So, where is your happy place? The Longview Public Library is my all yearlong one, but from March until October or November, our back patio is where I would like to live during daylight hours.
Family traditions and in-person connections are important parts of gatherings of loved ones, and many of those get-togethers are centered on food. The entire family coming together around a table covered with warm, delicious food to share stories and create new memories is what makes mealtim…
When you are hungry and searching for something filling, juicy and rich, turning to your pantry for on-hand ingredients can make dinner a breeze. Dodge snack cravings and avoid the temptation to swing by the drive-thru; instead, you can have a homemade meal ready in a matter of minutes by pu…
It’s almost impossible to beat the combination of sweet fruit and decadent desserts. This delicious recipe for Apple Cake highlights the crisp fruit but also the cinnamon sugar-flavored pastry. It’s luscious but doesn’t overdo it on the sweet meter with just the right mix of flavors.
“A good friend is a blessing from God.” This saying (on a small cross) lives in our kitchen window. It was given to me by a good friend about a year ago.
The importance of health and wellness is top of mind for many people. There are many contributing factors to wellness such as diet, physical activity, social engagement and genetics. All are important, but a first step to wellness is choosing healthy foods to fuel the body every day, ideally…
Finding a unique dessert to impress others can be a tall task. Cakes, brownies and cookies are classics but can be boring and repetitive. When you want something easy, delicious and made to impress, think outside the sweet treat box.
During the hustle and bustle of the school year, it can be difficult to find time to sit down for dinner together as a family. However, on weeknights filled with extracurricular activities, homework, meetings and more, it’s still important to put delicious and nutritious meals on the table t…
It’s fall! (Well, sort of. If we forget the calendar and remember the days we considered fall the day after Labor Day when school started, after having been closed since Memorial Day.)
Each school day calls for a multitude of meals and snacks to make sure little learners are energized for time spent in the classroom, playing with friends and completing their homework.
The sun is shining bright in the sky, the flowers are blooming and the temperature is rising every minute. Spring and summer are typically full of fun, laughter, family and friends – not to mention great recipes everyone can enjoy indoors and outdoors throughout the warmer months.
Dinnertime dishes loaded with nutrients help keep loved ones connected while refueling after busy days spent at work and school. Dairy foods – key ingredients in many at-home meals – provide nutrients for people of all ages to grow and maintain stronger bodies and minds.
Do you ever think about how you got from Point A to Point B in life? And I don’t mean geographically, exactly. This has crossed my mind recently because of the graduations and fresh starts for so many students finishing high school or college.
Starting a new school year, whether in the classroom or online, brings excitement for kids of all ages. Opportunities to see friends, make new acquaintances and explore new areas of interest abound.
During the past year, many people have missed the opportunity to travel and experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the world, but it’s easy to explore other cultures and cuisines by experimenting in the kitchen.
Making the most of family meals means dishing up favorites that call loved ones together while also providing wholesome, nutritional flavor.
Lewis Carroll was not the first to speak of “cabbages and kings” in “Through the Looking Glass” in 1871. It has often been quoted in literature and it seems to have a different meaning to all who use the expression.
From little ones learning the game to professional athletes pushing sports to new levels, nutrition impacts the ability to re-energize, stay hydrated and reach peak performance. Now, new data shows that one naturally nutrient-rich beverage provides more benefits than previously thought: dairy milk.
As children head back to school and parents work to balance hectic schedules, it can be difficult to maintain a meal plan that doesn’t consume too much time. Make your morning meals, lunchbox packing and meal prepping easier by including time-saving hacks like easy-to-use ingredients and recipes.
You know the feeling: You eat breakfast, but by 11 a.m. your stomach is growling. You feel like you just ate but somehow you’re hungry and craving something hearty and rich.
For over a week now, I have been going through old recipes. For the most part, they are recipes from past columns. I am going to share several with you today that are from 10 or more years ago.
Filling the kitchen with plant-based ingredients is an easy way to nudge kids toward nutritious after-school snacks and make busy weeknight dinners as healthy as they are delicious.
Warmer months typically call for lighter bites, and one of the first things that comes to mind for many is a fresh and flavorful salad. While a salad is a quick and easy way to up your veggie intake and get food on the table in next to no time, the same formula over and over again can make m…
Ease and convenience can go a long way toward creating weeknight meals that bring the entire family together, which is why it’s helpful to focus your favorite dishes around main ingredients that simplify dinner routines.
Get up right this minute and go find your biggest stewpot or pan. If you are like me, it is not kept in the kitchen, but on a shelf in the garage or storage room.
As many people start getting back into normal routines, they’re returning to familiar on-the-go lifestyles by heading back to work, traveling to new destinations and enjoying time with loved ones.
As kids and parents return to busy schedules full of sports, homework and weeknight activities, building a plan for nutritious and easy meals can be challenging. Piecing together a menu that fuels active minds without spending hours in the kitchen is a common goal for many families.
Fun in the summer sun can mean anything from poolside play and outdoor exercise to simply relaxing in the shade. While these activities make the season special for people of all ages, the heat also leads to the inevitable: sweat.
You have heard me say it before — most or many good recipes have come about in a serendipitous manner. In fact, I believe lots of our favorite recipes that we have been making for as long as we have been cooking for ourselves or our families probably began as something other than the end product.
Skip boring dishes and instead dive into a sweet, satisfying macaroni salad that’s perfect for enjoying al fresco.
Few moments make summers quite as special as family meals, whether you’re soaking up the sun’s rays on the patio or beating the heat at the dining room table. You can make evenings the highlight of the day with loved ones by centering dinner around the flavors of the season.
A healthy breakfast can give your student a boost that lasts all day long. Mornings tend to be rushed, but it’s still possible to prepare easy breakfasts that power little learners throughout the school day.
If you are a youngster, 60 years of age or less, you need to move on to one of the younger columnists such as Jack Stallard, Jo Lee Ferguson, Christina Cavazos or Scott Brunner because you might not understand these matters of aging.
Road trips, outdoor adventures and relaxing by the pool are some of summer’s most popular activities, and all can be more enjoyable by adding favorite snacks to the mix. Next time you bask in the summer sun, bring along some tasty pecan snacks that allow you stay on track with wellness goals…
Busy mornings, afternoons and evenings are the norm for many families with days full of work, school, extracurricular activities, social commitments and more. Finding time to pause and share a meal is often a priority that may remain difficult to achieve.
If you’re looking for a dinner or lunch combination that is wholesome, filling and, of course, easy, you’re not alone. Meal prepping is a popular trend for many people (and families) who are working on healthy eating habits but are constantly on the go.
Emily Dickinson said, “Luck is not chance, it’s toil.” Someone else (unknown) said, “Hard work puts you where good luck can find you.”
How do you cook corn on the cob?
Do you ever eat dinner on the sofa while watching TV? I make an effort on most nights to sit at the table. I may scoop my food onto the plate stove-side, but I set out cloth napkins and glass tumblers with the aim of spending dinnertime catching up on the day’s events.
Stone fruit is my favorite part of summer ... after the warm weather and extended hours of daylight.
Eureka! I have found it. The best way to get new recipes and to taste them at the same time is so simple. All you have to do is plan a party or gathering and invite people that you know who like to cook and will volunteer to bring something. This happened at our July 4th family gathering (wh…
While the most common varieties of summer squash can be found year-round — we’re looking at you, green zucchini — the season for which they’re named brings a bounty of less familiar ones. Short and stout pattypan are as cute as buttons; slender, two-toned zephyrs look like their bottoms have…
My introduction to mushrooms created a prejudice that took years to overcome. They were canned. I remember them being spongy, a bit slick and the taste I recall most clearly was salt.
Cherry clafoutis is a simple peasant dessert from the Limousin region in France. It features the stone fruit baked in a dish with a flour-thickened custard batter. The plump, juicy cherries are suspended throughout the batter and a sprinkling of sugar on top produces a delicate, crackly crust.
Jeanie Shaffer doesn’t watch television. She’s too busy making tiny hats by hand.
It appears that we are between holidays for a while and since my favorite one of all (July 4) is over, I thought it might be time to talk about “fixing” food (not as in “fix supper,” but as in repairing culinary mistakes).
A stroll through a farmers market during the summer is as tempting to me as a walk through a candy store is to others.
Baking powder and baking soda are two of the most important ingredients on the baker’s shelf. The advent of these chemical leaveners — as opposed to relying on naturally occurring yeast or the extensive beating of air into eggs or batter — put reliable, convenient baking into the hands of ev…
In this dish, grilled slices of eggplant and onion are simmered in a quick, golden-hued, paprika-and-turmeric-spiced tomato sauce, then served layered with garlicky yogurt and showered with fresh mint and cilantro. It’s a sumptuous, produce-packed dish based on the traditional Afghani borani…
