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If you follow Never Say Die Beauty, you know that I love picking fruit and enjoy making my own jam. I’ve written about making strawberry and blueberry jams in the past. But one thing that has often bugged me about my strawberry (and peach) jam is that because strawberries are a fruit that are low in natural pectin, …
Let’s take a break from skincare and makeup and BAKE! I believe that I’ve mentioned that I bake my own bread about 90% of the time. I actually enjoy it. It’s relaxing to work with dough, IMHO. I often alternate between “almost no knead” breads whose dough sits overnight so the gluten develops overtime and …
It’s my turn to host my book club this month, and the host serves dinner. So I started thinking about possible menus for what could be a warm or even hot summer night. One of the members of the group really likes my guacamole, so I know I’ll make that as one of the appetizers. …
For the holidays, Jeff’s daughters gave us a Groupon experience: a sushi-making class at a Japanese restaurant on Newbury Street in Boston. Because the Groupon was about to expire, we got our act together and made a reservation for our class. Jeff called to find out how long the class lasted, and he was told 30 …
I know, most people probably think why bother to make your own marshmallows when you can buy a big bag at the supermarket. But let me tell you, there is such a difference in the taste and the consistency of homemade versus store-bought marshmallows. They are two different creatures. And once you’ve had homemade marshmallows, you’ll …
My kitchen is sooooo sticky right now. I’ve been making little holiday treats, and they involve a lot of sugar! My friend Bob is 94. When you get to be 94, there aren’t many things that you need. So it’s always a dilemma figuring out what little gift to give Bob. But he loves orange …
As I’ve said before, I am mostly a scratch cook. I enjoy cooking most of the time. But one night a week, usually Monday or another night if I have a meeting, I give myself a break from making a completely from scratch meal, and I treat myself to a delicious and easy Barber Foods …
I have the good fortune to live near an incredible handmade artisan chocolatier, Harbor Sweets. I’m not sure how I discovered Harbor Sweets, started in 1973 and located in historic Salem MA in a neighborhood not far from where my Great-Aunt Ida used to live many years ago. I have visited Harbors Sweets headquarters several times. …
Tonight, I’m hosting my book club and that means making dinner for the group. That put me in mind to do a cooking post today. No, I’m not making a Dutch baby for dinner, but I suppose I could. I’m making chicken with mole sauce, but I’ll leave that recipe for another day. Chris, my …
We’re going to our friends’ home in the neighborhood tomorrow. The main dish that Laura is making is brisket, my favorite meat. I’m bring a potato kugel and carrot soufflé. It sounds more like a meal for Passover or Rosh Hashona than Christmas, but that’s probably because the guests and the hosts are of different …
Although I cook from scratch many nights, sometimes I employ delicious short-cuts paired with from scratch dishes to make an easy, but still memorable and yummy meal. This past winter, my favorite supermarket was sampling a new brand of artisan-style, thin crust pizza, Bon Appetit. I sampled a couple of the different varieties and liked …
Last month, Jeff and I went to a nearby farm to pick strawberries. Because I knew I’d be squatting to pick berries, I didn’t bring my phone with me so I have no photos of the beautiful fields of green plants with red berries. Oh well. I picked 2 quarts of strawberries to use for …
It’s almost summer, and no one is looking for more opportunities to bake! I know, I know. But I’ve been baking my own bread every week for about 5 years. I think I’ve bought a loaf of bread maybe 3 times since I started seriously baking bread. It takes no time, it’s much cheaper than …
This was the toughest winter since I moved to my small town, up here on the hill two miles from the ocean. It was freezing, windy, anything but comfortable. Over a four week period, we got more than 10 feet of snow. Every day, I’d bundle up, head outdoors and shovel for 2-3 hours. Good exercise, but it got …
Just for a change of pace, I thought I’d share an easy recipe for frico or Itallian parmesan crisps. A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my book club and that means making dinner for a group. One of our members is gluten-free, so I am often on the lookout for recipes without gluten or …