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
Quick Breads
Chai Zucchini Quick Bread
I know that this Chai Zucchini Quick Bread might be a little surprising. In August, here in Upstate NY, we sometimes have no zucchini, because bad weather, and the bugs got to it. Or, more likely, we have a ton of zucchini. I'm not kidding - a literal ton. It's a lot, Consequently, thrifty people are looking for ways to make sure it doesn't go to waste, which is where zucchini bread often comes in. As I mentioned last week, there's an actual evening dedicated to unloading your ... Read More about Chai Zucchini Quick Bread
Orange Cardamom Muffins
Rewind: Orange Cardamom Muffins This is a re-post of an old recipe that never got enough love the first time around. I am working on moving content around to make it easier to find, and this is the start of the project - so enjoy! We are drunk on oranges around here these days. I just can't resist the huge bags of them in the supermarket, and once they are in the house, we go through them like wildfire. Hey - you need that extra vitamin C this time of year, to ward off the multitude of ... Read More about Orange Cardamom Muffins
Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts and Raisins
{Or plain old Pumpkin Bread if you prefer!} If you're like me, you are deep in the midst of last minute Christmas prep, and not really looking for one more thing to do. Or maybe, even more like me, you are near the end of Christmas prep, because you're leaving in a few days, and you realize you are short a few baked gifts for the neighborhood? Yup - that. And then, you suddenly realize that you have never posted your favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe on the blog. Say whaaa? So, even though I just ... Read More about Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts and Raisins
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
Lemony Carrot Muffins
We are getting this first snow of the year as I am writing this today. Just some flurries, and I doubt we will see much in the way of accumulation, but still. The day it first snows is not my favorite day of the year. I do like getting back into baking mode though. Also soup, casserole, stew, roast and chili modes are pretty great. And I am really enjoying being back in bread baking mode! So, in keeping with taking my blessings as they come, we had some rather over enthusiastic carrots left in ... Read More about Lemony Carrot Muffins
Zucchini Oat Bread
As is always the case, October is roaring in and establishing very rapidly that summer is over. Done, fini, a time remembered, rather than lived in presently. No frosts yet, though that might change before this week is out. Still, there is no denying that we are pretty much done gardening for the year. We finished up Farmer's Market last week, and it was kind of sad to put everything away till next May or June when we begin again. We still have a row of beans that are in full blossom, and they ... Read More about Zucchini Oat Bread
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
Cranberry Eggnog Bread
We are having some really difficult days in our family right now. I don't talk a lot about day to day events here on the blog, but I have been so absent here lately, and events have kind of overwhelmed us, so I thought I would share a little bit. Late last year, Larry's youngest sister, Janet began to experience some changes in how she was feeling. A lack of energy and just not feeling like herself. In the last couple weeks it has been discovered that she has a very aggressive form of cancer, ... Read More about Cranberry Eggnog Bread
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
Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
Plus - you can win a 5qt Artisan Series KitchenAid Mixer! After a weirdly spring-like summer, we've been having a weirdly summer-like fall. The weather feels confusing to us, but the garden seems to know what to do. Like grow pumpkins. But they aren't ripe enough to cook with yet, and I had a can of pumpkin left from earlier in the year, so I made these fabulous Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts with canned pumpkin. In a couple weeks, I will be doing a post dedicated to the cooking of fresh pumpkins, but ... Read More about Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts
Homemade Corn Tortillas
You might wonder why I would be posting a recipe for Homemade Corn Tortillas in the first place. There is nothing new about this recipe - it's the same recipe that many people have enjoyed, probably for centuries. It's a method of long standing because it works so well. And being decidedly gringo, from Upstate NY, it's not like I have a long family tradition behind me. We didn't sit around the dinner table, sopping up bowls of spicy pinto beans with soft tender homemade corn tortillas. Nope. ... Read More about Homemade Corn Tortillas