Here in California we are under a statewide Shelter in Place directive. There’s only so much house cleaning I can do to pass the time. So now it’s on to baking. I decided to bake some treats for my elderly mother and her neighbors and make little treat boxes for them. These carrot  cake cupcakes were one of the items I made for them. CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS: 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil ..read more

My son gave me an  air fryer last Christmas. I was skeptical about using it. But it turns out to be a convenient tool. I use it frequently instead of using my oven or dealing with deep frying oil splatters on my person. I started with the usual, frozen fries and egg rolls.  But now I’ve ventured out to actually making recipes with the air fryer. Today’s test is crispy air fryer tofu. I made a simple marinade for this. Next time I will make a sauce to pour over these. But I set out to make crispy tofu and I would say the air fryer did it’s job well.  Keep in mind, I have a large 5.8 quart air ..read more

Hello everyone! I hope this new year brings you much happiness. I’ve been taking it so easy these days that I almost missed posting a recipe for this month! I made these shortbread cookies for part of my annual holiday cookies and fudge gift boxes last month. But you don’t need a special occasion to make these. Any day is a good day for cookies! This recipe makes 24 cookies. INGREDIENTS: 2 cups all purpose flour 2 sticks butter (softened to room temperature) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350F de ..read more

When you have a big family dinner planned it’s hard to give all your dishes your full attention. So take help where you can, and go the semi homade route. This quick recipe is an excellent side dish and if you substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock it can be vegetarian too. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 stick of butter or 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 2 stalks of celery, chopped 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped 1 red or yellow onion, chooped 1 package  (6 ounces) Ocean Spray Craisins® (dried cranberries) 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 package (14 ounces) Pepperidge Farm ..read more

Rejoice chocoholics! Have I got a cupcake for you! I’ll give you the scratch recipe, but feel free to go the semi homade route and start with your favorite box of chocolate cake mix.  The frosting is made with all the extra help you can get. So no judgements made here. These are great to share with your friends, families or co workers. The holidays are coming up, make a batch for your next holiday party. CAKE INGREDIENTS: 2cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup hot c ..read more

    My favorite cooking shows to watch when I was growing up were “30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray” and “Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee.”  These ladies taught me to cook meals quicker and to use ready made help to make recipes easier. To this day I still like to incorporate concepts I learned from these cooks. INGREDIENTS: 1 pound of lean ground beef 1/2 large onion, diced 16 ounces of nacho cheese sauce 1 cup fresh or frozen peas, defrosted if frozen 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, defrosted if frozen 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese 1 28 ounce bag Ore Ida fr ..read more

After weeks of health issues and doctor and specialists appointments, I just want to think about something else. ANYTHING else. These days, I have been making easy recipes. Some are so embarrassingly easy I just can’t get the nerve to post them on this blog. This recipe is probably one of them. Don’t be too hard on me. Remember, I’ve not been well lately. INGREDIENTS: 2 cups long grain rice 1 can cream of chicken 1 can cream of mushroom 1 empty soup can of water 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts salt and pepper 1 pack Lipton onion sou ..read more

I don’t like to deep fry foods. I mean, I like to eat deep fried foods. I just don’t like dealing with the all that oil splattering and the clean up afterwards. And also, I’m a bad luck magnet. If you can get burned or cut or hurt by something, 8 out of 10 times I will be that person. This is as close to deep frying as I get by skillet or pan frying foods. So for those of you who were wondering why I didn’t deep fry my chicken for this recipe, now you know. INGREDIENTS: 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized ..read more

It’s officially summer over here. When it gets over 100 degrees I don’t want to do anything but lay under the ceiling fan and melt until the air conditioner gets going. Needless to say, I sure don’t want to be cooking in a hot kitchen. That’s where my crock pot comes in handy. Let it do all the work and I get all the credit. I’d say that’s a big win. INGREDIENTS: 3-4 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast 1/3 cup Hoisin sauce (found in your grocery store international aisle) 1 cup fresh or canned pineapple, mashed 2 cups chicken stock DIRECTIONS: Place pork roast in crock pot. Cover roast in the Ho ..read more

I remember when my dad  was in the hospital, he used to say how much he liked their food. And I would think to myself, “Must be the drugs they gave him.” I recently spent four days in the same hospital my dad stayed. So I got to eat quite a few of the same meals there myself. None of my meals were outstanding or deserved rave reviews like my dad gave them. But the one thing they had in common was they were comforting. Comfort foods, like meatloaf and mashed potatoes or roasted chicken.  Foods that made you feel better being alone in a strange place and stuck in a strange bed for whatever scar ..read more