Spring seems to be on hold as cold temperatures persist in Illinois. But I am beginning to think about my herb garden. I recently read that Tansy is a deterrent for Japanese beetles. I have seeds to plant, hoping that it will help get rid of the throng of beetles…
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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recently I have been going through some old folders and found a copy of a recipe with a story. According to the distributor of the recipe, she paid $250 for the Neiman-Marcus Cookie recipe. Did I ever try the recipe? I couldn’t remember. I had the ingredients on hand—well, most…
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Sweet Potato Casserole: A Side Dish for Fish
When we are in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, about as far north as you can go in Michigan, we enjoy getting a meal at the 4 Suns Fish & Chips. Sometimes we get fish & chips to go. At other times we sit outdoors with a view of the…
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Abundant Berries: a Recipe for Black Raspberry & Blueberry Pie
The berries in my backyard are abundant . . . and so are the Japanese beetles. The upper leaves of my cherry tree were eaten, just the skeleton of leaf veins left. So pretty but so destructive! I have even been up on a ladder, shaking the branches of the…
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The Health Benefits of Dates and a Muffin Recipe
Dates have some surprising health benefits for expectant mothers. Women often receive a prescription for iron during pregnancy. During pregnancy a woman’s blood volume increases by 50% and the red blood cells increase by 30%. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin that carries oxygen; iron is a component of hemoglobin. Iron…
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Healthy Potato Salad with a Finnish Twist
Today I am making some potato salad for dinner. I read an interesting article that listed the health benefits available in potatoes and rice which are cooked and then cooled. According to the article: The process of cooking and then cooling potatoes and rice leads to the formation of resistant…
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Spiced Cranberry Sauce for the Thanksgiving Dinner
Perhaps it was ten years ago when I came across an unusual cranberry sauce recipe in the newspaper. I tweaked it a little bit, and my family loved it. It is sweet and tart with a nice burst of flavor from the spices. It has become a requested item for…
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Healthy Homemade Applesauce
Apples, fresh from the orchard, are one of the blessings in September. I enjoy making applesauce for the grandchildren. Each year I get a little more efficient. Two appliances have simplified the process of making applesauce for me: a crock pot and a victorio strainer. What is a victorio strainer?…
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Favorite Gluten-free Muffins (and they are easy to make!)
Why are so many people choosing to eat gluten-free? What is the problem with gluten? People with celiac disease experience a change in the intestinal lining as their body tries to digest gluten. Other people have a gluten sensitivity. A number of theories suggest the reason for the increasing number…
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Pretty Green Globes: Gooseberries for Jam and Pie
Berries have always been valued in my family as a special treat. When I was a kid it was mainly strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. There are so many more. I am developing an appreciation for gooseberries, elderberries and currants. The latter three grow well in my backyard. Gooseberries,…