My empty nest world of scratch baking and chicken scratch
Pecan Pie – the quintessential Southern pie. A tender, sweet butter crust serves as the foundation that encases this rich, buttery, gooey, pecan filling. I’ve tried countless pecan pie recipes over the years and I always come back to this recipe which uses brown sugar instead of white sugar; brown sugar intensifies the flavor. This recipe is … Read more
My children grew up in a bake-from-scratch household and have been introduced to more cookies than we can possibly count! My youngest son, now in college, loves anything with ginger or molasses, so when I made these cookies for him, they became his all-time favorite cookie. We are fortunate that we use the zest … Read more
Shortbread is a biscuit or cookie and is traditionally made with three ingredients: Butter, sugar, and flour. While there are many variations on this classic (types of flour, types of sugar, flavorings, etc.), I like this simple recipe that adds a hint of vanilla. Gather ingredients. Spray either a Shortbread mold or a 8 or … Read more
This recipe comes from the September 1994 Southern Living Magazine. Reminiscent of old-fashioned American diners, this pie never goes out of style; always a classic and always a crowd pleaser. The pie is bursting with a fresh lemon curd and topped with soft, billowy, creamy, vanilla scented meringue, all sitting on top of a … Read more
Coconut Cream Pie is a classic. A thick, rich, creamy coconut custard filling topped with either meringue or billowy mounds of whipped cream, this pie always makes a great impression! This pie is different from a Coconut Custard Pie which is more custard-like and does not get a topping. When people eat this pie, they … Read more
An old-fashioned pound cake from scratch in just a few simple steps. Be sure that the butter and eggs are at room temperature and that you follow the order of the recipe – it’s that easy! You can make this in a tube pan or in a couple of loaf pans, just be sure to … Read more
I think of Coffee Cake as comfort food of the dessert world. Warm out of the oven with a tall glass of milk, it’s reminiscent of grandmom’s house. Don’t let the name fool you, coffee cake does not have coffee in it. Coffee cake is traditionally served with coffee, like tea-cakes are served at tea-time, when getting together with friends for coffee. … Read more
Sables are a French cookie with a delicate, sandy texture. Their American counterpart would be something similar to Sandies. This cookie uses both unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate which yields a very intense, complex chocolate taste. The sandy texture comes from a dry mixture that you bring together to form into desired shapes; the … Read more
Traditional, buttery French cookies that are named for their sandy texture (sable means sand). Every bakery in France makes them. There are two ways to make these cookies. You can roll them and cut out with your desired shaped cookie cutter, or you can form the dough into two logs (my preferred method), freeze, slice, … Read more
I love growing fresh basil for use all summer long. As Fall approaches, it’s time to harvest the remaining basil and make pesto for the freezer. Pesto is very easy to make and can be used in a variety of ways – serve it over pasta, as a sandwich spread, on pizza, on chicken, or … Read more