Cooking

My At-Home Neato Burrito

In the Harrisburg area, we have a small restaurant chain called Neato Burrito. I discovered it when I was about 19, when it had been open only a year or so. I was instantly smitten. The concept is simple; you walk along an assembly line, making choices about the contents of your burrito. What kind [...]

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Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Fresh Asparagus

There is no food on earth that tastes as good as the food you pick from your own garden (or your dad’s garden, as the case was for us today). This afternoon, we walked to my parents’ house and cut the first asparagus of the season. Less than two hours later, we were eating the [...]

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I swear I’ve posted this on my blog before. I’m sure of it. Where it has gone and why I cannot find it are beyond my comprehension. I just don’t understand. Maybe it’s lost in my unpublished drafts somewhere. Who knows. I’ve been making this pineapple upside down recipe for at least ten years. It [...]

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Simplify Family Life by Meal Planning

In celebration of Simplify Family Life sale, all of this week’s posts will focus on simplifying family life. When you have two small children, cooking is not simple. Somebody wants to help cook. Somebody throws her food on the floor. Somebody cries and throws a fit. I complain, but I love it when the girls [...]

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What to Substitute for Eggs in Baking

Our Easter was interesting. You know that I don’t dwell on the drama (and there always is some, isn’t there?), but this Easter had a lot of {ahem} bumps in the road. I got a stomach ache at church that lasted all day. Joe overcooked the (delicious) ham, leaving it dry and crispy. I told [...]

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Peachy Chicken Stir Fry

I am not a big fan of fruit in savory dishes. Fruit and main dishes just don’t work for me. However, when my meal planner and chef husband wants to make a fruity main dish, I smile and fain eager anticipation. This happened one day last week. Joe was very excited about this peachy chicken [...]

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Homemade Veggie Dip

My Pap turned 90 earlier this month. Yesterday, most of the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren went out for dinner in his honor. We went to a restaurant that serves all of the side dishes and appetizers family-style; one of those appetizers was a vegetable tray with homemade ranch dip. It was terrific, the kind [...]

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Peach Banana Smoothie

When I was in college, I ate a creamsicle smoothie from the café by my dorm almost every day. They were delicious and horribly unhealthy, primarily made from of orange juice and ice cream. Since then, I have just assumed that all smoothies are high in calories. I never bothered to investigate. A couple of [...]

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Sweet Potato Pancakes featuring IHOP at Home Syrup

I love breakfast for dinner, and I especially love omelets and pancakes. We make all kinds of pancakes – chocolate chip pancakes, pumpkin pie pancakes, carrot cake pancakes, apple ring pancakes, bananas foster pancakes, and baked pancakes. They are a perfect breakfast or dinner (or lunch, I suppose) because they’re quick and easy, and paired [...]

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Pan Fried Apples

On the way home from church last week, Grace said, You know those apples we get when we’re at a restaurant? “No, what apples?” I asked. You know, those apples with the sauce? And they’re thick like apple pie? “Oh, right. Yes, I know those apples,” I said. Can we have those for supper tonight? [...]