Take Advantage of Late-season Corn It's late summer here in Upstate NY, and the end-of-season sweet corn is just coming into its own. Typically, the best corn of the year is the last to ripen, and that is what we have right now. It's amazing no matter how you prepare it. We love Fresh Corn Fritters which are a more savory dish than these Sweet Corn Pancakes. My husband is particularly fond of pancakes with corn in them, maybe because sweet corn was a big crop when he was growing up on his ... Read More about Sweet Corn Pancakes
Breakfast
Applesauce Quick Bread
Though the main part of my food preservation season is winding down, there are still a few things left to do. [Like make Applesauce Quick Bread, which we'll get to in just a moment!] We have apple trees, but don't get many apples from them, so it's fortunate that we can find a lot of them locally. This time of year, apples are a very good buy, since a lot of seasonal places are looking to get rid of what they have before closing for the season. No fall is complete without a trip to our older ... Read More about Applesauce Quick Bread
Veggie Frittata
An easy weeknight meal! When you have a lot of chickens, a meal made from eggs is a no-brainer. Though there are times when our customers run us right out of eggs, usually we have a dozen or two in the fridge. And the rest of the ingredients are things most people probably always have on hand. And if you don't? Or maybe your family doesn't like the veggies in the recipe? That is not a problem - you can switch just about everything in here around to suit your taste, and what you have on hand. ... Read More about Veggie Frittata
Homemade Greek Yogurt
I love yogurt, especially Greek yogurt. Thick, creamy, rich - yum. And, it's really good for your tummy. This is particularly true if you make your own yogurt - just start with the most natural kind you can find to get your yogurt making started. Once you have a good batch done, you have all the starter you need for future batches, because you use some from the previous batch to get the next one going*. I started my current batch with yogurt I bought from the Farmer's Market, from a small, local ... Read More about Homemade Greek Yogurt
Raspberry Preserves {no pectin recipe}
It has been a mighty busy summer around here. A good busy though. In addition to having a bigger garden and selling at the Farmer's Market, we found a new church that we are trying, I got into essential oils [okay, that should probably say I became instantly obsessed with essential oils!] and now, any day, we expect to be called suddenly to drive 3 hours south to watch our granddaughter while her little brother gets born! I am trying to get everything from the garden put up for winter in between ... Read More about Raspberry Preserves {no pectin recipe}
Easy Citrus Jam
I'm a little late getting this recipe posted, but it is definitely not too late to make it yourself! There is still plenty of fresh citrus in the stores this spring, and you can change up what you use to suit what you can find. I wanted to get this posted before I left to spend a week in Arizona with my folks, sister and brothers, but as so often happens, time got away from me and I am not getting to until now. I hope it's right on time for you though! This time of year, you may find that your ... Read More about Easy Citrus Jam
Soft Cornmeal Muffins
It has been quite a winter around here, and I would be lying if I said it has been an easy one to get through. Not because of the weather - we live where we expect the winters to be fierce and getting a bad one is no reason for sniveling. I will tell you that as I am writing this on March 13th, there are still several feet of snow everywhere around us, and not a single bare patch anywhere in the yard. Even the chickens refuse to range, preferring to sit in the doorway and peer out on the ... Read More about Soft Cornmeal Muffins
Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
I actually made this a few weeks ago, after yet another family visit that left behind the remains of a bunch of bananas. Neither of us is at all fond of eating fresh bananas, particularly ones that are getting past their prime. On the other hand, such bananas are just reaching the perfect stage for baking, and we are both big fans of baked stuff with bananas. And if your grandkids happen to leave behind some nearly-overripe bananas and you don't feel like baking with them right away, did you ... Read More about Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
Apple Ginger Green Smoothie
It is just the beginning of apple season here in Upstate NY. I know that a lot of people think only of the city when they hear the words "New York", but here where we live, there are way more cows than there are people, and LOTS of apples. NY is the second largest producer of apples in the United States, and we live just on the edge of the Finger Lakes, which is the most prolific apple growing part of the state. So - we got apples! There will no doubt be plenty of apple recipes appearing here ... Read More about Apple Ginger Green Smoothie
Greens & Nectarines Protein Smoothie
Breakfast has always been kind of a problem for me. As is the case with all good Moms, mine wanted us to all have a nutritious breakfast before going off to school. Sometimes that meant eggs, which I liked, but often it meant oatmeal which I didn't like at all. To my way of thinking, Mom giving us oatmeal was a terrible injustice, since she wouldn't touch it herself. My aversion to breakfast, which persists to this day, was not Mom's fault though. It just comes too early for me - I really only ... Read More about Greens & Nectarines Protein Smoothie
Berry Blast Almond Smoothie
I hope that you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday weekend. And also that you had some time to send up a prayer or thought of thankfulness for those who have made sacrifices for our country. We are feeling just a tad anxious around here, because our younger daughter and her husband will be welcoming their new daughter any day now. The whole family is anticipating her arrival and our chance to get our hands on a new baby - it has been nearly 6 years since the last grandkid was born, so we ... Read More about Berry Blast Almond Smoothie
Twice Baked Oven Home Fries
In my little hometown, back when we were in the last couple years of high school, and when we were all back home on college breaks, they still rolled up the streets by 7 or 8:00PM. If we got the munchies after dark, the only option was to run the 5 or so miles up the highway to "The Truckstop", which never closed. It was about the sort of place you might expect, with an interesting assortment of traffic coming off the highway, and a roughly equal number of locals. The truckers and other ... Read More about Twice Baked Oven Home Fries