Baked Fennel Au Gratin with Orzo and Onion

I ate fennel nearly fifty years ago when my husband and I were in Zurich, Switerland in the mid-seventies where we studied Jungian psychology. I didn’t like this vegetable much back then because of its potent licorice flavor. Also, I wasn’t familiar with how to cook it. I only baked it with a sprinkle of…

Skinny Paprika-Smoked Buttermilk Biscuits

Biscuits are easy to make, quick and luscious to eat. Magazines and books lately focus articles and recipes on biscuits, touting favorite combinations from well-known chefs and bakers. Biscuits run the gamete from classical, tall and fluffy, ( 3-4 inches high), to thinner, and to every combination imaginable! You can make big ones, baked separately…

Buttery Snickerdoodles – Surprise!

I always thought snickerdoodles were dull, rather hard cookies, not tasty at all, and could easily be bypassed for something more desirable, like a thumbprint lemon filled cookie or a brownie bar. I often imagined people bought snickerdoodles because of their cute name, or maybe they liked a bit of crunch and their sugary pop….

Majestic Morning Muffins: Sweet or Savory

Aside from banana muffins, or simple toasted English muffins next to eggs for breakfast, muffins were often, decades ago, ho hum for me, kind of bland, mostly an aside to any meal. I never ate them as a child, even though my Dad owned bakeries. (We usually ate rye bread, bagels and yeast rolls, nice…

Chicken Noodle Casserole with English Peas

I love chicken like mom did.  I like it cooked just about any way, however, mom liked it simply boiled, very plain, her thin fingers picking meat off warm bones, which happens to be  a method that is not a favorite of mine; there are so many savory recipes that top that. She was big…