FEAST EVERYDAY

Hermits (Mary Livingston) by Barbara

2026-04-26T10:41:00.011-04:00

Hermits are a bar cookie I remember fondly from my college days in Providence, Rhode Island. Sold in squares at the library and served in the dining hall. Common in New England but I don't find them anywhere else.

I have been searching for years for an authentic, easy to make recipe at home. I wanted one which uses butter, not shortening, even though Crisco is what was probably used in the 1970's when I was in college. None of them were quite what I remembered. Until I found a family recipe by Mary Livingston who lives on the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It's the way that she makes them by really fluffing the butter and sugar and omitting ginger that makes them "right." These are soft and moist. She posted this recipe on her blog in 2012.

I tweaked her recipe by soaking the raisins in advance and using sparkling sugar for crunch on top. Made them three times before posting the recipe to be sure the timing and technique would work.

Most of my other attempts using other recipes came out as hard as rocks. Tried Yankee Magazine's, King Arthur's, Fanny Farmer's and some others.

Research says that hermits were named as such for their shelf life. They could hide like a hermit for a long time in a cookie jar.

---Barbara

Hermits

(adapted from a Mary Livingston recipe)

Makes a 9x13 inch baking pan or 24 squares

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, soft

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

3/4 cup raisins, soaked and well-drained

1 T. sparkling sugar for the top (or regular sugar)

Note from B: Make sure your butter and brown sugar are really soft and the egg and molasses are at room temperature before beginning.

Also, soak the raisins in water in advance. A few hours or the day before. Drain very, very well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 13 x 9 pan with butter, on the bottom, in the corners and up the sides. Be generous. I did not use baking spray.

In a stand mixer or a mixing bowl, beat the butter & brown sugar together for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Then beat in the molasses and egg for a full minute or until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, spices, salt, baking soda) and whisk together.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture JUST until blended. You can do this by hand with a large spatula.

Fold in the raisins.

It will be a very thick, cookie dough like, batter. Turn it into the buttered 9 x 13” pan.

Spread batter evenly in your prepared baking dish

and sprinkle top with the tablespoon of sparkling sugar.

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. The perfect time in my oven was 23 minutes, but start checking earlier.

Cool in pan on a rack for at least 15 minutes.

Slice into squares.

Hermits freeze well. Pack them in portions of two or four in plastic bags and then place them in a bigger plastic bag, for protection from freezer burn. Take a few out and gently defrost them in at 160 degrees in toaster oven for 10 minutes which brings out the spices. Or, let them come to room temperature which will take longer.

For over 1000 other step-by-step recipes, check out our index.

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Almost St. Patrick’s Day Recipes by Tom

2026-03-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day 2026

Recap of Tom’s excellent meal. His best yet.

He made the bread first. It took two trips to the grocery store to find caraway seeds. They were sold out. They are a key ingredient. Wouldn’t be as good without them. Also he uses currants, not raisins. They are now sold in pouches, which keeps them moist, and makes the bread tastier.

Here’s his recipe: Sweet Irish Soda Bread originally posted in 2017.

Instead of boiling the meat as he usually does, he bought a 2 lb. corned beef and followed the directions on the package. It came with a topping of mustard seeds and other spices. He put the corned beef on a rack fat side up and sprinkled the spice packet on the top. He added brown sugar, too. No salt needed. He added chicken broth instead of water under the rack— about a cup. Covered with foil.

Cooked for 2 hours covered at 350 degrees and for the last 30 minutes uncovered at 375 degrees. The key is to let it sit for 30 minutes before carving. Sliced beautifully.

During the last hour and a half, Tom roasted the vegetables. A mix of small potatoes, carrots, onions, and wedges of cabbage tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper. No soggy veggies.

Serve with Dijon mustard for the meat and butter for the bread.

Leftovers will last until St. Patrick’s Day. We combined everything in a covered casserole and will gently reheat in the oven.

The bread will also be our breakfast treat.

— Barbara

Vietnamese Beef (NYTimes) by Tom

2026-03-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

I saw this in the NYT Cooking section and thought it looked good enough to try. A price warning. This recipe uses beef tenderloin, which is quite pricey at the moment. I suppose you could use a lesser cut of meat. But if you do, I'd recommend marinating longer.

I followed the recipe exactly as written. A rarity for me. But since it was the first time I was making it, I thought I should stick to the recipe.

This was not a hard recipe to make. The longest part is marinating the meat for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Otherwise it is making a sauce for pan frying, cutting up some lime wedges, and arranging a green lettuce on the plate. The recipe calls for watercress which was not available so I used butter lettuce instead. An excellent adaptation.

We had this both the first night and as leftovers the second night. Very tasty. I will make this again.

--- Tom

Vietnamese Shaking Beef

(from NYTimes Cooking Charles Phan adapted by Mark Bittman and then by Tom)

Serves 4 generously

1.5 to 2 pounds of beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

5 tablespoons of a neutral oil like canola

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup white wine

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 red onion trimmed and cut thinly into roughly 1-inch lengths

3 scallions trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

2 tablespoons butter

2 bunches of butter lettuce or watercress

2 limes cut into wedges

First prepare the meat by trimming visible fat and cutting into approximately 1" cubes.

Next make the marinade using 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Stir the marinade over the meat in a bowl. Mix it well to insure the meat is covered with the marinade. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for about two hours prior to cooking.

Now combine the vinegar, the remaining sugar, wine, soy sauce and fish sauce in a small bowl. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Now mix 1 tablespoon salt with one teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside for use at the table.

Divide the meat into two portions, and do the same with the onion and scallions. Put a wok or large skill over high heat and add about 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. When the oil starts to smoke, add the meat in one layer. Let it sit and brown until a nice crust is on the meat. Turn the meat over and do the same thing. Add half of the onions and half of the scallions and cook for about 30 seconds. Add about half the vinegar mixture and shake the pan to release the beef. Add half of the butter and shake the pan again until the butter melts.

Remove the first batch to a serving bowl and repeat the above process with the rest of the meat.

On each plate put a layer of the butter lettuce along with a couple of lime wedges.

When the second batch of meat is done cooking, combine with the first batch. Then plate on top of the butter lettuce. Squeeze a generous portion of the lime wedges over the meat. Add some of the salt and pepper mixture over the meat. It will help bring out the flavor.

This was very good to eat both nights. Enjoy!

---Tom

Cream Blueberry Muffins by Barbara

2026-02-21T12:55:00.004-05:00

Substitutions can lead to happy accidents, a concept we know well from living in a scientific community where experiments have led to some very successful products like CorningWare.

In our home laboratory, our kitchen, I often experiment with substitutions of ingredients and changes to the techniques in recipes. Or I wing it without a recipe at all. Tom really likes to add extra ingredients to his recipes, like chocolate chips to chili. Sometimes our results fail, and other times, they create variations better than the original.

In this case, I had a pint of blueberries to use up before we left for vacation, so I turned to my favorite blueberry muffin recipe (originally posted in 2012). But I was short on blueberries, so I used a mashed banana. (You don't taste the banana in the end.) And I also had a cup of heavy cream to use up, so I substituted it for milk. And the big surprise when making the muffins was that we were almost out of sugar. I used honey to fill the gap. The kicker was that we were out of baking spray, too, so I had to butter the muffin tin with real butter. And I skipped the nutmeg sugar topping. The results were heavenly. So soft and creamy. Full of blueberry flavor. Look at the puffy peak on these muffins!

---Barbara

Cream Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 regular muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup clover honey

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 t. vanilla extract

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 pint blueberries, rinsed and very dry (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup mashed banana (1 medium banana)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease muffin pans very well, including the area within each cup. I used butter, but baking spray will work well.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy.

Beat in the butter. Scrape the sides.

Beat in the honey. Scrape the sides.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides in between each addition.

Beat in the vanilla, baking powder and salt. Scrape the sides.

Add the mashed banana, and mix gently, until incorporated.

Remove from stand mixer.

Fold in half of the flour with a spatula.

Then half of the cream.

Add the remaining flour.

Then the remaining cream.

Fold in the blueberries, and mix until evenly distributed, but don't overmix.

Scoop batter evenly into the muffin cups.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Mine took 25 minutes.

Important: Let the muffins sit in the pan to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing or they will fall apart.

If necessary, run a knife under the muffin top and along the sides of the muffin pan to get them to release.

They are very good!

They froze well. I packed up two together in freezer bags to have with our morning coffee. It is nice to have something in the freezer to pull out. Which we have been doing since we came back from vacation.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread by Barbara

2026-01-20T08:23:00.000-05:00

Do chocolate chips and banana bread go together? Yes! This was an experiment. I was pleasantly surprised.

This is a lovely recipe for whole wheat banana bread. I found it on the back of a bag of whole wheat flour from King Arthur. (Chocolate chips are my addition.) I was intrigued by the order the ingredients are added to the recipe. Eggs and honey go in after the bananas. The result is a very moist tender bread. I will definitely make this bread again.

——Barbara

Chocolate Chip Whole Wheat Banana Bread

(adapted from King Arthur flour)

Makes 1 loaf

8 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a stand mixer, cream together, butter, and sugar until smooth.

Add vanilla, baking soda, salt, and mashed bananas, beating until well combined.

Beat in honey and eggs.

Remove from stand.

Fold in flour then chocolate chips, stirring until smooth.

(Use a spatula for this, not the stand mixer. )

Grease a 9" x 5" pan. Spoon batter into lightly greased pan. Press batter into corners and smooth the top.

Let rest for 10 minutes before baking.

Bake for 50 minutes, then lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top to prevent over browning.

Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes then remove from oven; a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Allow loaf to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely.

Store room temperature well wrapped for several days.

17 Years Ago Today

2026-01-16T15:48:00.012-05:00

Celebrating Feast Everyday turning 17 today.

—- Barbara

Turtle Island Cookbook by Sean Sherman

2026-01-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

If you like to learn about history and culture through food, then you would enjoy this cookbook by Sean Sherman. He covers food traditions from all the regions of our Indigenous Peoples of North America, known as Turtle Island.

I checked it out of our local library. It’s a big book— filled with lots of photos and valuable information. I enjoyed his personal story about how he became a chef and preserving these recipes and techniques. Plan to buy a copy for myself, more as a historical book to read than to actually cook from as most of the ingredients are not available. But that shouldn’t stop you, it is so interesting! Much more than a cookbook.

I hope to go to his restaurant someday.

—- Barbara

Cranberry Sauce Almond Muffins by Barbara

2026-01-04T12:29:00.004-05:00

Starting the new year by cleaning out the freezer and the fridge; hence, the turkey pot pie I made for New Year’s Day. See previous post. Another thing I had forgotten I had frozen was the cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. There was about a cup left. (My recipe is here. It's made with orange juice and orange marmalade.)

I thought muffins would be a good thing to make. So, I started looking through my cookbooks. I ran across this recipe King Arthur’s Baking Companion which addressed the leftover cranberry sauce issue! It's for a coffee cake, not muffins.

Required a tube pan which I don’t have, plus I didn’t want to bother with a mixer. So I adapted it to handmixing and making muffins my usual way (adding melted butter). And I skipped making a powdered sugar glaze.

I had a few issues. 1) I overfilled the tins. 2) They didn’t rise as they should have because I didn’t realize I had accidentally doubled up the muffin tins which acted as an insulator and affected the bake. Nonetheless, the flavors are terrific!

Love the almondy-ness of these muffins.

Will definitely make them again ...after Thanksgiving.

----Barbara

Cranberry Sauce Almond Muffins

Makes 16 muffins

1 cup cranberry sauce

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 stick (8T.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

1 t. almond extract

2 cups flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 cup whole buttermilk

baking spray for muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Measure out the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a separate bowl, and whisk together.

Toast the nuts, and let them cool.

Melt the butter and let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk together until smooth and not grainy.

Add the almond extract.

Add the melted butter, and combine until smooth.

Add the buttermilk and combine until smooth.

To the dry ingredients, add the toasted almonds and mix them up until all the nuts are covered. This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.

Then, all at once add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

Add the cranberry sauce and stir together gently until evenly distributed.

Spray the muffin tins, and fill 16 muffin cups. Don't overfill them like I did. I only filled 12 and they were too full. Probably 1/4 cup or half way up the muffin cup.

Yikes!

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, checking to see if they are done at the 18 minute mark. Mine took 22 but that might have been because I accidentally used two tins stacked together which acted as an insulator.

Cool in the pan.

They came out easily, overflow and all.

I removed the edges so you could see what one might look like if I had portioned them correctly.

The almond flavor is what makes this recipe memorable.

I froze the extras in bags of two to have with coffee in the mornings.

They taste great warmed up.

Turkey Pot Pie by Barbara

2026-01-01T17:35:00.004-05:00

Hot Out of the Oven

Keeping it simple for New Year’s Day this year. Defrosted the turkey bits leftover from Thanksgiving and used a store-bought double pie crust. I added carrots, frozen peas and a baking potato.

In my experience, the secret to making a good pot pie is three things: making a blonde butter roux, adding a little sherry to the sauce, and brushing the crust with an egg wash. I also think it's wise to partially cook the veggies in chicken broth before adding them to the pie. And, of course, don't forget to season each ingredient well with salt and pepper.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2026!

—Barbara

Turkey Pot Pie

Makes one 9-inch double crust pot pie

1 Pillsbury double pie crust, defrosted

2 - 3 cups of turkey, bite-size pieces

a pinch of powdered porcini powder (optional)

2 15-ounce cans of low sodium chicken broth

2-3 carrots, scraped and diced

1 large Russet baking potato, peeled and cut the same size as the carrots

1/2 - 2/3 cup of petite frozen peas (don't defrost)

1/4 t. dried French thyme

1/8 t. dried tarragon

salt and pepper

2 T. dry sherry

2 T. unsalted butter

3 -4 T. Wondra flour

1 egg, beaten, for wash of the crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Let the pie crust warm up a little so it is pliable. Box says 15 minutes should do it.

Shred the defrosted turkey into bite sizes, checking to remove any skin and sinew and most importantly, any bones.

Prep the carrots and the potatoes.

In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.

Add the carrots and the potato to the pot with the dried thyme and tarragon.

Simmer until al dente. About 6 to 8 minutes.

While the veggies cook, unroll one of the the pie crusts and place it in the bottom of the pie pan.

Add the shredded turkey. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Sprinkle with the poricini powder, if using.

Then scatter the frozen peas across the top evenly.

Check on the veggies, if they are al dente, turn off the heat.

Remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Season them with salt and pepper and toss.

Pour the stock from the saucepan into a pitcher or Pyrex measuring cup and reserve for making the sauce. Pour any extra liquid from the bowl with the carrots and potatoes into the pitcher, too. You should have at least a cup.

In the same saucepan as you cooked the vegetables, melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and stir quickly to keep it from getting lumpy. It will brown pretty fast. Turn down the heat if necessary. Look for a golden color and a nutty smell.

Then add the stock from boiling the veggies. And stir in quickly.

Should thicken up right away.

Then add the sherry and stir until it is incorporated and smooth again.

Turn off the heat, and pour the sauce over the top of the turkey and peas.

Add the carrots and potatoes on top.

Cover the with second pie crust.

Turn the to crust over the edge of the bottom one and crimp all the away around.

Cut vents in the top for steam to excape.

Place on a cookie sheet and on the top rack in the oven.

Brush with an egg wash. This will give a golden crust.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, until browned and bubbling in the vents. Check at the hour mark.

Let cool for 30- 45 minutes to an hour before serving.

Tom's M&M's Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting

2025-12-29T20:00:00.001-05:00

Tom had the itch to make a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. M&M's from the Christmas cookies were his inspiration. He went old school. Storebought mixes. He used a Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix and added chocolate chips, then frosted it with Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting. And made it in a 13 x 9 Pyrex glass dish. He is very proud of his masterpiece.

----Barbara

Christmas Cookies 2025

2025-12-24T09:53:00.008-05:00

We kept our neighborhood cookies simple this year. Tom's Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies decorated with M&Ms to look like ornaments. This is the link to his recipe: Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies.

Merry Christmas!

--Barbara

Sunday Pot Roast by Barbara

2025-12-08T10:25:00.005-05:00

Here’s a really easy way to make a Sunday pot roast that’s sure to please.

— Barbara

Sunday Pot Roast

Serves 4

2 beef shanks or 1 chuck roast, bone-in (2 lbs.)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

4-6 cups vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1.5 -2 cups Simply Ketchup (Heinz)

1/3 - 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

4 potatoes (butter, Yukon gold or red)

4-6 carrots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dry the beef and rub both sides generously with salt and pepper.

In a large stockpot with cover, heat oil until glistening.

Add the beef and brown on both sides.

Add the Worcestershire sauce. (It will sizzle.)

Add the bay leaves and tomato ketchup.

Cover with vegetable stock. Stir. Be sure the meat is submerged. If not, add more stock.

Bring to a simmer.

Then cover and put in oven.

After 15 minutes to half hour, check to be sure the pot is simmering, then turn down the heat to 275 degrees and cook for 1.5 to 2 more hours.

Grate and cut the carrots into chunks.

Wash potatoes and cut into chunks.

Remove the pot from the oven. Should be a rich dark brown sauce that is very hot. The meat should be tender.

Add the veggies to the pot. Return to the oven and turn temperature back up to 350 degrees. and cook until the potatoes are tender about 30-35 minutes, depends how hot the liquid is.

Meanwhile, cook the green beans separately.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat, potatoes and carrots for each serving. Add the green beans.

Leftovers should be refrigerated and the fat removed before you reheat the pot. Bring it slowly to a gentle simmer to prevent the veggies from becoming soggy.

You can also save the juices (without any meat or veggies) and reuse them for a second pot roast. Add the gelee when it is time to add the broth, and use less broth.

fyi - I have not needed to add any salt after the initial seasoning of the meat. I think it is due to the salt in the Worcestershire sauce and the ketchup.

Pumpkin Chocolate Souffle Puddings by Barbara

2025-11-16T07:36:00.007-05:00

The chocolate chips sink to the bottom and create a chocolate syrup which is fun to discover when you dig into these pumpkin souffle puddings. They taste a little like Indian puddings if you have ever had them.

This experiment turned out so well, I am going to make these pumpkin souffles again So, I am recording what I did for the next time.

The only thing I would do differently is make smaller portions. They are very filling.

---Barbara

Pumpkin Chocolate Souffle Puddings

Makes 4 large or 6 small servings

4 extra large eggs

2/3 cup Libbey's pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 t. salt

1 t. Vietnamese cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/4 t. mace

1 cup half'n'half

1 cup dark chocolate chips

baking spray or butter for ramekins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 4 large or 6 small ramekins with baking spray or butter them well.

In a large 4 quart Pyrex mixing cup or large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs until yellow and frothy.

Add the pumpkin, sugar, spices, salt to the eggs and whisk together until smooth.

Add half'n'half until you have at least 3 cups of liquid. I used about 1 cup.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet with plenty of room around each one.

Divide the liquid among the ramekins evenly. For four ramekins, I poured about 3/4 cup in each.

Divide the chocolate chips evenly among the ramekins. They will mostly sink and that's okay.

Place the baking pan of ramekins in the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 and continue to bake for another 30 minutes for large ramekins. For small ramekins, I am guesstimating that it would only take 20 minutes.

They are almost done in this photo. Wait until the centers puff up too. But don't over bake them. They will puff up like a souffle. They won't be jiggly in the middle. And should be about 200 degrees when done.

They are too hot to eat when right out of the oven. We tried.

Let them cool for at least 15 minutes and serve warm with a spoon.

As they cool, they will deflate.

The chocolate chips will sink to the bottom and create a chocolate syrup bottom.

Extras can be refrigerated if you cover them.

They taste good cold, too.

Iszard's Brown Bread Recipe by Barbara

2025-11-02T13:32:00.015-05:00

UPDATED December 26, 2025

I saw this recipe in the May issue of Echoes, the publication by Steuben County Historical Society. (Iszard's Department Store was in Chemung County in Elmira, not our county which is Steuben, but I digress.) I have heard about the tea room at Iszard's from friends who grew up around here. Driving to Elmira from Corning to go shopping was a big deal. Enjoying their tea room was part of the experience.

There is a lot of chatter online and in the newspapers about the authentic Iszard's Brown Bread recipe. They all seem to use whole wheat flour, buttermilk and raisins in various ratios. Sometimes nuts. Linda Ferris wrote this article. She doesn't say where she found the recipe. The recipe seems to have been kept a secret from what I have read.

But what intrigued me about this recipe is the simple use of molasses and raisins, key ingredients for making hermits. I have been on the hunt to find a good recipe to make hermits, a cookie I remember from my college days living in Rhode Island. I would buy them at the library. All of my experiments have failed. The results of this recipe come very close to the flavors of a hermit. Just a little too cake-like. Getting closer to my memory of hermits.

The only change I made was to increase the raisins and the salt and to skip the nuts. And add additional directions for how to make the bread.

Since I originally posted, I have added a few additional versions that I found. See add the end of the post. All are similar but slightly different to this one.

--Barbara

Iszard's Tea Room Brown Bread

(adapted from Linda Ferris's recipe in Echoes)

Makes 2 loaves

1/4 cup white sugar

3 T. shortening, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

1 cup molasses

2 cups whole buttermilk

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Line two loaf pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray, including the paper. If you having trouble getting the paper to stay put, spray a little baking spray underneath the paper, and it will adhere.

Sift the flours and salt together and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening. Scrape down the sides.

Add the egg, and mix well.

Measure out the buttermilk and add the baking soda to it and set aside.

First add the molasses to the mixer, and incorporate until smooth.

Then add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix together.

Then half of buttermilk soda mixture and mix together.

And another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix together.

Add the rest of the buttermilk soda mixture and mix together.

Add the raisins and the rest of the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly into the two pans.

Push the batter into the corners so that it is smooth on top and will bake evenly.

Place in the upper rack of the oven, and bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then remove with the parchment paper handles, to a rack to let them cool completely.

Slice and serve.

From what I've read, they served the bread with cream cheese.

I liked it plain. Tom put butter on his.

The one I used was in the Echoes publication of the Steuben County Historical Society.

Then I saw this -- one less tablespoon shortening, and 2 eggs not one, 2 t. salt!! and bakes at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, not 300 degrees for an hour.

And this one -- does not have eggs?

Halloween Chicken Soup by Barbara

2025-10-31T12:36:00.006-04:00

This year Halloween occurred on one of the windiest days of the year. And it was cold too. So I thought a soup would be a just the ticket.

Tom carved our pumpkin. It’s a tradition he’s been doing now for many years. He carves a fancy design and receives many compliments. This year it was a simpler one. He carved a little witch inside a cauldron.

I had my cauldron of soup going on the stove, too. This is a hearty chicken soup, chock full of vegetables with a proscuito base.

The soup I concocted wasn’t the prettiest, but it is definitely one of the tastiest chicken soups I have ever made.

The reason is the broth. It is rich in umami flavor.

I used leftover gelee (pan drippings with the fat removed) from roasting chicken legs earlier in the week which had been basted with a Japanese barbecue sauce. That’s what made the soup have a dark brown broth.

The soup is based on things I had in the refrigerator and then I went out and purchased additional items. We had a package of 4 ounces of prosciutto already diced, and meaty chicken thighs legs, a cup of gelee ftom the pan drippings, leftover roasted cauliflower and then I discovered dried oregano from our garden in 2024 in the closet, a quart of chicken broth and garlic. So I started with the idea of creating a soup with Italian flavors.

I stopped by Wegmans and picked up carrots, Spanish onion, another chicken breast to roast to make sure the soup had enough chicken in it and a big container of mixed baby kale and Swiss chard that was already washed. And a can of diced tomatoes. And grated Parmesan Reggiano for garnish.

I brought everything home and went to work, It is fun to create a soup when the results turn out so well. Tom and I enjoyed it after the trick-or-treaters had gone home and for several dinners over the weekend. We were getting our Covid shots and I knew we would also want something easy and comforting. This soup was indeed just the ticket.

---Barbara

Chicken Soup with Proscuitto, Winter Greens and Vegetables

Makes 6 dinner servings

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups Better than Bouillion broth

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomates, unsalted

1 cup chicken gelee (drippings, fat removed)

4 ounces diced proscuitto

1 Spanish onion, chopped

3 - 4 slender carrots, diced fine

12 cloves garlic, skins removed and slice longways in thirds

1 large package of pre-washed kale and chard

1/2 t. fresh dried oregano

1/2 t. Penzey's Italian Herb mix

2 cups roasted cauliflower, roughly chopped

1 cup shredded dark meat from 2-3 roasted chicken legs, skins removed

1 cup shredded white meat from a roasted chicken breast, skin removed

Preheat the oven to 350° and roast the chicken breast after generously salting it and sprinkling on some garlic powder, coriander, and chervil, which is my usual mix for roasting chicken. Put it in the oven while you start the soup and prep the vegetables.

In a very large stock pot with a cover, add the diced prosciutto and keep the heat on low and let the fat render out of the prosciutto. Chop up the Spanish onion and put that in the pan and let the onion start to sweat. Then choose three or four slender carrots, scrape them, and cut into fine dice. Put that in the pot.

Then smash the garlic cloves and remove the outer skins. And cut them into large slivers and put that in the pot.

It takes a while to do all of this so by the time you get to this point, the chicken breast is probably done and you can pull that out of the oven and let it sit to cool down before you shred it.

Next I sprinkled the vegetables in the pot with the dried oregano from the garden, but there wasn’t much fragrance coming out of the pot so I decided to pull out the Italian herb mix from Penny’s, which is a terrific blend if you haven’t ever used it. I added about a teaspoon, maybe less to the pot as it would be the major flavor agent.

Then I added the diced tomatoes with their juices from the can and turned up the heat and added the chicken stock/broth. And added the gelee from the roasted BBQ chicken legs. I had about a cup.

I realized at this point that I probably did not have enough liquid to cover all of the vegetables and chicken that I was going to add. So I decided to create more chicken broth by using the leftover Better than Bouillon roasted chicken in the jar in the back of the fridge. It made enough for 4 cups. To use better than bouillon you heat up the water until it’s boiling and then dissolve the bouillon in to the liquid. Caution it’s very salty so be careful not to add too much salt to the soup if you’re using this product.

Back to the soup. I added the extra broth after it was very hot and the bouillon was well dissolved.

Turn up the heat to let it get to a simmer and that those let those flavors mingle together for about a half hour or so.

In the meantime, shred the chicken and make sure you remove the skin from the chicken. You don't want flabby soggy skin in your soup. And cut up the cold roasted cauliflower. Set aside.

Now the soup will have flavors that have mingled and it 's time to add the winter greens to the pot. Cover it and then let the greens cook down maybe 10 minutes or so.

Then add in the shredded chicken and cauliflower and keep it all on very low until you’re ready to eat.

In fact I turned it off and let the soups sit and steep for probably an hour before turning it back on to low and letting it heat up again.

The trick is to cook the greens well enough but not overcook the cauliflower and the chicken which you’ve added to the pot.

Ladle in to bowls and top with shredded Parmesan.

Brussels sprouts talk -- on the stalk

2025-10-26T11:42:00.003-04:00

Local Brussels sprouts from the fields up around Keuka Lake here in New York state. They grow on stalks. They are harvested and the leaves removed.

Cost this year is $3.99 for a stalk.

When you get them home, you twist the sprouts off. This stalk had 59 sprouts.

Rinse them.

For 59, you would need a large roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle lots of salt in the bottom of the pan.

Remove the ends, cut them in half (be careful!) and place them face down in one single layer. Sprinkle the top with more salt and drizzle with a little more olive oil.

This will take a while and there will be lots of extra leaves and ends, but the prep will be worth it.

Roast at 350 degrees on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 minutes.

They will be nicely browned on the "faces" and the inside will be soft and tender.

Serve with roasted chicken, pork chop, or as a vegetarian dish but add toasted nuts, like walnuts, for protein.

We had chicken legs with Japanese BBQ sauce this night. And leftover roasted potatoes.

For additional recipes and tips, FeastEveryday.com

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Cream Sauce by Barbara

2025-10-14T17:59:00.009-04:00

I made this pie for Super Bowl last February and my notes say "What a mess!" (I keep a notebook for my experiments) but I thought it would be perfect in the Fall or maybe even Thanksgiving, so I am posting it now. I don't remember every step exactly as I did them, so that's another reason to make this pie again. I do remember that it was delicious!

---Barbara

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Cream Sauce

Makes one 9 inch pie

Double pie crust (your choice)

3 lbs. Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 lemon, juiced (about 2 T.)

2 T. Calvados (apple liqueur)

1 cup sugar

2 t. Vietnamese cinnamon

3/4 t. salt

1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch

2 T. to 1/4 cup heavy cream for the sauce

Peel, core, and slice the apples in a large, microwaveable bowl.

Toss them with the lemon juice. This will keep the apples from turning brown and brightens the flavor of the pie.

Microwave on high for 7.5 minutes, rotating and stirring, periodically. Pre-cooking the apples shortens the baking time, which prevents your crust from burning.

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch.

Use the back of the measuring spoon to grind the cornstarch with the sugar until there are no lumps remaining. Rotate the bowl as you do this.

Carefully remove that apples from the microwave.

Pour the Calvados over the top, and toss well.

Add the sugar mixture and toss well.

Let stand and cool off completely. There will be juices in the bottom of the bowl.

Can be done a few hours in advance.

Pour off the juices that have collected from the apples. There should be about 1 cup. Set aside. This will become the cinnamon cream sauce after the pie is baked and cooled.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place a baking sheet on the middle rack, to catch the juices. This also makes for a crispier bottom if you use a metal pie pan, too.

Remove the defrosted pie crust from the refrigerator. Dust an area on your counter with flour and also dust your rolling pin.

Roll out the bottom pie crust. Slide it into the pie plate and place in the fridge.

Then, roll out the top of the pie crust.

Time to assemble the pie.

Remove the bottom crust from the fridge. Use a slotted spoon and add the apples in an even layer.

Cover the pie with the second crust.

Crimp. Cut air vents into the top.

Place on preheated baking sheet in a preheat oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down to 350 degrees.

Bake for another 45 minutes to an hour, until the top is golden brown and the insides are bubbly.

My Ragamuffin Pie

Let cool completely.

Time to make the cinnamon sauce.

Add the 1 cup of juices you set aside earlier to a small saucepan, and bring to a rapid boil. And reduce in half.

Add the cream. About 2 T to 1/4 cup.

Now you have a cinnamon cream sauce. Carefully pour it back into the pitcher from the hot saucepan.

Cut a slice of piece, and pour some of the cinnamon cream sauce around the edges, and finish it with a dab of whipped cream.

My pie crust was crumbly but tasted great!

Roasted Chicken with Red Grapes, Sage & Honey by Barbara

2025-10-12T16:29:00.002-04:00

Before Going in the Oven

A wonderful simple fall dish. One caution: only buy red grapes that are very sweet. The sage is the garden variety that is abundant in the fall. And I used clover honey. A little garlic powder, salt and pepper and pop it in the oven to roast for about 35 minutes.

---Barbara

Roasted Chicken with Red Grapes, Sage & Honey

Serves 4

2 cups seedless, sweet red grapes, washed

8 -10 fresh sage leaves

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Honey drizzle

Bone-in Chicken, 4 pieces, thighs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pat the chicken dry and season both sides well with salt and pepper. Place in one layer in a baking pan with the skin side up. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Surround the chicken pieces with grapes. Drizzle them with honey. Add the sage leaves, making sure a few come in contact with the chicken.

Roast until the juices run clear about 35 minutes for thighs.

Serve with roasted Brussels sprouts and dilled carrots.

The perfect fall dish.

Mexican Corn Chili by Barbara

2025-10-10T17:01:00.003-04:00

There was still some sweet corn at the farm stand last Sunday. Tail end of the season. Bought a half dozen. Tom grilled all of it and we had four ears left over I could use. So, I decided to make a Mexican-flavored roasted corn soup which turned into a chili with beans and ground beef. Very happy with how it turned out. A keeper.

— Barbara

Mexican Corn Chili

6 - 8 servings

1 T. butter and 1 t. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
4 - 5 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped

1 pound ground beef (80/20 mix)

1 green bell pepper, diced
1 T. chili powder
1 T. ground cumin

1 T. dried Mexican oregano

1 T. Penzey's Taco Seasoning (optional but very good)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
3- 4 cups chicken low salt broth or stock
1 14- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (no salt) with juices

Grilled corn from 4 ears (about 2 cups)
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Salt to taste

chopped fresh cilantro, as much as you like
Shredded Mexican mix of cheese for serving

Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. About 4- 5 minutes. Add the garlic.

Then the ground beef, break it up with a spatula, and brown. Then add the diced green pepper.

Add the chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, Taco seasoning, cayenne pepper (optional) and cook for an additional minute.

Add tomatoes with juices.

Then enough chicken broth to cover, about 4 cups.

Add the corn

and the pinto beans. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off heat, add the cilantro, and let sit, covered, until dinnertime. Then gently reheat.

Ladle the soup into the bowl and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

For more delicious recipes, see FeastEveryday.com or follow on Instagram @BarbBlumer_food

Buttermilk Cornbread (Bob's Red Mill) by Barbara

2025-10-09T11:30:00.000-04:00

I was intrigued when I saw this recipe on the the back of Bob's Red Mill Coarse Cornmeal because it calls for soaking the cornmeal before making the batter and I've never done that before.

This cornbread is a very moist but not too sweet and it has good structure (i.e. it doesn't fall apart). Plus it tastes good the next day, not just hot out of the oven.

We really like it. Made it a couple of times now. You do need to use the coarse cornmeal for it. I made the recipe with regular cornbread and it was too fluffy.

— Barbara

Buttermilk Cornbread

(from the package of Bob's Red Mill Coarse Cornmeal)

Makes an 8x8 inch pan of 12 squares

1 cup cornmeal

1 1/3 cup whole buttermilk

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

You will need two bowls.

In a large bowl, add the cornmeal and stir in the buttermilk until smooth.

Set aside for 10 minutes to hydrate the cornmeal.

Meanwhile, get all the other ingredients and the oven ready for assembly.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray an 8x8 inch pan with baking spray.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

Also, in a another cup, whisk the eggs together.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and sugar.

When the soaking time is up, add the melted butter to the cornmeal buttermilk mix and stir together.

Add the eggs and mix.

Place the dry ingredients on top, then fold together until smooth and no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it out evenly into the corners.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Take out the oven and let sit in the pan for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, turn the bread out on to a cutting board, and slice into 12 squares.

Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container or bag.

For more delicious recipes, FeastEveryday.com or follow on Instagram @BarbBlumer_food

Tomato and Carmelized Onion Bisque by Barbara

2025-10-07T14:28:00.002-04:00

The backyard tomato plants eventually ripened, all at once it seemed.

I gave some to my friend Amy, whose late mother-in-law, Kathy, inspired me to plant the volunteers from last year's plants in her memory and her husband, Steve, who also passed away.

Kathy and Steve were good friends from my days over 25 years ago when we were starting up the Seneca Earthworks farmer's market in Watkins Glen. They were retired teachers who sold organic potions, fresh herbs, maple syrup and her focaccia which she would make every week to bring to the market. These were early days for both of us learning how to run a craft business. They were Sugar Hill Farm and I was Two Sisters Studio jewelry in collaboration with my sister, Christine.

"Kathy" is on the left. "Steve" is on the right.

I named one bush Kathy and the other one Steve. Kathy was the prolific producer even though Steve was in a sunnier location.

I was pleased with the tomato crop. It took a long time to ripen. Lots of waiting and watering.

So, now it was time to make a soup. I bought a nice bunch of basil. Love basil with tomato soup.

I have made a lot of tomato soups over the years, but this time, I decided to carmelize an onion as the base while I roasted the tomatoes with cloves of garlic. Then I added the roasted garlic which is now soft and lost its bitterness, along with the roasted tomatoes, to the pot and covered them with chicken stock and lots of basil. Simmered for half hour then whizzed with a hand blender. Added about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of half'n'half to smooth it out.

---Barbara

Tomato and Carmelized Onion Bisque

Serves 2

4 cups cherry tomatoes, washed

4-6 large cloves of garlic, papers removed

1 large onion, cut into crescents

olive oil

salt

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup of basil leaves, cut into chiffonade ribbons

1/4 to 1/3 cup of half'n'half

Grated Parmesan for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

On a baking sheet with a rim, drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with lots of salt. Spread out the tomatoes in one even layer. Add more olive oil and salt. Toss together. Add the garlic cloves.

Roast for 25-30 until the tomatoes burst and the edges start to brown.

Meanwhile, in a heavy enamel pot, add the chopped onion with a little olive oil, stir until coated, cover and cook on low heat, stirring every so often, while the tomatoes roast.

You will have a pot of deep chestnut-colored, caramelized onions.

Add the tomatoes, squeeze the garlic out of its papers, and the juices from the pan to the pot.

Add 4 cups of chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. They will add flavor from the carmelized onions.

Add the ribbons of basil.

Cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, until the flavors mingle.

Whiz with a hand blender until completely smooth.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup half'n'half to thin it out and make it creamy.

Ladle into large dinner bowls.

Serve with shredded Parmesan and a slice of cornbread.

Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash, Spinach & Parmesan by Barbara

2025-09-30T12:57:00.001-04:00

This is a great Fall dish. A version of this recipe has been going around social media. It's from Mediterranean Diet & Recipes for Beginners. I added garlic and onions to make it more savory.

I have a Spring orzo dish which is one of my all-time favorites. Orzo with Prosciutto and Asparagus with Parmesan This may become my Fall version of that dish. Creamy and so satisfying.

I am going to make it again soon, so I will have better photographs to show. This is the only photo I took. It is getting dark early here, and the conditions aren't ideal for photographing food.

---Barbara

Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash, Spinach and Parmesan

(adapted from Mediterrean Diet & Recipes)

Serves 6

1 package cubed butternut squash (20 ounces)

2 olive oil

salt

1/2 t. dried French thyme

1 onion, chopped

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 package (3 cups) fresh spinach, pre-washed

1 T. unsalted butter

1/2 cup Parmesan

1 cup orzo pasta

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on the baking sheet, add a sprinkle of salt, then place the cubed butternut squash in one layer, drizzle the another tablespoon of olive on top, and sprinkle some more salt. You can toss them, to coat them all over with the olive oil if you want.

Sprinkle the squash with 1/2 t. of dried French thyme.

Roast for 30 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in 3 quarts of salted water, until al dente and drain into a colander. Takes about 8-10 minutes. But check the package directions. Set aside.

Put the pasta pot back on the stove on medium heat, add 1 T. butter or olive oil, if you prefer, and saute the onion with a pinch of salt until translucent about 5 minutes.Then add the minced garlic, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Add the bag of spinach, add a pinch of salt, stir, then cover the pot for one minute to let the spinach wilt, then uncover and finish stirring with the onions and garlic until completely wilted, about another minute.

Add the drained cooked orzo.

Then the hot butternut squash, out of the oven.

Stir together.

Add the grated Parmesan, be generous, and stir together.

Season with salt, if needed.

Turn it out into a serving bowl.

Yum!

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies for the Historical Society

2025-09-25T17:37:00.005-04:00

Tom baked butterscotch cookies today to donate to the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society Harvest Festival on Saturday at the Benjamin Patterson Inn, the oldest building in Corning. Smelled wonderful in the house.

Here's the recipe: Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies by Tom

---Barbara

On the Vine

2025-09-23T17:14:00.002-04:00

Backyard tomatoes are finally ripening on the two plants (volunteers) from last year's seeds. Been patiently watering them and waiting.

---Barbara

Cauletti, Red Pepper, and Mushroom Veggie Roast by Barbara

2025-09-14T11:56:00.001-04:00

This is one of our favorite combinations of veggies to roast together. Red peppers, mushroom and cauletti. If you haven't tried Cauletti yet, it is a brand name for a variety of baby cauliflower. It has long, tender stems and looser florets, giving it a milder, sweeter flavor than traditional cauliflower. We roast the veggies along with chicken. Also goes well with baked salmon.

---Barbara

Cauletti, Red Pepper, MushroomVeggie Roast

1 red pepper, washed, seeded and cut into strips

1 bag of cauletti, pre-washed

12 - 15 mushrooms, brushed off, and stems trimmed

Olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Sprinkle salt on top.

Add the veggies.

Drizzle with more olive oil and add salt and pepper.

Toss them together to coat with the olive oil, and then spread out in one single layer.

Place in the lowest level of the oven, nearest the heating element.

Roast for 30 minutes.

Serve with roasted chicken.