Category Archives for Fruits and Vegetables

Pear Cake Recipe Using Fresh Pears

Pear cake in a cast iron skillet

We are not big pear eaters. I hardly ever buy them, so a pear cake recipe, using fresh pears non-the-less, may surprise you. There’s a bit of a story here that also illustrates a couple of frugal living principles perfectly. Hang in there with me and we’ll get to the cake recipe shortly. Doesn’t that […]

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Real Mashed Potatoes

Here's how to make real mashed potatoes that come out perfect every time.

It always amazes me to hear from people who have never made real mashed potatoes. Some of them only grew up on the instant version. Other’s had them for holidays, but never tried to make a batch of their own. Making mashed potatoes from scratch, using real potatoes is a lot easier than you may […]

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Sweet Pickled Cauliflower Recipe

We love this sweet and tangy pickled cauliflower. Perfect for sandwiches, snacking or to perk up a boring salad.

Cauliflower is coming into season and a simple way to preserve it is to pickle it. We like sweet pickled cauliflower as a quick side to go with sandwiches as lunch or to add some extra flavor to almost any main entree. It goes especially well will any type of grilled meat dish. I also […]

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Southern Collard Greens

You've gotta try cooking collards from scratch. Such a tasty treat and surprisingly easy to make.

Around here it’s a tradition to eat Collard Greens on New Year’s Day. But don’t stop there. These delicious leafy green vegetables cooked in crispy bacon with some onion, garlic and spices are delicious all winter long. Put on a pot of these, let them cook for a good 2 hours and make sure you […]

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Pumpkin Fritters

Plate of yummy pumpkin fritters made with pumpkin puree, flour, egg and seasonings.

Here’s another great way to use up homemade pumpkin puree. Of course you could also use canned pumpkin if you don’t have any on hand. Either way these pumpkin fritters make a delicious treat. They are a yummy side dish, or roll them in cinnamon sugar to enjoy as an afternoon snack or for breakfast. […]

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Frozen Pumpkin and Banana Smoothie

Glass of pumpkin smoothie blended with frozen banana and milk.

A few days ago I shared some tips with you for making and freezing pumpkin puree. Over the next few days I thought I’d share some recipes with you that I use the pumpkin in. Let’s start with something quick and easy. I love starting my fall days with a yummy pumpkin smoothie. The banana […]

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Garden Vegetable Casserole

Do you still have some summer vegetables growing in the garden? Or maybe you’re making one last trip to the farmers market to stock up on some produce. Here’s a simple and yummy vegetable casserole recipe I’ve been playing with this summer. It’s full of good stuff and to make it even better, topped with […]

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Simply Sauteed Okra

I’ll let you in on a secret. I used to think that I don’t like okra. The only way I’d had it was deep fried with a corn meal breading. It was ok if it was well done and really fresh, but nothing to write home about. I’d never touches okra in any other way […]

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Homemade Zucchini Bread Recipe

One of the kid-friendliest ways to use up a bunch of zucchini is to “hide” it in a yummy breakfast bread like the one below. If you don’t tell them, they’ll never know it’s got a nice serving of vegetables right inside the warm loaf of yummy breakfast bread. My husband even went so far […]

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