It is the time for love! Here is a very flavorful pecan bar. I used a southern syrup in my recipe, but don’t worry, you can get the syrup on amazon or substitute for another ingredient (see notes in the recipe)
The southern ingredient that I use is Blackburn Made Syrup. You can purchase it online at Amazon. Here is the Link. Check out the recipe for substitutions.
🍋Limonchello Cake and some Citrus History of Southern California
One of the thousands of crate labels from the Groves!
California. At the turn of the 20th-century, easterners flocked to Southern California for the sun, weather, and the movie stars! People still are. Even 20 years ago, Orange County was dotted with groves within an earshot of Disneyland. Today you would be hard-pressed to find one Orange Tree. I live in Riverside County (next to Orange County), and downtown, you will find the original two Navel Orange Trees that all were grafted.
Winter brings snow and storms throughout the Midwest and East coast, while here in California, we are shipping crates of fresh sun-drenched citrus. On the crates' sides, you would find the beautiful drawing of the orchards, the palm trees around the groves, and maybe a snow-topped mountain in the foreground (yes, we have mountains with snow 1-1/2hrs from Los Angeles.
Here is a great little video from PBS on the Citrus Movement in Southern California.
Orange Groves in the Historical Park
When we purchased our home, the land had been groves just the year prior; a few miles away, we had orchards that would permeate the air with the aromas of citrus this time of year. Sadly, they were all bulldozed for housing. Around the city, you can see some areas with mini groves. I tend to drive to the California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside to get my citrus. Here is the link: LINK
In the orange groves in 80F weather this past weekend.
Try this simple yet elegant dish for New Years Eve. Stay safe and enjoy the show!
D3 stands for Three D’s. (Double, Dark and Dense). Very rich and I cut them into 36 mini-squares. I hope you enjoy them
I am taking these to the Polling Station. I will be working for the first time as a poll officer for 4 days. I did training which was very interesting. I recall when I was 18 I was so very excited to vote, I walked in and the poll worker was telling me that I was not on the list as the name I gave her I should have been 30 years older (She had found my father, not me). I did vote, but the excitement left my face. I just wanted to get out as fast as I could. Since that day, I have voted absentee (Mainly because of my travel schedule) but since I am home I thought I would work the polls.. And I will greet each person like I wanted to be treated back in the day.. Unless they have a 45 shirt on! (they are not allowed)! go VOTE
The aroma of cinnamon in the air from baking the oven is so “Fall”. Last week I got a few pounds of sweet potatoes in my Farm Fresh to You, box. This was the first recipe I thought of making. I started making these in my classes called “Everything But The Turkey”. Save it for Thanksgiving, because. It is around the corner!
Also, if you would like to try out the produce boxes, you can use the code below to get a discount. I also order all of my milk and heavy cream. They come in glass bottles! Lastly, Blue Cheese from Point Reyes, CA. some of the best in the world!
Farm Fresh To You Website: www.farmfreshtoyou,.com
Code for a discount: GEZR5282
Here are two fall recipes that you can make to create ice cream sandwiches. This is one of the best pumpkin ginger ice creams and the gingersnaps will take you back to your childhood.
When in Turkey I purchased a set of rolling pins that made beautiful designs into the cold chilled butter cookie dough. Here is a recipe for you to enjoy.
Similar to corn bread, but a tad bit sweeter.. Try this the next time you are grilling up ribs or chicken.
Fresh Pineapple Macadamia Bars and Banana Pecan Cream Cheese Cupcakes. The bars do take some time as you should use fresh pineapples.. You know the kind with the spiky tops and does not taste like a can! I used two medium size. Using the fresh will make a big difference trust me! Enjoy both.
How did they come to be? From the scouts? If you are not camping, here is an easy simple way to make them with your microwave. Enjoy!
Since I am not doing my nightly shows anymore I wanted to make this dessert this week for you. I hope some of you try it even though you don’t see me making it.
The dessert without a name. You all have had some form of it. Bananas, Pudding, ‘Nilla Wafers and whipped cream. I felt it was southern, as one time, I had it from a soul food restaurant steam table outside of downtown Dallas. It was hot, so rich. I jumped in a cab with my good author and southern friend Nancie McDermott, and off we went into an area of Dallas she had heard of a great lady who made killer soul food (Just to let you know if Nancie has a hunch of something good you get in the cab! The cab driver didn’t want to take us to that side of town; she said it was dangerous. We told her that we would buy her lunch. Sure, enough that worked! Food always works! She said she would wait as nobody would come out to pick us up (This is pre-Uber). We got plates of food and a sandwich for the driver, she said. Oh, I guess it’s safe since the police are having lunch here!
Nancie said that her friend Chef Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, NC (he retired in 2019), had it on his menu, and it was trendy, and he called it Good Banana Pudding. She feels it is a Southern home cook’s streamlining of the Classic British Trifle. And I agree. How you make it is up to you. I have seen so many shortcuts, and some are what you may be used to flavor and texture-wise.
First, the cookie: Nabisco’s Vanilla Wafers 1898, which changed in 1967 to “Nilla Wafers as real pure vanilla is not used in them anymore. When a recipe for the pudding dessert was placed on the package back in the 1940s, southerners started using them in droves. This is the dessert you always have at a family reunion, covered dish supper (potluck), or Funeral. I created my own cookie to make that are very flavorful and even have vanilla!
Next, the pudding: Oh, boy. Jell-O came out with Banana Flavored pudding, which eased the making of this dessert. I love to make my Banana Pastry Cream to use instead. Some stores do not carry the Banana Cream, flavor outside of the south.
Topping: Most of the recipes today for this dessert have Cool-Whip as the topping. Formerly in the early, non-fast days of the method, it was a toasted meringue. I only use Cool-WhipÔ on morning shows when I can’t have whipped cream melt under the lights of the studio. Today's dessert we will make a meringue.
I hope you will take the time to make this Southern Dessert that I call, Banana Pudding Trifle.
National Cheesecake Day (July 30th) has always been a special day. Since my first book was a cheesecake book and then 3 after that.. The day means a lot. Today’s Show I re-broadcast the WGN-TV segment I did for Chicago, also I added some extras with this video. Enjoy!
Todays show offerings are Du-Roasted Beet Soup and Pork Blu-Piccata. My produce box that I choose had two types of beets (red and yellow) so I decided that an easy soup was in order. Also, a Pork Blu-Picatta.
One of the very first cooking school I taught at was The Kitchen Shop in Carlisle, PA. Not too far from Harrisburg the capitol. Off the turnpike, I had never ventured into the east coast prior to my first cooking class here. Years later, the Newspaper runs a full-page story on FairFoods. Please enjoy!
Dates mere one of the most perfect foods. Sweet and full of history! They all grow not too far from my home close to Palm Springs. Here are two recipes and also some pictures of the date farms where you can pickup the sweet stone fruit.
Here is some information on the date farms and addresses etc: Date Farm information: Sheet
Teh weather heats up so I am bringing out the blender for two very flavorful soups. Enjoy and share with others,
The first thing that comes to mind with Tequila having National day is Margarita’s.. SO today we have Caddie Margaritas and Salsas.. Three in fact. A red, green and a sweet! Enjoy.. Have a Great weekend and stay safe. Share with others too!
Simple yet very flavorful pantry items are easy to make. Here are for different ones for you to try.
Today we make a different twist on using a dried plum and chicken in a pasta sauce. It really resembles beef when it is completed. Also, a very flavorful Almon Cake!
Summer… Who wants to heat up the kitchen? Not I.. Here are two very flavorful panini’s and a cool crisp apple and blue cheese salad for you to enjoy.
