Mix together: 1 tsp salt pinch of pepper and sugar 4 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp grated onion Add: 2 teaspoons dried dill – the most important thing is to taste it and judge.  Fresh is wonderful too, but I always add a little dry dill even if I have fresh.  The flavor is stronger…

Songshu Pancakes Assemble dry ingredients: 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 Tablespoon sugar Liquid ingredients 1 and 1/2 tsp melted butter 2 eggs separated, beat whites, and stir in yolks with the milk As for the milk – it is a plus or minus depending on how thick you like…

I love homemade jam.  I don’t love making jam, but I love homemade jam.  Each summer I make some, and the best I ever made was the best because it had the dreamiest ingredients – white peaches, ripe to perfection, with some shiny red raspberries added in.  There is no one who had a taste…

This cake recipe is very good – you need to under bake it so that the center is a little underdone.  The cake was decorated with almonds – and you can think ahead and make a pretty design too. First you cream together the butter and sugar, and then add the rest of the ingredients,…

Do you like these?  I like Mika’s version.  The flavor is deeper and the kind of thing that you always want more of.  It is different from what is on the box.  Basically she doubles the butter, browns it, and then adds salt.  Something that simple takes an ordinary thing and makes it special.  Why…

These cookies are so beautiful and elegant!  They will be perfect for a Saint Patrick’s Day tea party, or just for simple but unusual dessert on Saint Patrick’s Day. You can use any cookie dough you like, as long as it can be rolled into long pencil thin rolls when you form it into knots.  I…

These pancakes are the favorite from the Burns side of the family. Mix together: 2 egg yolks (the whites are added later) 1 ½ cups buttermilk ½ cup sour cream Add ¼ cup butter, melted Add 1 cup all purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt Beat until smooth.  Then add 2 egg…

This roll, which we have made at our home for years, is perfect for a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal.    I am going to make the recipe short, because we need it right now!   Ingredients:   2 packages dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water (95-100 degrees F) 7 cups all purpose flour, approximately 1…

Oh my, I love this stuff.  It isn’t just me.  It is anyone who has ever tried it.    There is a secret ingredient, which is evaporated milk.   This may sound strange to you, but it is the secret behind this mac and cheese recipe’s outrageously smooth and creamy texture.  Not only is this recipe…

Ingredients: 4 eggs 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups white sugar 4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup anise seed Directions Beat eggs in large mixing bowl until very light. Add sugar and butter. Cream together until light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients and…

I love this pie so much.  It is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.  We have made this for more than 40 years, and I have never found one I like better.  This is one pie that has a special crust – not our usual.  Since you need the crust first, here is the recipe.  It…

INGREDIENTS 1 pound plus a little eggplant, with some stripes made on the side by running a potato peeler down the eggplant sides the long way. SAUCE INGREDIENTS – combine and set aside 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup Japanese cooking wine – Mirin 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons sugar 2 and 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar…

The way we have been cleaning our floors here in Rhode Island is to mix 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water.  That’s 1/4 cup vinegar per half gallon, and 2 Tablespoons per quart/4 cups of water. We also like Murphy’s Oil Soap.

Put in a big bowl: 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tsp sugar 1 rounded tsp salt Blend in: 4 tablespoons of butter or lard, Dad uses 4 tbsp lard and 1 tbsp butter. Enough milk to make a biscuit dough, about ¾ – 1 cup (If you use buttermilk,…

What you will need to make rose beads: Article and recipe by Elyn MacInnis at www.dadsblueberrymuffins.com For the dough: Petals from at least 8-12 roses Distilled water Frying pan – non-stick or cast iron Blender (critical for smooth, good-looking beads) Self-hardening clay – I use either “Standard Clay Mines Claystone” Brand  which comes in two…

Peter used to love to eat this when he was little. Amah made it often in Taiwan, and her Chinese friends always loved it. His brother Bruce, trying to learn how to cook as a little kid, once made it with a cup of salt instead of a teaspoon. Caused quite a stir. Preheat oven…

This recipe has been tweaked by me and also by Mika.  I guess you could say it is our own, but I have to say that Paula Peck’s cookbook is the place we found this recipe, and I am deeply indebted to her.  She has a fabulous baking cookbook, and if you like to bake…

Did you know there are two types of Scottish Scones?  The ones you probably know from Starbucks – or various US bakeries, and the other ones that they eat in the Islands of the coast of Scotland – and in other parts of the country too. Highland scones are airy and light, not sweet, and…

This is good with just about any vegetable, and also good with meat. Take: ¼ cup dried apricots Cover with boiling water and soak them for 1 hour. Then chop them up finely and put them in a small pan. Chop finely 1 cup fresh plums and make sure you don’t lose the juice as…