Over the last year I’ve totally converted to the beauty of the butternut squash. I roast it, I use it in pasta, I love it. So here in pumpkin season, I wanted to capitalize on my new love of squash…
Green Bean Casserole
Growing up, green bean casserole was the dish that made Thanksgiving dinner special for me. When I left home I’d even make it up for myself when I needed a little comfort food. But as I got older and my…
Chocolate Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies
In my house, we have big debates over the proper consistency of a brownie. Bear feels passionately that they should be dense and chewy. I love a fluffy cake like brownie. The one thing we can come together on is…
Frankenstein Monster Crispies
I’m a little too excited about the fact that for the first time ever, I get to bring snacks to Atti’s classroom for the holiday. Oh, all the years I’ve read blogs and pined away for all the amazing things…
Monster Parmigiana
In honor of Halloween, I thought it would be fun to make a dinner that was festive, and yet still tasty. When we were little, our Halloween dinner was usually a slapped together sandwich as we all raced out the…
Sloppy Joe
This was one of the first meals I ever made, back when Bear and I were brand newly married and we had no idea how to make our eating habits gel. He ate like a Western teenage boy – loads…
Homemade Marinara Sauce – and Pesto!
I canned up 30 qts of marinara sauce, and I’m worried it won’t be enough to get us through to next summer. This stuff is good, you guys. We’ve already used it on top of noodles, in a baked ziti…
Fried Green Tomatoes with Parsley Ranch Dressing
When I bought all those tomatoes to do my canning, they came straight from the farmers selling them to grocery stores, which means they came to me green. I put them out on the back porch in the sunshine to…
End of Summer Salad with Spicy Basil Cucumber Vinaigrette
We are in one of the most glorious times of year here in Modesto. The heat is slowly starting to fade enough to be enjoyable again, hints of fall are in the air, and every single thing is ripe to…
More in my canning adventures
My feet and back have still not recovered, and my floor may never be clean again, but gosh I love canning. I just find the whole thing so dang satisfying, all those gorgeous gleaming jars stuffed with great things I…