Spring Recipes
Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup
All the flavor of the classic Irish dish in soul-warming soup form. Easy, satisfying, and leftovers are a treat! I was jinxed! The very same day a friend asked me if I had ever made something that flat-out flopped, it happened. Usually, my kitchen disasters hinge on my general clumsiness, like dropped salad bowls…
Absolutely Famous Greek Dressing and Marinade
When I look through my ever-growing list of recipes, I notice quite a few that are modeled after memorable restaurant meals or frequently used store-bought products. In an effort to save money or control ingredients, readers sometimes ask if I can replicate items that they like to eat. Recent requests are as varied as belVita…
Strawberry Chicken Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Easy jam jar dressing and candied walnuts add amazing flavor to this crisp, fresh plate. Leftover chicken makes it a satisfying, complete meal. Friends and family provide some of the best recipe feedback, which often steers me towards sharing a particular dish sooner than later–or in some cases, going back to the drawing board.…
Amish Baked Oatmeal
This wholesome family favorite can be prepared in advance and tastes a lot like a cinnamon oatmeal cookie. I typically take a minimalist approach, but the recipe is easy to customize through the addition of raisins, nuts, etc. Twenty years ago, when baked oatmeal was hardly a blip on anyoneโs breakfast radar, a friend…
Black Bean Dip (or Salsa or Salad)
Enjoy this easy, endlessly versatile recipe as a dip with chips, a salsa for fish or chicken, a super-simple salad, or the foundation of a healthy, plant-based meal. Perfect for a potluck and can be prepared up to a day in advance! Amidst all my experimenting with new recipes, this simple…
Beer Margaritas
This unconventional recipe makes a large pitcherful and tastes like the best version of the classic drink. Leftovers freeze well and become slushy-like! Cinco de Mayo is the perfect reason to enjoy a favorite Mexican meal, but what exactly is the holiday all about? Cinco de Mayoโthe fifth of Mayโcommemorates the Mexican armyโs 1862…
Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Asparagus
For added convenience, these pretty little bundles of savory deliciousness may be wrapped several hours in advance. Simply cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. In the final months of my second pregnancy, my legs were swollen to a rather extreme degree. My friendsโand sometimes strangersโoften noticed and offered advice based on personal…
Beef Pot Roast
Thereโs something special about the aroma of a roast as it slowly cooks to fork-tender perfection. The savory smell is homey, comforting, and makes me want to curl up on the sofa with a good book. Curiously, I recently read that oneโs sense of smell accounts for 75 to 95 percent of a foodโs perceived…
5-Ingredient Tropical Green Smoothie
I was skeptical. I purchase fresh spinach in a 5-ounce box, and the thought of putting all of it into a single smoothie recipe seemed…well…excessive. But in the name of helping a friend, I gamely tried this recipe. Ally Phillips, cookbook author, blogger, and longtime friend in food, was looking for a little assistance as…
Aunt Glennaโs Flourless Fudge Pie
Certain days are easy to remember. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, and Motherโs Day is the second Sunday in May. For my family, thereโs another annual occurrence penned in our family calendar for the Sunday before Thanksgiving–The Apple Pie Auction & Variety Show. First Presbyterian of Lancasterโour family churchโhosts the evening in the…
5-Ingredient No-Churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Pure vanilla flavor shines in this no-churn ice cream recipe that’s as fun to make as it is to eatโand no fancy ice cream maker is required. I can still picture my grandfather packing rock salt into the barrel of his old ice cream maker when I was a kid. My sister and I…
Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
Four simple ingredients come together with ease in this vibrant sauce that adds sweet and tangy flavor to yogurt, oatmeal, vanilla ice cream, pound cake, and more. Or enjoy it by the spoonful–just like applesauce. Freezes well too. For many years, my maternal great-grandmother taught in a one-room Amish schoolhouse. That meant teaching all…
