Monday, June 15, 2026
My Favorite Waffles
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Baked Ziti
3 cups uncooked Ziti or Penne
4-5 Italian sausages casings removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion chopped
*** Spaghetti sauce from Testa Dura sauce post **** or your own sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
4 slices of provolone
1/4 of a bunch of spinach
1 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
fresh basil
Boil ziti or penne until almost done (since it will cook more in the oven)
Over Medium heat in a saucepan brown the sausage. Add garlic and onion stirring until fragrant and soft. (5 minutes) Drain the fat from the pan. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and spinach and simmer 15 minutes.Stir in the soiur cream and remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 1 quart baking dish. Put half noodles in the bottom, then the provolone, and half the other cheeses. Pour half the sauce over top getting the edges. put the rest of the noodles, rest sauce and top with remaining cheese.Cover and Bake for 20 minutes, then take lid off and cook another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and fresh basil, Serve. 4 portions.
Thankyou Christine Ha (recipes from my home Kitchen cookbook)
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Unorthodox Shepard's Pie **Sweet Revenge**
I've been reading Diane's novels, and they are full of great food and she's always cooking while she solves crime. Hence I am always hungry reading her books. SO I decided to try one of the recipes, since I usually cook Italian I had never made Shepard's pie, or commonly called Cottage pie when you use beef instead of lamb. And I don't like lamb so I have eaten Cottage pie all me childhood years and never knew what it was called lol.
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups onions chopped
1 cup carrots chopped
2 cups celery chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbles
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary crumbled or ground
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon grated black pepper
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup frozen corn
4.5 pounds russet potatoes
1.5 cups half and half
1 cup Gruyere cheese grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
additional salt to taste
additional pepper to taste
2 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 stick) cut into bits
paprika
In a very large saute pan, saute the ground beef, onions, celery and carrots in the oil over medium heat until the beef is browned and the vegetables limp. Add the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture begins to bubble. Slowly add the chicken stock. Stir until completely combined, then stir in the thyme, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the mixture is bubbling and thickened. Stir in the peas and corn and set aside.
Bring a large quantity of salted water to boiling. Peel the potatoes and drop them into the water. Cook about 40-45 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the half and half until steaming, but not boiling.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a lasagne pan.
Remove the potatoes from the heat, drain and place them in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Begin to beat the potatoes on low speed, slowly adding the additional salt and pepper.
Place the beef mixture in the pan. Place the potatoes on top of the beef. Scatter the butter bits on the potatoes and sprinkle generously with paprika.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and the pies are heated thru.
Makes 8 servings.
(Diane Mott Davidson mystery novel Sweet Revenge)
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Gone all day Beef Stew
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Carrot Ribbon Salad
Maddie sent me this this Tik Tok link for Carrot Ribbon Salad. Maddie said it was yummy so I had to try! She was right :-)10-12 carrots1/8 teaspoon crushed garlic1 TBLSP sesame seeds2 TBLSP soy sauce3 TBLSP rice wine vinegar2 TBLSP sesame oil1/8 teaspoon chili pepper flakesUse a peeler to make your carrot ribbons ( slices) I placed the carrot on a cutting board and sliced again and again without turning the carrot so I got nice thick slicesthe dry ingredients was a sprinkling and the liquids were once around the bowl? hope that makes sense there were no measurements in the videoit's better after one - days :-)
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Bernadin's Kosher-style pickles

Sunday, January 31, 2021
The Real Pecan Pie
Thanks to Sally's Baking Addiction for this wonderful and extremely easy Pecan pie recipe!
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/my-favorite-pecan-pie-recipe/
- 2 and 1/2 cups (250g) shelled pecans (pecan halves)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) dark corn syrup*
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon





