• Faith - Recipes

    TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY and Apricot Bread

      For more than 20 years I have participated in Precept Bible studies.    I started with the women of Faith Community Church, and have continued for many years  with women at      Village Church of Barrington. We meet every Tuesday morning, September through May. We have become friends…

  • Recipes

    Sunshine Muffins: Gluten Free

    Last weekend I added some apricots to cornmeal muffins.  I enjoy    creating muffin recipes, a healthy treat for the grandchildren. Muffins are so easy to make.  These muffins were moist and tasty–they were a hit on Easter Sunday. Here is the recipe. First prepare the apricots. Simmer one cup…

  • Family - Recipes

    Pasties and Pickles for a Complete Meal

    Over the Christmas holidays my husband I traveled first to Michigan where we spent Christmas with my mother, sister and brother. After a brief interlude at home we drove to a town west of St. Louis, Missouri. We rented a house near Lake Sherwood and all of our children and…

  • Christmas - Recipes

    Healthy Orange Spice Cookies

      My mother grew up on a small Finnish farm in Upper Michigan. At Christmas she would remind us that oranges are a special treat. When she was a girl her family had oranges only on Christmas. As a tradition we always received an orange in our Christmas stocking. When…

  • Berries - Gardening - Herbs - Recipes

    Preserving Herbs: Thyme Vinegar

    The mild fall weather is so welcome! Yard work is pleasant and I have found some fall raspberries to savor while I work. Wilting vines And a layer of leaves Yard clean-up Sweetened by fall raspberries My calendula is still blooming and my rosemary and thyme are still growing. I…

  • Gardening - Herbs - Recipes

    Apple-Sage-Cheddar Muffins

    The sage in my garden is thriving. This summer it flowered. The beautiful weather this fall has extended our growing season. I have plenty of sage. The texture of the leaves has an artistic appearance, lovely to the touch. I am going to use it in some in apple-sage-cheddar muffins.…

  • Michigan - Recipes

    Pasties with Kale: A Meal

    The pasty came to the Keweenaw Peninsula of northern Michigan with Cornish miners. The Finns caught on to the hearty meal that was portable. Meat and vegetables wrapped in pastry made a filling lunch during the long hours in the mine. My grandfathers were miners, and pasties were served for…

  • Michigan - Recipes

    Potato Salad with Apple

    The apples are ripening. So many good recipes include apples, but have you ever added apples to potato salad? A Finnish chef shared a recipe for potato salad with an apple at a conference I attended. Here is my version of the recipe: 6 medium size yukon gold potatoes 2…