kitchen adventures
There’s a family history about Granny Smith’s Meatloafies. My mother loved the outsides of meats – the outside cut of the roast, the edges on a good meatloaf – so when I made meatloaf for her, I made individual-sized “loafies” so she could have more of the tasty crust. Along the way,
Oatmeal wheat bread: fragrant and hearty. Great for toast, sandwiches, or just plain eating.
So far this month, we’ve had cold & grey weather – gloomy, but no rain or snow. According to the weather forecasters, that’s about to change. We’ll have a chance to put on our snow boots, test out the new electric snow thrower, and, best of all, warm up with
January is a time when I return to the simple in my kitchen. After 6 weeks of feasts, cookies, pies, more feasts, and all the glitter of the holidays, it’s time to simplify. This month I want to eat down the freezer, use up the pantry supplies, and, in general,
Cold weather and the holiday season mean that my oven’s often in use, baking all kinds of treats. Fancy cookies are all very well, and fun to give as gifts, but sometimes I just want something quick and easy, but still utterly delicious. That’s when I turn to my freezer, and
What’s a quick chasseur sauce? The name translates to Hunters’ Sauce, and it goes with just about anything a hunter would bring home: game birds, rabbits, venison, and boar. It also works very well with our more ordinary food: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb. This is a sauce that makes
Why stuffed pepper soup? November, here in SE Michigan, brings cold blustery weather, and adds unpredictability. We might have sunshine, sleet, snow, or all of the above in one day. I call it soup weather: this is the time of year when I have great appreciation for a good bowl
You may already be familiar with pickled green tomatoes – they are common in many New York delis. However, if you’re one of those folks whose understanding of pickles is limited to cucumbers, try these! This is the time of year when gardeners race the frosts to harvest every possible
In My Kitchen Year, Ruth Reichl published a recipe for an enormous cake which she called “The Cake That Cures Everything”. What a cake! Made of two gigantic 9×13 layers, it could serve 36 chocolate lovers(!) Her original recipe may be found on her own website, as well as among
I like my sloppy joes to be chunky and flavorful – no thin wimpy sandwiches, please! I also prefer a healthier version, so I use a very lean beef and then add lots of vegetable. That’s why they’re garden-style sloppy joes. This is a great dish to make in quantity. It
My fresh tomato tart is the result of an improvisation, and I vary the filling every time I make it. This one combined sweet onion, leek, and garlic/herb cheese. I’ve also used dry ricotta, plain Muenster cheese, even a bit of leftover Alfredo sauce. See what variations you might come
Here’s a delicious beet salad with feta & walnuts: it uses summer produce along with easy to find ingredients. It can be made up to 2 days ahead of time, so plan your work to suit your schedule. It’s delicious, it’s easy to make, and it can be served either
I’m Maurita Plouff, and I write about cooking and preserving the local harvest in Southeast Michigan. Any recipe you find here is something I have cooked myself, and enjoyed, and think you might like too. I invite you to try the recipes, and leave comments.