Pantry Cooking

Carrot Ginger Soup with Thyme

Carrot Ginger Soup

In the spring of 2018, I embarked on a vacation voyage with Viking River Cruises. The food they served was simply marvelous, and I’ve been trying to recreate some of those flavors ever since. This carrot ginger soup is an example. It’s a simple soup: just carrots and onions with […]

english muffins cooling

Overnight English Muffins

Why did “pantry cooking” ever become associated with deprivation? There are lots of wonderful foods you can make from simple pantry ingredients: these overnight English muffins are a fine example. They are not only easy (stir, let rise, stir, cook) but they use only flour, yeast, salt, water, and a bit […]

magic lemon cake

Magic Lemon Cake

What’s a magic lemon cake? I’m so glad you asked. I wanted to tweak my family’s favorite snack cake – Magic Chocolate Cake – and make a lemon version. What’s magical about it? This is a cake that tastes great, is dead simple to make, uses pantry ingredients, and only one bowl. There […]

spaghetti with clam sauce 1200

Spaghetti with Clam Sauce for 2

Sometimes you need to work a bit of household magic: make a meal appear out of nowhere, fast. This quick and splendid spaghetti with clam sauce for 2 is a perfect example. Keep spaghetti and a can of clams in your pantry, and if you also have garlic, a lemon, a bit of […]

no-knead bread

No-knead Bread from Fresh-milled Wheat

We’ve been home from vacation for a few weeks, now. I’ve been making a LOT of bread from the wheat we brought back from Montana, including this no-knead bread. I’ve marked this particular post “Local Harvest” – while the wheat wasn’t grown in Michigan, we were 20 miles from the farm when […]

small batch vanilla cake

Small-Batch Vanilla Cake

Sometimes you want a small cake: just enough to serve one or two friends. Make a small-batch vanilla cake! I use a 6-inch round cake pan, and the finished cake fits perfectly on a luncheon plate. This cake can be ‘dressed up’ in a lot of ways: split and layered with whipped […]

easiest biscuits ever

Easiest Biscuits Ever

How long has it been since you had a homemade biscuit? Maybe your grandmother made ’em and served them with honey butter or jam? Now you can make ’em too, and they’re EASY! Really and truly, they’re not hard at all: and they’re quick, too. Easiest Biscuits Ever makes 12 biscuits 2 cups […]