Welcome to my Recipe World!

Hello everybody!!

    I'm a writer of romance, mystery, and historical novels but I LOVE to cook.
                                         
 I cook everything. Sweets, breads, casseroles, easy dishes, jams, all day cooking dishes, crock pot recipes, soups, pizza, pasta... you name it, I've probably made it!

   I have six kids (four teens!!) and I know the meaning of fast and easy. Or fast and healthy, or slow and healthy, or fast and fatty. All of those.
                                                
I like to celebrate ALLLLL the holidays. All the ones you know and probably a few you've never heard of.
                                        
This isn't a 'quick cooking site' because sometimes you just have to simmer a sauce on the stove for a few hours.

       We're sort of  "accidental vegans" in the summertime.

 

                                            
Fresh ingredients are always best and we're so lucky to live in a farming community where we can access all kinds of produce.
                            
Of course, I'm not all about the meat, but I can make a mean pot roast.
                                    
I try to avoid preservatives, I know how to can, and we try to grow a lot of food to store up for winter. Some years, that just means 4,988 lbs of tomatoes but we try.

We try to reduce, reuse and recycle. Lots of reusing.

We're conscious of our carbon footprint and believe we've got to take care of this planet. Barter and trade is my jam, baby!
                                            
We're lucky to live in a rural, fertile valley. We got the goods, and most of our neighbors do, too.

But chocolate is my middle name, I also love the taste of an ice cold Diet Coke a few times a year and won't turn down a doughnut if you put it in front of me. (Honestly, I won't turn down much of anything if it shows up on a plate in front of me. I'm not picky like that. Some days, I just want to eat food that I don't have to cook, ya know?)

 I'd love to call this a fresh and healthy food site, but the truth is that I'm like Persephone; healthy half the year and the rest of the time, I'm down in the Underworld clutching a package of Milanos to my chest as I binge watch some BBC detective show.

We make all sorts of weird dishes, like lilac jelly. We'll try anything once!

 

In the summer I lean towards all fresh, all the time.

When the weather turns, my inner squirrel comes to the forefront and I try to eat my weight in sweet breads and stews.

Winter is all about cookies and casseroles.
                                        
And cakes.

Spring hits and I'm realizing my pants don't fit, so I'm back to healthy, lean eating.
                                                    
So, whatever you're looking for, there's a good chance you'll find it here!

 I was part of a recipe blog for five years (until I wandered to the Yucatan for an expended period) and these posts are mostly from my time there but I'll be adding new posts all the time. If you have any questions or recommendations, drop me a line and I'll see what I have. Thanks for joining me and enjoy!

Mini Pumpkin Tartlets-- Happy Fall, Y'All!

Hello, everybody!  I have a tasty recipe for Fall. I'm a fool for Fall. You know those people who love pumpkin spice everything? Yes? That's me. 

Sometimes I get out the spices and take a whiff of nutmeg or allspice just so I can pretend that cold weather is on the way! Not that I love cold weather, but it's just the season...

Crisp leaves. Frost in the morning. Dark clouds on the horizon. 

Fall is so.... dramatic. 

My writerly heart feels an affinity for the season that's not all sunshine and clear blue sky. 

The spices of fall. Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. (In this house, we call them "too much cloves" because I can't ever get the measurement right. There's none at all, and then way too much. We just accept that cloves will be "too much" in every dish.)

But before I begin, I have to say this little doggy makes me laugh. He rolls himself up in his favorite blankie when his person leaves him at home. Goodness gracious. Some people have emotional support animals. Our animal has an emotional support person. 

So! Let us begin. Two cups of crushed Nilla wafers, plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a dash of "too much cloves".

 Add a few TBS of melted butter and press into a pan.

 Oops, missed a picture but take a can of pure pumpkin puree and add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a dash of ginger. Mix well, then add four large eggs to it will bake together. Most recipes have condensed milk, but I have a child who is lactose intolerant so we skip that part. It gives the pie a less custardy feel, which I like, too.

 Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until done. I let the crusts brown too much but there you go. It's Friday and the 80th birthday of the publication of The Hobbit so we were watching the movie. I remember my dad reading me the series when I was younger than my youngest child, and now I've read the series to them. Bless you, J.R.R. Tolkien, and thank you for the gift of your stories!

 A latte with a dash of bittersweet chocolate is the perfect pairing...

 Happy Fall, everybody!!

 Leaving you with this fun picture I took of a sunflower in my kitchen. (See how the screen made little tiny squares on the leaves?) I hope you find something with pumpkin spice to enjoy, and a few cheerful flowers to brighten your day!

Fresh Crab Cakes on the Oregon Coast

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here with some pictures of our beach trip. I hate that we had to come back to 105+ weather. UGH. But, I just keep trying to remember that at least we have ice, unlike the pioneers. I can get a cold Diet coke with a lot of ice, instead of warm water from a canteen. Positive thinking, right?

 So, we went crabbing in Newport. $10 gets you a shellfish license for the season. Can you believe we were wearing light jackets?? *sigh*
                                                                
Hauling the traps up from the water builds muscles!!
                                                    
A Fish and Wildlife warden showed us the easiest way to pick them up. Here, Ana demonstrates her fearlessness.
                                         
I wondered if three large Dungeness would make enough patties for the nine of us...
                                
Time to get cracking!

 The boys went to work. My 12 year old is kind of squeamish and said, "No way, no how." But he didn't eat any, either, so that was fair, I guess.

 The three crabs gave about 1/2 lb of crab meat. I had a recipe that needed 1 lb, so I had to adjust a little.
3/4 cup mayonaise
5 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup panko crumbs, unseasoned
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
pepper and salt to taste

I like this recipe because it lets the flavor of the crab shine through, and it's not too overwhelming.
 

Fry on med high heat until golden on both sides. 

 Thank you, Mr. Dungeness, for your sacrifice!! You were delicious. :)

 

Until next time!!

Bacon Wrapped Rosemary Chicken

Hello, everybody!! Mary Jane here. I really struggled with what to call this dish. Was it Rosemary Chicken and Bacon over Pasta? Was it Bacon and Chicken with Rosemary? Was it Rosemary Pasta with Bacon and Chicken and Lemon??

 

In the end, I just threw some words up there. You get the general idea, which is that it's DELICIOUS. This is one of my favorite summertime dishes and we bring it to cook outs regularly.

 So, it's not hard to make but it does have quite a few steps.

1. Cut a chicken breast into strips. Season (we used a lemon pepper sprinkle.)
2. Wrap with bacon
3. Cook on a foil covered baking sheet at 400F until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is done- about twenty minutes. (I like my bacon crispy.)
4. While the bacon and chicken are cooking, boil the pasta.
5.Take a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and heat in a small pan with a few tbs of butter. Don't let it brown too much, just a little. Let it warm in the butter util fragrant.
6. Remove the bacon from the oven and set on paper towels to drain.
7. Toss the pasta with the rosemary butter. Add a few sprinkles of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I added about 1/4 tsp of pepper to ours because I like the lemon pepper combo.)

8. Place the bacon and chicken on the pasta. Add lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary. Enjoy!!

That's all for now!

Homemade Almond Milk Mango Chiller

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and I'm hiding in the Umatilla National Forest at the moment. Why? Well, look at this heat! My poor little dude in the reflection was trying to be happy about heading to the library for "slime night" but his red and sweaty face convinced me it was time to get out of Dodge! 

But before we did, we made some delicious chillers to cool down... And they were needed because my son was raising money for Scout Camp. 

 That included splitting wood and offering them with fire starters for $3. Great price because the wood was donated to him!

 The same person donated a lot of hen and chicks in flats, saying "if you can sell them, they're all yours". Of course we can! We hit the thrift stores and the cabinets for cute containers...

 I loved this little pail! We have so many craft supplies, we just added cute beads and rocks and such.

 And for the 4th of July, we made red, white, and blue!

 Aren't these cute? Perfect for those BBQ cook outs!
                                  
A friend donated a bunch of leftover wedding supplies. Aren't these cute!

 We sold almost everything we made, and all the firewood. Success! He made his goal for camp, AND enough for hiking boots and some other camping essentials. He mowed lawns for $10 ($5 for elderly, veterans and handicapped) and we met some very lovely people in our small town.
                                      
We did learn not to offer delivery. :) My suburban has a turning radius of 80 feet, it seems, and I tend to hit curbs. Lesson learned!

 OK, on to the recipe! Add two cups of slivered almonds and 4 cups of water in the blender.

 Pour over a tea towel. Let it drain, squeeze if necessary.

 It doesn't look like much, but with a 1.2 tsp of vanilla and some honey...

 Ta-dah! Almond milk with frozen mango slices, a little vanilla and honey to taste. I liked mine with mint. SO refreshing!

Ok, I hope everyone is staying cool! Until next time!