles spelling, from the system developed by British diplomats in China in the 19th century. It’s being replaced in many places by Sichuan, which is from the Pinyin system developed in and used by China in…

Homemade Pita Bread

Once you taste this, you’ll never want to buy pita bread again! I’m the first to admit that bread-baking is something of a luxury in today’s hectic world, although I can tell you that kneading bread by hand can be remarkably therapeutic. But unless you have a bread machine, you pretty much have to be…