Enjoy these delicious Rhubarb Strawberry Scones for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.

When my kids were little, they would try to eat rhubarb stalks like celery. One bite of those tart stalks told them they had made a mistake. Rhubarb is best when you cook it with something sweet to balance out that oh-so-tart-taste. Mixing it with fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries, is a perfect combination. Recently, I was looking for something to bake for a breakfast treat and cameRead More →

Three cookies from a white cake mix on a plate.

I’m at it again. Baking a variety of cookies for my family this Christmas. I love to bake and the holiday season is my excuse to make some of my family’s favorites. Each year I make a variety of cookies for the annual cookie tray. And I like to experiment with easy recipes. This year I am working on 3 cookies from a white cake mix. Last year I madeRead More →

Autumn apples setting in a basket after harvest.

Do you have a special recipe that you make every year?  One that your friends and family can’t wait for?  I have several seasonal recipes I make that my family looks forward to.  One of those recipes is the Pumpkin Cranberry Bread.  Another of my seasonal recipes is Crockpot Apple Butter. Related:  Pumpkin Cranberry Bread I have been making apple butter for a number of years.  I gather the wildRead More →

Colandar of elderberries on a table.

I’ve talked about my love of gathering natural materials to use in my home decor.  Another thing that I like to do is forage for edibles.  I am not talking about eating plant stalks and roots.  I am talking about real foods like blackberries, apples and elderberries.  I use them to make delicious food such as Blackberry Syrup and Apple Crisp.  I gather the Elderberries each year to make aRead More →

Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding with whipped cream

Today I’m doing a mash up of two of my favorite foods…pumpkin pie and bread pudding.  I enjoy pumpkin pie so much but I am trying to hold off on making one because maybe I enjoy it a little too much.  And bread pudding is a favorite breakfast item around here.  It’s such a great comfort food.  So the blending of the 2 becomes the best Pumpkin Pie Bread PuddingRead More →

A waffle topped with simple blackberry syrup and whipped cream

Our cabin sits at a lower elevation in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Washington.  And right now it’s blackberry season.  So when we go to the cabin I like to pick a bowlful to use in my meals. Our particular type of blackberry is not the plump variety that you get in stores.  It’s a seedier variety that is okay if eaten fresh.  But just try to bake with itRead More →

Sliced Raspberry Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

Have you noticed that I frequently make fun of my zucchini.  I really do enjoy eating and cooking with the zucchini that we grow in our garden.  It’s just that zucchini can get out of control so quickly if you miss a day or two in picking it. We do regularly eat the zucchini from our garden.  My go to methods of cooking zucchini include sauteing it in a littleRead More →

Pavlova with Peaches and Cream on a plate with fresh peaches at hand.

Pavlova is an unassuming dessert.  It is simple to make and it looks so plain by itself.  But add a luscious fruit topping and you end up with something wonderful!  If you bake the Pavlova correctly, the outside will be crispy while the inside will be marshmallow soft.  Then cover it with whipped cream and fresh summer peaches for a sensational dessert. The Pavlova only takes a few ingredients toRead More →

One thing that I love about gardening is the ebb and flow of the produce.  Spring in the garden brings you peas, asparagus and rhubarb.  When we move into early summer we begin to see apricots, beans and lots of leafy greens.  As the summer progresses it’s time to harvest raspberries, tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers.  Did I mention zucchini?  Lots and lots of zucchini.  That’s for another day.  Today isRead More →

A pan of Apricot Cobbler with a bucket of fresh apricots.

It’s almost apricot season.  These seasonal little gems are such an wonderful treat.  But they come and go fast.  You can find them at the grocery store all summer long, but if you are growing them in your backyard once they start to ripen, they need to be picked daily so as not to become over-ripe.  And then you can make Easy Apricot Cobbler. We didn’t always have an apricotRead More →