Tomato and Onion Tart Every year I plant tomatoes in my garden. To be truthful, every year tomatoes plant themselves as volunteers in my garden. Usually, I have so many I give tomato starts to anyone who promises to give them a …read more

    What are Zucchini noodles, or Zoodles? Tis the season when zucchini and summer squash are plentiful. What to do with all these squash? Of course you can grill, sauté, bake, freeze, make bread or leave some on your neighbor’s porch when they’re not …read more

    The Magic and Mayhem of Making Meringue   Meringue is a light, airy and beautifully sweet dessert, originally from France, made from stiffly whipped egg whites and sugar. It’s actually really simple to make, yet people seem to think it’s very a difficult …read more

What’s an elegant, sophisticated dessert you can easily make for under $12?       If you guessed Baked Alaska, you’d be right. Of course the photo and title might have given the answer away. This really is the queen of desserts. All the other …read more

    Mixed Berry Pavlova Just look at this dessert!  It’s made of melt-in-your-mouth meringue blanketed with lightly sweetened whipped cream and topped with luscious ripe berries. This is a Mixed Berry Pavlova and it’s wonderful!   It’s a Pavlova, named after the legendary Russian …read more

  How to roast, store, and cook with Hatch chilies If you happen to live in the southwest part of America, in the month of August, have you noticed the big cylinder roasters outside your grocery stores?  And the giddy, salivating people who can’t wait to …read more

      Before I get to the Hatch Chili and Tomato Casserole, do all you chili-heads out there know what happens each August in the Southwest? If you said “Hatch chili season!” give yourself a gold star!    That’s when the Hatch chilies ripen …read more

  You know I love recipe mash-ups! When I developed this recipe for Meatless Mexican Lasagna, I was thinking – what if lasagna and an enchilada casserole had a baby?   The answer – I’d eat it!    And so, I made it.   Imagine, …read more

  A Cheat Sheet for Stretching Meat AKA –  It’s a fact – the cost of meat is skyrocketing and the frustrating question everyone is asking is –  “How can I possibly save money on meat while keeping my meat and potatoes family happy?” Sound familiar? …read more

  I was buying produce last week trying to decide between buying organic tomatoes and paying the mortgage. It made me wonder, are we wasting money buying organic?   Food is expensive. Period.  But buying organic food is astronomically expensive.   If you can afford …read more

  Dried Beans are Power Packed for Pennies What would you say if I told you there was a frugal and fabulous food that was filled with protein, fiber, packed with B-vitamins, iron, calcium and potassium, with a low glycemic index, low calorie and naturally …read more

  Back to school already? Noooooo! Say it ain’t so! Here are 9 back to school tips every parent should know.    But wait . . . Didn’t school used to start in September? I am that old.    Summer break is nearly over so …read more