Although Apple Salad with Vanilla Dressing could be considered a side dish, I think of it as dessert. It is a great no-bake option that can easily serve a crowd. Plus, it is rich in flavor and fiber. As written, the dressing recipe has a very strong vanilla flavor. If you aren’t a fan of […]
Archives for December 2014
Pizzelles
One of my favorite places to go after Christmas every year was to visit my relatives in Toronto, Ohio…a small town along the Ohio River whose most famous son may have been Robert Urich. The reason I loved to go…beyond seeing my relatives…was that many people in the area recognized Orthodox Christmas and the decorations […]
Classic Standing Rib Roast
Making a classic standing rib roast for the first time can be a little intimidating because it is usually for some special occasion and can be a large financial investment. The good news is that it is actually very easy…if you have a necessary tool, a meat or instant-read thermometer. It also helps if you […]
Christmas Pickles
Christmas Pickles were one of the items that my mom would make most every year around Christmas that I never really understood. They were called Christmas Pickles, but I did not see anything particularly “Christmas-y” about them. I assumed for a while the name was a reference to the fact that Mom often gave them […]
German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting
German chocolate cake is something that I have never been that into…except for its icing. I love its coconut-pecan icing. It was never a cake that my mom or grandmothers made very often. In fact, the only person I remember frequently making a German chocolate cake was my uncle. He made two desserts that I […]
Oatmeal Pie
The only place I have ever had Oatmeal Pie is in the Amish Country of Ohio. I read that it is/was popular in the southern United States as well. However, I have never found it on a menu since moving to the South more than six years ago. It does remind me of pecan pie, […]
Buckeye Balls
Having lived most of my life on the West Virginia side of the West Virginia-Ohio border I often heard jokes about the Buckeyes(Ohioans) being worthless nuts. Buckeye trees were common in the area, so I was also aware of making sure to distinguish between buckeyes and chestnuts when collecting nuts. However, my favorite reference to […]
Coconut-Date Balls
One of the recipes I found stuffed in my mom’s recipe box was on notebook paper that I recognized as being from my paternal grandmother’s recipe binder. The handwriting did not quite look like my grandmother’s, but it was close enough that I assume it was either her or one of her sisters who wrote […]