Upside Down Apple Cake

A cake sitting on top of a paper plate.

Ingredients 1 cup pure maple syrup 4 small Granny Smith (or other tart) apple, peeled, cored, and sliced – circles are pretty! 1 and ½ sticks butter 1 ½ cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt Optional: Whipped…

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Upside-Down Tomato Tart

Closeup of green tomatoes on a vine.

Lots and lots of cherry tomatoes – that seems to be the only thing the varmints aren’t stealing from our carefully curated garden. Let’s see, they’ve bitten the tops off the okra plants, eaten the Cherokee Purples, and finally in a bout of unusual cruelty snuck in at night and bit every cucumber – just…

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Valentine Snick Snacks

A table with two bags of candy and three other bags.

Ingredients 6 cups Chex corn cereal 2 cups (one bag) good quality white chocolate chips like Ghirardelli 11/2  cups shredded coconut (to dye pink mix in a few drops of red food coloring) 1 package Valentines M&Ms Optional: Pinch of sea salt Directions Pour cereal in a large mixing bow1. Melt chocolate in a microwave…

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Valentine Snick Snacks

Black dog with treats in a basket.

There is a beach my son particularly loved to visit when he was young partly because they had the novelty of a resort area with outdoor dining. You could get all manner of tasty things you would expect at the beach and a few more sophisticated treats. Kids delighted in soft drinks served in fun…

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Valentine’s Salad

A plate of salad on the table with flowers in the background.

Ingredients Dressing ¼ cup mayonnaise ½ cup buttermilk 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp dried tarragon ¼ cup Parmesan cheese 1 tsp salt  Salad 1 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, sliced into long strips 2 Tbsp sliced or chopped almonds 4  one inch thick slices of…

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Vanilla Pie

A piece of cake on a plate with roses

Ingredients 1 unbaked pie shell from the grocery store or recipe page 63 You’re Grown – Now You Can Cook. 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter 1 ½ cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 3 Tbsp flour ¼ tsp salt 1 Tbsp vanilla (I added a few drops extra for a very intense vanilla taste.)…

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Vegetarian Lasagna for One

A wooden table with some food on it

Ingredients 1 Tbsp butter 1 very small eggplant, chopped 6 mushrooms, sliced 2 cloves of garlic, minced several stalks of asparagus, cut in bite sized pieces (You could use any vegetables you like. Butternut squash would have been good with this, also broccoli, zucchini, carrots – let your pantry and your imagination be your guide.)…

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Warm Beer Cheese Dip

A plate of food with broccoli and bread sticks.

Ingredient 2 cups white American cheese (I think you could use a mild cheddar or just plain American cheese) ½ cup half & half or whole milk ½ cup dark beer ½ tsp garlic salt ½ tsp dry mustard ½ tsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce A few drops of hot sauce Directions In…

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Warm Chocolate Mess

A piece of cake on a plate with roses

Ingredients 1 pkg. chocolate cake mix 3 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix 4 eggs 1 c water 2 c sour cream 1 stick butter, melted (you can do this in a small bowl in the microwave)  1/2  tsp salt 1 c semisweet chocolate chips Directions Spray crockpot with cooking spray. In a large bowl,…

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Warm Farro Salad

A bowl of food with rice and fruit on it.

It’s January again. Kind of cold and dreary with more of the same predicted. But here is the good news- your menu doesn’t have to follow suit. Brighten and lighten your day with this recipe for Farro Winter Salad. This dish is hearty with a punch of citrus and sweet chopped dried fruits plus deliciously…

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