Kitchen Parade

Peach-Pie Pudding: It’s Peach Pie Without the Crust

2025-08-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hooray for summer shortcuts! Who else is happy to save both time and calories? Yes? I thought maybe so. That means Peach-Pie Pudding (say that three times!) is for you. It's all the glory that is summer’s very best peach pie, except without the crust. (Added benefit? And without turning on the oven.)

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared with Just Ripe Peaches and Five Pantry Ingredients. Little Effort, Big Reward. Beautiful Color! Extra Welcome When "Supper's a Little Skimpy". Not just easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Easy DIY. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian, Easily Converted to Vegan. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp & Kisses of Honey and Lime

2025-07-15T19:50:00.000-05:00

Say hello to one of my favorite summer soups! All its ingredients are familiar, but they combine to produce something unusual and surprising and remarkable. While the soup is indeed wonderful warm, for me it's a summer soup to serve chilled, a seasonally sensual choice. For all of us who love corn chowder? This is worthy of our next spoonful ...

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared. Real Food, Fresh & Inventive. Little Effort, Big Reward. Familiar Ingredients In an Unusual Combination. A Long-Time Family Favorite. A Summer Classic. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Low Fat. High Protein. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos with Veggies & Black Beans

2025-07-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

Let’s talk tacos, the slow cooker kind — the kind that makes your kitchen smell like you’ve been cooking all day (because, well, you sort of have). These shredded beef tacos are rich, deeply spiced and wildly tender, thanks to a hands-off braise that does all the heavy lifting. The beef practically begs to be tucked into warm tortillas with sautéed vegetables and black beans plus your favorite taco toppings. It’s weeknight-friendly, weekend-worthy. Around here, it’s slow cooker meal prep that's earned a permanent spot in the recipe rotation.

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared. Little Effort, Big Reward. A Long-Time Family Favorite & Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. A New Addition to Slow Cooker & Oven Slow-Cooking Recipes for either a traditional slow cooker or the oven (my favorite). Great for Meal Prep. Potluck & Party & Kid Friendly. Low Carb. Low Fat. High Protein. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Blueberry Cake

2025-07-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

A simple rustic cake dolloped with gently cooked fresh blueberries that turn thick and jammy in the oven. It's everything you want in a summer sweet — tender, buttery, studded with an entire pound of berries. It’s the kind of cake that disappears quickly every time, easy to make, even easier to love. But here's the thing ... what to call it? There are so-so many old-fashioned blueberry cakes, many with funny names. What should I call mine? Spoiler Alert: I'm going with the not-so-clever but unfussy "Blueberry Cake" for a cake that just might knock your ~~blueberry bucket over~~ socks off.

Approachable, Memorable Homestyle Baking, Little Effort, Big Reward. Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Beautiful Color! No Mixer Required, On the Table in An Hour. Extra Welcome When "Supper's a Little Skimpy". A Summer Classic. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Easy DIY. Rave Reviews. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers

2025-06-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

So simple! Just smoked salmon on a bed of barely tangy pickled cucumbers that not only "looks" cool, you'll barely break a sweat assembling the handful of ingredients onto plates. Stay cool, people, stay cool!

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food, Little Effort, Big Reward. Beautiful Color! Mere Minutes to the Table. Another Quick Supper, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Not just easy, Summer Easy. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two. Low Carb. Low Fat. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Strawberry Ice Cream

2025-06-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

A no-cook strawberry ice cream with big-big strawberry flavor and pretty-pretty pink color. Make it with ripe strawberries from the supermarket or if you're lucky, precious homegrown strawberries. (Frozen strawberries too!) It's thickened with cream cheese in a blender, that means no cooking and no eggs!

Easy, Memorable Homemade Ice Cream, Just Strawberries + Five Pantry Ingredients. Little Effort, Big Reward, "Plain" But Perfect. Beautiful Color! A Summer Classic, Mere Minutes to the Table. Extra Welcome When "Supper's a Little Skimpy". Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two. Easy DIY. Vegetarian. Egg-Free. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Rhubarb Muffins

2025-05-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Simple whole-grain muffins studded with soft, sour pockets of a late-spring treat, rhubarb, some times called "pie plant" because yeah, rhubarb pie. My Rhubarb Muffins are barely sweet and oh-so-tender and definitely – definitely! – not cupcakes. (And oh! That crisp thin layer of cinnamon and sugar on top ... ) For all who prefer a less-sweet, less-rich but ever-so-satisfying morning-bread treat, this is your recipe!

Memorable Homemade Muffins, A Summer Classic. No Mixer Required. Fun Picnic Food. Weekday Easy, Weekend Special. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Salad Suppers for Summer

2025-05-18T07:00:00.007-05:00

Summer's almost (almost!) here! And this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection will keep us all in main dish salads all summer long. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own recipe repertoire, most of these go way way back in my own recipe box.

Mini Shortbread Tarts (Nana's Tarts)

2025-05-14T07:00:00.034-05:00

Bakers? You definitely want these irresistible bite-sized delights in your arsenal of dainty desserts: easy to make and even easier to love, they’re a true crowd-pleaser! They are my version of my Canadian family's miniature shortbread tartlets, easier to make than you might think and so handy to keep on hand to fill on a whim with another family recipe, the Brown Sugar Lemon Curd (sometimes called "lemon cheese").

Another "Dainty" from My Canadian Heritage. A Long, Long Long-Time Family Favorite. A Meal Prep Favorite, Keep (& Even Improve) for Weeks & Even Months. Just Five Ingredients & Thirty Minutes Hands-On Time. A New Addition to The Homemade Pantry, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Budget Friendly. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two & Also Potluck & Party Friendly. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Wear the Hat, Dammit

2025-05-11T07:00:00.008-05:00

A special Mother's Day issue, no recipes, no food and no dishes (cuz someone else organized the cookin' today, right?) but instead a reprise of a photo essay I call "Wear the Hat, Dammit" ... life lessons from the Kentucky Derby and my mom. I'll be back next week with the usual spring recipe ideas so if that's what you're after, Happy Mother's Day and just go on back to what you were doin', okay? But for anyone who's curious ...

Trader Joe's Lentil-Bruschetta One-Minute Salad

2025-05-07T07:00:00.019-05:00

Reviews & a Recipe for Trader Joe's Canned Lentils & Bruschetta Sauce.

Salad kits are quick and convenient and often very good. This lentil salad? It's even quicker, even more convenient and wow, tastes great. It uses two Trader Joe's products, a shelf-stable can of lentils (I know, I know, but trust me on this, okay?) and a refrigerated container of a tomato-basil-garlic mixture called Bruschetta Sauce. Just stir them together (yeah, that's almost the whole "recipe") and gobble up as a quick pulse salad, a base for fish or eggs, a healthy lunch.

Ridiculously Easy Homestyle Whole Food, No Measuring, No Chopping. Little Effort, Big Reward. Mere Minutes to the Table. An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. Not just easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Suppers That (Almost) Cook Themselves

2025-05-04T07:00:00.007-05:00

Grab a pencil because this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection is all about making life just a little bit easier, dinner-wise, that is, during an oh-so-busy season. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own recipe repertoire.

Seasonal Sundays: Easter Gatherings

2025-04-13T07:00:00.012-05:00

Settle in with a chocolate bunny (or two) to skim through this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection which is all about Easter for those who celebrate next Sunday on April 20th. But it's also a great collection of recipes (plus four bonus menus) for spring gatherings, spring potlucks, spring parties, all things spring. I tend to pull out certain recipes just once a year for Easter, lots of new ideas this week!

Easy Pesto Pasta Salad

2025-04-09T07:00:00.015-05:00

This recipe is so fun, an unfussy, flavor-packed side dish that just might earn a permanent spot in your warm-weather rotation. Just toss hot orzo with store-bought pesto, a few mini tomatoes plus some add-ins — fresh mozzarella? chickpeas? fresh asparagus is my favorite! The first night, serve it warm (so good!) topped with grilled chicken or a piece of fish. After that, it's just as happy on a picnic blanket as a desktop lunch. Sometimes, good food really is as easy as tossing a few great things together.

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food. Little Effort, Big Reward, Just Six Ingredients. Real Food, Fast & Flexible. Mere Minutes to the Table. An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. Fun Picnic Food. No Mayo! A Summer Classic. Not just easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Potluck & Party Friendly. Vegetarian. So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Sweet & Savory Strawberries

2025-04-06T07:00:00.007-05:00

Grab a colander, all, it's time to rinse some berries for this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection featuring spring strawberries. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own recipe repertoire.

Lemon Cream Pie

2025-04-03T07:00:00.002-05:00

Stunned Silence: that's the reaction this homemade lemon pie gets at the table for its irresistible balance of tart and tangy, sweet and creamy, the kind of pie that disappears fast, often "just one more sliver, please" at a time. It's just simple ingredients working together in a dessert to crave again and again. One slice may not be enough ...

Memorable Homestyle Pie, Little Effort, Big Reward. No Tempering Eggs! Beautiful Color! Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Potluck & Party Friendly. Vegetarian. So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Spring Asparagus!

2025-03-30T07:00:00.006-05:00

Get off that sofa, people! It's Happy Dance time, welcoming the vegetable harbinger of spring, fat and skinny and trim spears of crisp, healthy asparagus. Both grocery stores I hit this week had pretty-pretty asparagus on sale and the home-grown wonders can't be far behind. So this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection is for the asparagus lovers among us, arming us all with recipes to carry well into summer.

Southern Cornbread

2025-03-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

Simple & Sugar-Free

Southern-style buttermilk cornbread with a coveted chewy crust and zero added sugar. Make a large batch, make a small batch, either way, this savory cornbread mixes up and bakes in a hot-hot-hot skillet quick-quick-quick, mere minutes.
Plus a bonus: Six Tips for Perfect Cornbread, my latest "Kitchen Lesson" column – a series of occasional recipes with extra insider tips and ideas gained from long experience in a home kitchen.

Homemade Cornbread, Made from Scratch. Real Food, Fast & Flexible. A Southern Classic. Great Choice for Impromptu Homestyle Hot Bread for Dinner. Bake In the Oven or Over a Campfire.

Seasonal Sundays: Save Room for Dessert (the Spring Edition)

2025-03-23T07:00:00.010-05:00

Stock up on sugar, all, because this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection is all about simple sweet endings, ones made for spring and all its hopes and promises. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own kitchens.

Cauliflower Chopped Salad with Dried Fruit & Nuts

2025-03-19T07:00:00.018-05:00

Here's a welcome raw salad, everything you want in a fresh, feel-good side dish — crunchy, chewy, sweet, and nutty, all in every single irresistible bite. No cooking required, just a few quick pulses in a food processor followed by a good toss, this isn't a salad you'll make every day or even every week but you just might finding yourself craving more: it's one to return to again and again.

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food, Made from Scratch. Real Food, Fresh & Inventive. Beautiful Color! Hearty & Filling. Fun Picnic Food. Great for Meal Prep. Potluck & Party Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. No Added Oil. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Green Food (Just for the Fun of It)

2025-03-16T07:00:00.009-05:00

In a garden where peas love to grow,
On a vine where the green tendrils flow,
They whisper and sigh,
With the grass by their side,
A symphony of green, don't you know!

Ready for a little fun? Let's talk "green food" ... and not just for lively limerick-lovin' leprechauns but for all of us throughout the lovely spring before us.

Irish Beef Stew

2025-03-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

A hearty stew with big chunks of beef sirloin, carrots and potatoes in a beer-rich gravy, authentic for St. Patrick's Day but a really good basic stew recipe all year round too. I especially like this stew because it needn't cook all day, it's ready in a couple of hours, the chunks of beef already tender, the carrots and potatoes firm and sweet, not mushy from long cooking.

Memorable Homestyle Beef Stew, Heart & Filling. A Long-Time Family Favorite. Easily Adapted to Your Family's Tastebuds. Budget Friendly. A Big Ol' One-Pot Meal. Great for Meal Prep. How to Feed a Crowd But Scales Down for Smaller Tables. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Easily Gluten Free with One Ingredient Change. So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Pasta You'll Love

2025-03-09T07:00:00.006-05:00

This week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection is all about pasta, that wonder of weeknight wonders. Need a quick supper idea? I gotcha. Love pasta salad as much as me? That too. Fingers crossed you'll find at least one idea destined for dinner this week! (Plus for Pi Day, pies, oh my.)

Twice-Baked Potatoes

2025-03-05T07:00:00.021-06:00

Well hello, retro, rustic fare, you oh-so-familiar baked potatoes, your mealy flesh scraped out to mix with so much creaminess (butter, cottage cheese or sour cream, cream cheese, sharp cheddar) then stuffed back into your skins to bake again.
More good news? Russet potatoes are indeed traditional and make great twice-bakeds but ooo la la, Yukon gold potatoes are smaller and turn out an even creamier filling. If you've ever found a twice-baked daunting in size, try using Yukon golds. PS I can't help but call these 2X Potatoes. Does anyone else?!

Memorable Homestyle Whole Food, Simply Prepared. Little Effort, Big Reward. Beautiful Color! A Vintage, Easy Tried-and-True Recipe, Streamlined for Technique and Ingredients. Hearty & Filling. A New Addition to Pantry Meals: How to Make a Meal with What You Have, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Easily Adapted to Your Family's Tastebuds. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two. How to Feed a Crowd. Potluck & Party & Kid Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free. So Good!!

Seasonal Sundays: Fish for Lent & Spring

2025-03-02T11:00:00.005-06:00

This week's "Seasonal Seven" is all about fish, recipes hand-selected for everyone from the fish-hesitant (me, only 5 years ago) to the fish fiends (me, today). The timing is by design. Not only are we coming up on a season when many elect to eat fish, especially on Fridays during Lent, but we're also coming upon the start of spring, when lighter, faster suppers let us enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures. Join me?