I grew up on a 160-acre farm ten miles southeast of Brainerd (Minnesota). Our life was in the country, so trips to town on Saturday mornings were an adventure. We bought groceries that couldn't be grown in our vast gardens or provided by our livestock. If there were no shoes to pass down, an occasional…

It's good to continue learning. One new thing each day is an easily attainable goal. Today, for me, it was coconut flour. Coconut flour is very high in fiber, gluten-free, a good source of protein, and has a low glycemic index. Two things I noticed when I began baking with coconut flour. 1)The small quantity…

I have a new love. My Lodge Pro-Logic P10D3 pre-seasoned Cast Iron 4-quart Dutch Oven from Amazon. The capacity is perfect for Dick and I. For my eldest daughter, her husband, and four children, the Lodge Pro-Logic P12D3 Cast Iron 7-quart Dutch Oven is an appropriate size. The first meal I chose to prepare in my…

This recipe for Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch from King Arthur Flour tastes like a Heath Bar. It requires close monitoring of the candy's temperature using a thermometer, but otherwise it is so simple. I made some to tuck alongside the Star Provisions' Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies that I mailed to my youngest daughter. Packaged in a…

On November 29, 2013, our youngest daughter took Dick and I to lunch at Star Provisions at Westside Urban Market 1198 Howell Mill Road Atlanta. When we returned to Atlanta the following spring, I flipped through the pages of a newspaper left behind on a bench outside a coffee shop. Featured in the food section…

At Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, there is a restaurant called A Taste of History. I am not telling you of it to rave about its menu, since Dick and I did not have a meal there. What we did discover was buckeyes… a sweet confection of peanut butter fudge-like filling coated in chocolate. After buying…

The inspiration for my birthday cupcakes this year was birthed several years ago when my sister-in-law's sister, Gloria, served jumbo vegan chocolate cupcakes from French Meadow Bakery at a baby shower she hosted for my great niece, Whitney. Whenever Dick and I are in Minneapolis, we often drop by the bakery for this special treat,…

This apple's beautiful coloring reminds me of a crayon resist elementary school art project. Imagine a ruby-red crayon to make blotchy stripes then yellow watercolor paint brushed over top to fill in the gaps and create the background color. I discovered the apple during a routine sweep through the organic produce bins at my local…

As a soup or adapted, as I did, for use as a gravy over meatballs and mashed potatoes… this curry coconut milk broth looks and tastes fussily time-consuming. In reality, it takes but minutes to prepare. Four ingredients. Canned coconut milk, chicken broth, soy sauce (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), and red curry paste. I used…