July in North Dakota means that zucchinis are starting to be left on doorsteps all across the state (soon corn will follow). And as a parent, I’m always looking for more ways to deliver as many vegetables as I can. So I made Judy Anderson’s “Zucchini-Oatmeal Muffins” from the “Breads & Rolls” category. Preparation This…
The next day of the holiday weekend raised more opportunities for making festive food. We decided to make two more recipes from “Appetizers and Beverages,” both by Tudi Henderson: “Frozen Fruit Slush” and “‘Carol Nagel’s Dip.’” Frozen Fruit Slush When they returned from grocery shopping, Luke and the Baby began making the frozen fruit slush…
Shrimp Cocktail Next, I prepared Verna Shock’s “Shrimp Cocktail” so that we would have a second dip for our afternoon snack. We enjoyed this as well, especially its versatility. Here again was another blissfully straightforward recipe. My only question was how much celery to use (hint…I would use more in the future). I boiled the…
Food for Fun in the Sun: Part I Over the gloriously long Fourth of July weekend, my family did our favorite things: Cook Eat Swim Bike Read Repeat, in no particular order. Long, lazy afternoons require good snacks, I thought, and so I explored the “Appetizers & Beverages” section more thoroughly. Peppered Cheddar Dip As…
When my friend and neighbor Krystal came over with her family for dinner and a swim in June, she decided to make some of the recipes and send along her notes by text message. She’s an amazing cook! Strawberry Nut Bread The first recipe Krystal made was Martha Seibel’s “Strawberry Nut Bread” from the “Breads…
Rhubarb Redemption The day after the tater-tot debacle, I dove back into The Joy of Sharing, eager to redeem myself with my family. Retreating to the safety of the “Pies, Pastry & Desserts” section, I selected “Rhubarb Crunch,” contributed by two women listed as Mrs. Harold Henrickson and Mrs. Lloyd Nelson. Given Luke’s love of…
Tater Tot Hotdish Because of the lukewarm reaction to the previous hotdish, I went looking for another one to make on Thursday for Gay’s family. Since we were out for our anniversary dinner on Wednesday evening, I didn’t have time to test another recipe. So I selected the first one listed in “Main Dishes &…
Last week I made two hotdishes, both from the “Main Dishes & Casseroles” section, both disappointing. I planned to make a casserole for my friend Gay, who had just had surgery, and so I tried out a recipe on Tuesday to see if I should make it again for her and her family on Thursday….
I also wanted to make some sort of salad for Father’s Day, but again, wanted a quick and easy dish. And since I love salads almost as much as rhubarb, I’m struggling with the “Soups, Salads, and Vegetables” section of The Joy of Sharing. To me, salad means an interesting combo of vegetables and maybe…
For Father’s Day, I decided to find a pie recipe because Luke once joked that he “thought marriage would involve more pies.” We laughed and laughed at that because we are clearly not the type of couple who has those types of gendered expectations of each other (and just celebrated our twentieth anniversary this week)….