Late August and early September is harvest time here in Illinois. Farmer’s markets are overflowing with produce and it’s a great time to cook. Today I’m sharing a fall favorite – Sweet Potato Spoon Bread with decadent caramel pecan sauce! Yes, please!! This is the first time I’ve made a dessert using sweet potatoes. I’ve…
Farmers markets and grocery stores are starting to display a wider variety of apples for sale. Apples are so versatile and easy to cook with – they’re truly a fruit staple for any kitchen. To celebrate this all-American fruit, I’m sharing a recipe for Apple Upside Down Cake. I used Jazzy apples for this recipe,…
Sometimes being a vegetarian can be a challenge. The smell of a roast in the oven still makes my mouth water … but I don’t eat it. People ask me if I ever miss eating meat and while it doesn’t happen often, every now and again I just want to sink my teeth into a…
Driving down the country roads in Illinois, you’ll see plenty of roadside farm stands selling sweet corn. In the summer you can smell the scent of corn fields from blocks away. If the wind is blowing just right, I can smell the corn fields from our house. To savor the sweetness all year long, simply freeze…
To make guests feel special at your Thanksgiving meal, offer a beautiful bowl of Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup. The complex flavor and rich color make this soup an impressive start to any meal. Sweet carrots are balanced by fennel to bring you a unique starting course. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to make!…
I love flavorful soups that aren’t too filling and I recently found the perfect soup for my taste buds. Italian Vegetable Soup! It’s light and easy to make. You can serve this as a precursor to a meal, or you can make it a meal all on its own. My hubby and I enjoyed it…
Now that the New Year has begun and Christmas is behind us, I vow to spend more time in the kitchen, cooking food from scratch. I’m also committed to trying new foods and recipes. During the winter months I find soup to be highly comforting yet not too filling. Plus, soup is a great way…
One of my good friends is a huge fan of eggplant, which leaves me completely baffled. I’ve had Eggplant Parmesan a couple times and am just not a fan. I got to thinking maybe it isn’t the eggplant itself that I don’t like … maybe I just don’t like it breaded and fried. So I…
Did you know today is National Noodle Day? To celebrate, I’m joining several bloggers to give you a tasty round of recipes featuring the versatile noodle! I chose to make Fettuccine with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes, which I hope you’ll love as much as I do. You’ll find the recipe below. For even more yummy…
This is my second post this week about tomatoes so you can safely guess that I’m frantically working to do something with our garden tomatoes before they spoil. In the midst of all the food prep we’re still painting the outside of the house. To say that I’m feeling a bit crunched for time is…
My little veggie garden performed pretty well this year and our tomato plants are busting at the vines with heavy fruit. Last week hubby and I picked all the ripe ‘maters and hauled them into the kitchen for cooking and freezing and eating. I found an easy recipe for Tuscan Style Tomato Soup and decided…
August is one of my favorite months because some of my favorite vegetables are in season … sweet corn, green beans, and tomatoes! We grow our own tomatoes and I buy the rest at the local farm market. Then I get busy preserving them so I can enjoy their full flavor all year long (grocery…
Have you ever canned fruits or vegetables? I didn’t start canning until a few years ago. I was always afraid to do it, thinking it would take a ridiculous amount of hours. Well, I’m happy to say canning food is fairly easy and it doesn’t always take all day. Case in point, this recipe for…
This summer we grew cucumbers specifically so I could pickle them. I’ve never made dill pickles before and wanted an easy recipe. A couple years ago I bought a canning magazine and it had the perfect recipe! I’m happy to say the pickling process was easy and the dill pickles are tasty! I had…
Would you believe me if I told you I never ate guacamole until a few years ago? It’s true! Avocados were never a part of my childhood diet … we never had them in our house. Ever. Since Mom said avocados didn’t taste good, I simply believed her and never tried them. But one…
Sweet potatoes in July? Sure, why not? Sweet potatoes are available year-round but typically eaten in the fall. They’ve been stereotyped as a holiday food but I love ’em and enjoy them any time of the year. I especially like them baked in the skin but decided to try something different. I wanted to braise…
