Hooked on Homemade Yogurt

After college, I traveled abroad, landing in the little-known Mediterranean capital of Tirana, Albania. There, I lived with a lovely, tiny woman who cooked all the time — in a kitchen the size of a closet, with electrical power that was spotty at best. And yet, her food was wonderful — layers of phyllo dough, richContinue reading “Hooked on Homemade Yogurt”

Even Better Than the Original Chex Mix

My mother is an incredibly generous cook. When I was growing up, I swear at least once a week she made her signature Tollhouse Cookies to give away. At Christmastime, our kitchen became a veritable cookie factory. These days, she lives 3,000 miles away. But when she flies in, she always arrives with a batchContinue reading “Even Better Than the Original Chex Mix”

Harvest Trail Mix

We all need snacks, right? Something to get us through an afternoon slump or the mid-morning tummy growlings. But we also all know that helping ourselves to the doughnut tray or seeking out a Snickers isn’t really the way to go. Enter: trail mix. With an investment of just a few minutes, anyone can stirContinue reading “Harvest Trail Mix”

Carrot-Chip Sheet Cake

Some of my kids’ favorite muffins are chock full of carrots, pineapple and coconut. So it stands to reason that they’d like carrots in their desserts, too. This recipe is one part sheet cake, one part quick bread. It’s carrot cake without the cream cheese icing. Any way you slice it, though, it’s all around delicious. MakesContinue reading “Carrot-Chip Sheet Cake”

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

I was looking for something to complement a fall soup when I came across this keeper. It instantly appealed: the pumpkin would add moisture to the cornbread and the corn meal would temper the sometimes-too-sweet of the pumpkin. Which is exactly how they came together. Toss in the honey for a more flavorful, healthful sweetener. Use a gluten-free flourContinue reading “Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins”

Honey Oatmeal Ricotta Muffins

So, I’ve been on this honey kick lately, appreciating the myriad varieties of local honey and stirring up recipes using honey in the most interesting of ways. Last week, I posted how-tos for Touch of Honey Granola, Honey-Curry Chicken Breasts and Corn Fritters with Honey Bacon Drizzle. I’ve got one more honey recipe to share with you until IContinue reading “Honey Oatmeal Ricotta Muffins”

Touch of Honey Granola

As good as oats and nuts and cinnamon and coconut are, the not-so-secret ingredient that makes this granola the one you’ll keep coming back to is the honey. The golden elixir that’s been wooing eaters for millennia plays a starring role in this dish, expertly blending so many flavors, subtly sweetening this long list of ingredients withoutContinue reading “Touch of Honey Granola”

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

We all love oatmeal cookies at our house — the combination of chewy and crunchy, sweet and hearty. But raisins? Well, not so much. Some of us like raisins. Others prefer chocolate chips and after years of splitting my batch and making separate stacks of two different versions every time I made oatmeal cookies, IContinue reading “Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies”

Morning Glory Muffins

I’m a big muffin maker so I keep my eyes peeled for new and interesting baked goods options, and I’ve recently seen so many takes on this. While I’ve stirred up my share of carrot sheet cake and pumpkin bread, I had never tried a morning glory muffin before. So of course I got right down to recipeContinue reading “Morning Glory Muffins”

Cornmeal Blueberry Scones

Scones are not as popular as muffins in my kitchen, but they’re a close second. Straight from the oven, these biscuit-like drop scones make a tasty, hearty breakfast — with just a touch of sweet. Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Garden Makes 12 scones. Ingredients 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup cornmealContinue reading “Cornmeal Blueberry Scones”