Cooking

Margaret Cullison writes: We both enjoyed the few short hours it took to create a beautiful frosted cake for granddaughter Savannah to take home to surprise her mother. The recipe we used is from Marion Cunningham’s Fannie Farmer Cookbook, 1990 Edition, and is ideal for a child’s first effort at making a birthday cake for someone special. Katie likes to experiment with recipes, such as adding cinnamon to chocolate brownies or lavender to sugar cookies. She and Luke watched the Master Chef Junior show and realized that they have a medium for learning to cook that encourages their creativity. more »

"Challah for Hunger's mission is to fight hunger globally and locally. There are chapters all across the world who bake bread every week. Each chapter sells the bread and donates half of their proceeds to a globally based organization called Mazon, a Jewish response to hunger and a local organization of their choice. When this global pandemic started ramping up I was happy to donate money to causes and stay at home but I truly wanted to do something more. These health care workers need to have a moment of acknowledgment and being honored; what better way to do this than through a delicious and filling snack made with love?" more »

Julia Sneden wrote: The strangest Christmas of all was the Christmas of the Goose. John, my husband, was born in the wrong century. His vision of Christmas is informed by a heavy dose of Dickens and merrie olde England. It’s not enough to watch every version of A Christmas Carol that is shown on television, year after year. He hangs an Advent wreath over the center of the dining table. He sings along with the Advent hymns on a CD of the Canterbury Cathedral Choir. He sings The Boar’s Head in Latin as I carry in the roast. He reads Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales aloud to the family every Christmas Eve. He puts Christmas crackers at each place at table. He has even been known to remind us about Boxing Day. more »

Margaret Cullison writes: Mom baked regularly, working at the much-used enamel table in the kitchen. When I came home from school in the afternoon to find her there, I'd sit at the table and watch her work, telling her the events of my day. She always made small cookies, dainty enough to serve her friends when they stopped by for impromptu coffee and a chat. Mom also offered cookies and coffee to anyone doing work in the house or yard, and they probably wished for larger cookies! more »