Fine vanilla, indeed. How about the best in the world? If you ever watch Ina Garten’s cooking show, “The Barefoot Contessa” on the Food Network, you know that she always tells us to only use “good vanilla” in our cooking and baking, then procedes to pick up a bottle of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla. That’s because she knows […]
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Rye Flour from Grandma Vanni – and our Newfound Relative
The very stern-looking couple is my husband Bill’s grandparents from Finland. Did anyone ever smile in those old photographs? Grandma Vanni, then known as Josefiina Pitkaranta, came to America from Finland via Ellis Island, by herself, when she was only nineteen years old. It sounds so young, yet Grandma Vanni was known to have been one tough cookie. She eventually […]
It’s Not Too Early to Think about Thanksgiving
Seeing Christmas decorations in the stores in September drives me nuts, but somehow thinking of Thanksgiving dishes in October seems okay. I love planning for Thanksgiving, whether I am having a huge crowd or just the four of us. There are many traditional dishes I always make no matter what, like the dinner rolls my […]
Recipes to Die For
I love Patricia Cornwell books and her crime-solving extraordinaire character, Kay Scarpetta. I have read them all and always loved how Kay was passionate about cooking, even in the midst of solving crimes of every kind. While reading them, I remember thinking, she should write a cookbook; then remembered Kay was only a character! So […]
Small Screen Cuisine
This fascinating book is not just for foodies, but also for anyone interested in American popular culture of food as entertainment. I can’t even begin to touch on all the information in this book. You will just have to buy it and see what I mean. You won’t be able to put it down. Starting with […]
It’s Time for Another Box ‘O Books Give-Away!!
Okay, my dear readers. You all blew me away with all the Disney Give-Away entries I received. The world loves anything Disney, that’s for sure!! Thank you to everyone who entered. Congratulations to Valerie S. from Rhode Island who won the first give-away with the Disney cookbook package, and to Julie P. from Florida who […]
A Recipe from the Epcot Food and Wine Festival Cookbook
One of our hosts, and cookbook author, Pam Brandon, told us that one of the most popular dishes of the Epcot festival is the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, which is in Pam’s fabulous cookbook of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. This book is a keeper! So many great recipes! CANADIAN CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP […]
Day Three of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: Now it’s Time to Say Good-bye, to All our Company…
Day three of the festival begins with breakfast at Kouzzina by Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame, at Disney’s Boardwalk, a short stroll from our hotel. After a tasty breakfast, we were given tickets and wrist bands for the upcoming day and evening events, then headed out to a cheese and wine seminar, with Max McCalman of artisanalcheese.com. […]
