Do you love granola bars? I sure do. My favorite is honey nut granola bars as it is just so satisfying, tasty and filling. This particular granola bar has coconut, dark chocolate, pecans and oats covered in a generous serving of honey. In fact, it's my favorite thing to eat throughout the week. I...
I adore banana bread. It's this moist, rich, flavorful quick bread that brings happiness with each bite. However, I find it difficult to self-regulate the amount I should eat. Seriously can eat a whole loaf in a day if I'm not careful because it's just so amazing. And that is a lot of butter for...
If you like fruit, I highly recommend giving these zesty cranberry lemon muffins a try. They are tart and just sweet enough to make you feel like you are eating a dessert. Yet, they are balanced to be more hearty and filling than your ordinary sweet muffins. I chose to use dried cranberries for...
If you love dinner rolls but want to use whole wheat flour, this recipe is for you. Most don't think you can get an airy yeast roll just using whole wheat flour. I'm here to tell you that fluffy 100% whole wheat rolls is entirely possible if you have patience. Wheat flour takes a lot longer to...
Crispy crust baked potato with a pillowy soft center is what this gal dreams of at night. In fact, it's what I had for dinner tonight and there is something satisfying about hearing that knife crunch as it pierces the jacket of a well baked potato. This sounds like a basic recipe, but man, I have...
Everyone has a favorite baked macaroni and cheese. This one in particular is divine. Rich, full of flavor and gone in a blink of an eye. People have asked me for years for this recipe and are often surprised at its simplicity. It's really quite simple to remember how to make baked macaroni and...
If you want to learn to make a quick and easy cheese sauce, then this is the tutorial for you. If you noticed, we first learned how to make a roux, then country gravy, and finally white sauce. The next step would to be cheese sauce! Can you guess what is coming after? You'll have to stay tuned...
Once you learn to make a roux, you can make a white sauce or white gravy easily. It's simply a roux with more milk or cream added. This is a staple in French cooking and makes a lot of wonderful dishes like Alfredo, mac and cheese, gravy. It's also super easy to do. I basically think of it as a...
Country White Gravy is a staple in Appalachian cooking. Especially among the poorer folk as you can make a lot of it for pennies. There's a saying in my family: "You'll never go hungry with country white gravy." After browning meat in a pan, it is poured over hot biscuits and sometimes served with...
If you want to learn how to make a quick and easy roux, you are in luck! Traditionally, roux is a mixture of butter (fat) and flour in equal parts. You can replace the butter with oil for a more heart healthy approach, which I like to do. But for today, we will stick with tradition so you can...
This is a quick bread recipe that uses honey and brown sugar to sweeten as opposed to the traditional white sugar. A hint of spice is added to bring out the complexity of the honey. I highly recommend using a local honey if possible to enjoy what mother nature brings to the table.
A good pie crust will work with both sweet and savory dishes. Think quiche and apple pie. Both of these dishes need a hearty dough that won't fall apart nor detract from the flavor of the filling. They have fancy names overseas such as shortcrust pastry or pâte brisée. Here in the good ole' US of...
Sweet cinnamon dinner rolls are a happy accident. Inspired by the English Tea Cakes, I decided to try and make another version. But by changing just a few ingredients, I ended up with a soft, tender roll and less chewy bread. Basically, this is a cinnamon dinner roll and it is very delicious....
Now that you've learned how to make a basic sourdough loaf, how about making a sensational sourdough bread for beginners? This is a lean dough and lightly salted. If you like the traditional sourdough flavor, feel free to double that salt as it enhances the sourness. Also, for a lovely rich...
A vain baker will claim to make the best of everything. However, a wise one will learn a lesson in humility. The wise seek inspiration and also use recipes from others when they recognize talent. I started out with much vanity and quickly realized that baking will humble you. You only have to see...