Hurray! For the second time, I didn’t blow the kitchen up. There is still a little bit of fear in using the pressure canner. When the directions say do this and don’t do that so as not to explode, it instills a bit of hesitancy to use the canner. I’ve been wanting to make my… Continue reading Chicken Stock

On Monday I made blackened chicken for the first time. It was a recipe in the current issue of Cooks Illustrated. I had purchased some chicken breasts at the local farmer’s market. There is a meat vendor who I have to buy at least one thing from each Tuesday. There is a lot of heat… Continue reading Blackened Chicken

As I’ve mentioned in the past, cooking and baking are stress relievers for me. When I need to regain some balance in my life, one of the places this happens is in the kitchen. Family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors have all benefited from my getting back into balance. This weekend I’ve spent a lot of… Continue reading More Stressed than I Thought?

This evening I planned on making okra and shrimp stew. I had to start it just after my lunch time because I had to let the ham hocks boil in water, onion, and bay leaf for about three hours. I’m not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. The odor permeated… Continue reading Dinner for One

Last Friday my good husband picked up my first installment of peaches. He even put them out to begin ripening for me. After just checking, they should be ready tomorrow. Now to decide what to do with this batch. A few will be put aside to just eat au natural. The rest will have to… Continue reading Peaches, Peaches, Peaches