Recipes Honed over 50+ Years

“The best memories are made while
gathered around the table.”

Welcome to my kitchen,  or should I say, laboratory? Our youngest son says that I am two-parts cook , and one-part scientist. For if a recipe is not delicious, but has the possibility of being, I work with it until it is worthy of attaining a page in my cookbook. I just can’t help it. The truth is that cooking is my love language, as it was my mother’s and grandmother’s. Some of their recipes will very likely show up on this page. Enjoy! Oh, here is a hint that has helped me out. When unexpected guests show up, don’t fret. They have come for the fellowship more than the food. Throw on another vegetable, or two, and pass the meat around last, or place it last on the buffet. By the time your guests get to the meat, their plates will be nearly full, and there will be little room for much more.

Poppy Seed Bread

Dear Cook, this sweet bread is yummy, and is a long time family favorite. I took it to our small ...
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Funeral Sandwiches

Dear Cook, when I received this recipe, the following was printed at the top of the page, “Funeral Sandwiches - ...
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Butterscotch Cream Pie

Dear Cook, my dad's favorite pie was the southern Indiana butterscotch pie from his youth. So Mom did her best ...
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Apple Dumplings

Dear Cook or Baker, sometimes success in the kitchen calls for an ‘I-can-do-it’ attitude. This recipe calls for that - ...
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Mouthwatering Stuffed Mushrooms

Dear Cook, until I seriously dieted, I never liked mushrooms. Liking mushrooms, especially these, is now the only benefit left ...
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Orange Scones

I don’t remember eating scones until an anniversary weekend, 1989, in Toronto. While there, Ron and I enjoyed High Tea ...
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Walnut Crusted Chicken

Dear Cook, not only do dry goods have a shelf-life, frozen food does as well. That being true, New Year's ...
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Box Family Baked Beans

Dear Cook, for this recipe, don’t even think of using any beans other than Campbell’s Pork and Beans, even though ...
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Beef Barley Soup A+

NEW RECIPE: Dear One, when Ron retired he knew very, VERY little about cooking. After years of retirement, he now ...
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Joan’s Baked Beans

Dear Cook, for most of our family, and extended family, there was only one baked bean recipe, as it had ...
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Best Ever Pasta Salad

Dear Cook, in the fall of 2007, near Grand Rapids, Ron and I attended my Uncle Leon's 80th birthday party ...
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Heart-Shaped Raspberry Sugar Cookies

Dear Baker, at least two things are necessary for yummy tasting sugar cookies. One, they must be fresh…no leaving them ...
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Maurice Salad

New Recipe - Dear Cook, my cousin who lives downstate commented on a salad recipe which was popular at the ...
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Sweet Cranberry Sauce

Dear Cook, for years I made my mother's cranberry relish for Thanksgiving. It was hardly ever touched by anyone other ...
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Just Peachy Pie

Dear Cook, we enjoy local fresh peaches in late August and into September. When time allows, I like to can ...
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Brunch Potatoes

Dear Cook, my favorite potatoes, other than mashed potatoes and gravy, are thinly sliced potatoes, fried in bacon fat* with ...
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Pumpkin Bread or Muffins

Dear Cook, this recipe comes from a cookbook put together by the Ladies' Guild of Rehoboth Reformed Church in Lucas, ...
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Chopped Apple Cake

Dear Cook, this recipe came from my father's (Myrell Box) Aunt Marie (Uncle Hardy) from southern Indiana. She would only ...
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Festive Cranberry Fruit Salad

Dear Cook, it is said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I’d like to add to that, “Don’t judge ...
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Roasted Company Ready Veggies

Dear Cook, when I was growing up, unless we were having pot roast, nearly all the vegetables Mom put on ...
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Boston Brown Bread

NEW POST 11-23-20 Dear Cook, family was coming for dinner, and Ron decided that he wanted to make a brown ...
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Butter Pecan Cake

Dear Cook, it is no wonder that the minute I saw this recipe in the Taste of Home Magazine I ...
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Cheddar Biscuits

Dear Cook, my grandmother loved bread. If there was bread on the table, she could leave the table satisfied. In ...
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Zucchini Apple Bread

Dear Cook, I have an old recipe for zucchini bread, one I use when Ron’s garden zucchini is ready. But ...
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Taco Salad

Dear Cook, there are many wonderful taco salad recipes, but this recipe is the one our family and friends request ...
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Sausage & Squash Penne

Dear Cook, Ron, my husband, found this recipe in a Taste of Home Magazine. It looked very interesting to us…pasta, ...
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Grandma Kenyon’s Hamburger Rice

Dear Cook, this is one of my Grandma (Kitson) Kenyon’s recipes. She was married around 1911. I never heard an ...
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Hobo Dinners

Dear Cook, this is a ground beef and vegetable meal that Ron and I first made while camping.  It cooks ...
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Oven Caramel Corn

Dear Cook, this caramel corn is a wonderful, sweet treat. That is, if you do not make it when the ...
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Festive Pineapple Cranberry Salad

Dear Cook or Baker, sometimes when we have a gelatin salad leftover from a company meal, I end up having ...
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Aunt Darlene’s Cheese Ball

Dear Cook or Baker, you most likely have recipes from dear friends and relatives who have passed away. Isn’t it ...
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Mom’s Potato Salad

Dear Cook or Baker, a few summers ago, I made four gallons of potato salad for our grandson’s open house ...
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Orange Buttermilk Salad

Dear Cook or Baker, I know - I know the molded salad looks a bit odd. The problem was that ...
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Cherry Berries on a Cloud

First things first, the picture shown above should have two cups of halved strawberries mixed in with the Thank You ...
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No Name Baked Beans

A few weeks ago, while grocery shopping, I ran into a couple from our church. When I was an elder-greeter, ...
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Scalloped Potatoes

Making these potatoes is so convenient, and the ingredients are usually on hand, but few of today’s cooks make them ...
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Vanilla Cream Puffs

When my husband hears me mention cream puffs, it triggers for him the same memory. And he tells me, once ...
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Pasties

It has been maybe twenty-five years, or more, that Ron and I were invited to the home of a couple ...
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Broccoli Cheese Bake

This is a convenient, and tasty casserole. It can be served meatless or with chicken. The broccoli should be steamed ...
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Giant Molasses Cookies

I have for sometime been on the hunt for a soft, thick molasses cookie recipe. And a few years ago, ...
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Mom’s Homemade Ice Cream

The unbelievable has happened! Mom's Homemade Ice Cream lasted more than just overnight. Of course, means had to be taken ...
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Pineapple Pepper Chicken

NEW POST - This recipe has undergone several transitions. I think I finally have made a very convenient recipe from ...
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Baked Peppers with Tomatoes

Years and years ago, I found this recipe in the Parade magazine, which is included in our Sunday newspaper. I ...
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Swiss Steak with Brown Gravy

My Mother made Swiss Steak with Brown Gravy often. She either made it the-day-ahead, or froze it for a company ...
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Irish Soda Bread

I have not made soda bread for I do not care for it. But I happened to find, stuck between ...
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Spring Parsnips

If you haven’t tasted spring parsnips, I don’t think you can image their unique sweet flavor. Because parsnips do not ...
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Cherry Cobbler for a Crowd

We live in a beautiful cherry land. Briefly, in the spring, Old Mission Peninsula is partially covered with gorgeous cherry ...
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Lime Ribbon Delight

This is a lovely dessert, light and refreshing. It is perfect for serving on a hot summer's day. For it ...
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Mom’s Easter Cake

First I must say, don’t do what I did. I added yellow food coloring to the pineapple. The pineapple was ...
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Irresistible Salad

Before I even made this salad, after sugar coating the pecans, I found them irresistible. So when the day came ...
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Swedish Tea Ring

It was a Saturday morning in 1961, I was 16, and was experimenting with my first sweet roll dough. It ...
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Peanut Butter Fudge

I am not sure that I should share this recipe with you. For it seems to turn out just a ...
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French Meatball Stew

In the 60’s while Gary, my brother, was living in Traverse City attending Northwestern Michigan College, I served this entrée ...
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Just Plain Meatloaf

Sometimes a person could be beholden to a storm of snow and ice. With our last storm, I was that ...
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Very Good Granola

To my shame, I have never quite developed the habit of taking gifts to those who invite us to enjoy ...
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Austrian Apple Twists

While I was housebound, dealing with a knee problem, I sat down in a comfy chair which I rarely use ...
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Ember’s 1 Pound Pork Chop

In 1964, I became disappointingly familiar with the Ember’s Restaurant, where this recipe originated. The fault was entirely mine. After ...
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Valentine Shipper – Stove Top Peanut Brittle

This recipe came from a dear, old neighbor, Mrs. Burkholder. She lived next to us when we first moved to ...
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Apple Pie Tradition

For a granddaughter’s recent wedding the bride and groom, instead of serving the traditional wedding cake, served pie. The ladies ...
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Broccoli Cheese Soup

This soup, Broccoli Cheese, is not a favorite of mine. Oh, I do like it. It is good, very good, ...
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German Sweet Chocolate Cake

I seem to have to change things up. So, I did it again, and added Hershey Kisses to the top ...
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Mom’s Pickled Bologna

My mother made her pickled bologna a few times a year, mostly during the winter holidays, but sometimes she made ...
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Tuna and Peas on Toast

The mention of tuna and peas on toast in the presence of either of our sons causes a tirade. I ...
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Cranberry Raspberry Salad

For Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mother always made a simple raw cranberry relish of sugar, with ground: berries, orange rind, and ...
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City Chicken (Pork and Veal)

City Chicken can cause some confusion. For it is not made with chicken. My mother’s recipe is 3 parts pork ...
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Cream Wafers

It has been nearly two years since I began posting essays and recipes. And it has taught me something. Our ...
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Bacon Wraps

Most cooks do not consider convenience and Bacon Wraps synonymous. For while making them the brown sugar begins to melt ...
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Buttercup Squash – Year Round

It seems that people either love winter squash, or hate it...for there are not many 'take-it or leave-it' types around ...
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French Onion Grilled Cheese

I am not sure how I came across this recipe, but I did …sometime last May (2019). And oh how ...
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Wheaties Pork Steak

When I was thinking of putting Wheaties Pork Steak up for your review, I remembered how, after our kids grew ...
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Grandma’s Homemade Noodles/Chicken Soup

As a kid, I do not know how many times I walked next door into Grandma’s kitchen, to find her ...
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Simple Halloween Cookies

For years we have prepared an early dinner for the family to eat fast and furiously before the grandchildren don ...
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Seven Layer Salad

This is one convenient lettuce salad! Ron and I first had this at the home of a teacher who taught ...
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Royal Wedding Scones

I was given this recipe, and two others, from a friend of my mother’s, Marge Eckert. She found it in ...
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Raisin Cake with Penuche Frosting

Oh my, do you like sweet, really sweet, sugary fudge sweet? Well if so, the frosting on this cake is ...
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Jell-O Eggs for Next Easter

Right out of the shoot, I will tell you that the Jell-O eggs at our house on Easter Sunday remained ...
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Caramel Brownies (Guba)

Since Ron's a-fib, we have been eating a 1200 calorie diet. This means that a batch of these delicious Caramel ...
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Soft Chewy Caramels

When I first made this recipe for my family, I really started something.  I have now made thousands of caramels ...
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Thanksgiving Helps

Thanksgiving Helps When I asked my husband, Ron, to look over this essay for mistakes, this is what he laughingly ...
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Alma’s Cheesecake – Light and Airy

For the longest time, I thought that the recipe I have for Alma’s Cheesecake was named after my mother’s friend, ...
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Watergate Salad

Watergate! Why would a salad be named Watergate? I have always wondered? So, I asked Google and learned the following: "Kraft ...
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German Skillet

As Ron's garden tomatoes near the end of their season, his cabbage is reaching its peak. So he did not ...
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Same ol’ Peanut Butter Cookies

We have eaten the same ol'- same ol' Peanut Butter Cookies our entire marriage, and I have eaten them throughout ...
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Dorothy’s Winning Lasagna

No, this recipe never won a prize, but by many who have eaten it, it has been declared a winner ...
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Baby Back Ribs

I have never been disappointed when serving baby back rips with this recipe. If they don't happen to be falling-off-the-bone ...
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Chicken Spaghetti

A granddaughter, while making plans to bring her friends to our home for the weekend, was invited to pick out ...
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Orange Blueberry Muffins

I come from a long-line of fruit gatherers, I grew up picking both wild and U-Pick berries with my grandparents, ...
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Ice Cream Rice Krispie Dessert

Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts - were not something I was very familiar with on one of my earliest dates with ...
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Raspberry Sugar Cream (Mini) Tarts

I found this recipe for Raspberry Sugar Cream Tarts in the Taste of Home magazine, and first made them in ...
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Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes when I am preparing a menu, I forget about roasted veggies, but when my mind lands on them, that’s ...
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Red, White and Blue Strawberry Pie

This 4th of July strawberry pie* was not only scrumptious, it was patriotic - with the addition of a few ...
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Broccoli Raisin Salad

When you are asked to bring Broccoli Raisin Salad to your granddaughter's High School Graduation Open House - for 200 ...
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Myrtle’s Feather Rolls

Once a year Daily Dozen Ministry, a prayer ministry, meets at our home for dinner. And being the generous people ...
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Rhubarb Sauce

This is a simple recipe, short and sweet. Well, we are talking about rhubarb here, so it may not correlate ...
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Pork and Bean Casserole

This recipe is quick to make, hearty, and usually liked by children. It is a one pan meal. I use ...
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Sugar and Spice Cookies

After years of making chocolate chip or peanut butter, this recipe has become my go-to cookie. Besides being delicious, it ...
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Chocolate Bavarian Torte

Oh, you are going to like this recipe, that is, if you like chocolate. You might as well copy it ...
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Mandarin Nut Bread

One day when Ron was home alone, he perused my bread recipes, and decided to make peach bread, but we ...
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Sausage Skillet

Okay, we admit it, Ron and I. We have seldom met a sausage dish that we did not like. This ...
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Marbled Orange Fudge

For awhile, when I was very young, my family lived on Eton Street, in Dearborn, Michigan. In the summer, the ...
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Cranberry Spinach Salad

This salad is a delight...and it comes together beautifully with just four toss-together items: toasted almonds, dried cranberries, spinach, and ...
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Tangy Orange Salad

This recipe has a wonderful tangy bite to it. Refreshing! My sister brought this recipe into the family when our ...
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