New England Gingersnaps (from the Christmas Cookies Oxmoor House http://www.abebooks.com/Christmas-Cookies-Oxmoor-House-Alabama/291409388/bd) I have a lot of cookbooks and I have one just for Christmas cookies that I have had for years. Believe it or not, this is the only recipe I…
Author: Sydney Liles
And they’re off…
This morning marked the beginning of the 2013 Iron Butt Rally. I am not riding this year, so I am posting pictures of the event. These appear largely without comment. I hope these pictures capture the atmosphere. It was a…
Meatless Meatballs or My Quest for Meatless Perfection
Spaghetti and meatballs. It is a standard and everyone loves it. Delicious, flavorful, slightly spicy meatballs coated in a yummy marinara sauce. How do you get this as a vegetarian? You can purchase prepared frozen meatless meatballs. They are fine…
The Easter Dinner Menu
There have been requests for my menu for Easter Dinner. So, I am posting it here. (Warning: this is not vegetarian!) Our family loves a good feast. We have a feast on Thanksgiving (turkey and all the trimmings and way…
Penne with Bolognese Mushroom Sauce
My family loves pasta! All kinds of pasta and lots of different pasta sauces. Some of our favorites have always included meat. As we have moved to meatless meals, I have been experimenting with ways to adapt our favorites into…
Brownies
If you are looking for a from scratch recipe for brownies, this one is pretty good. In college I majored in Anthropology and minored (nearly a double major) in nutrition. One of my nutrition classes was an introductory course with…
Pinto Beans and Rice – Comfort Food
I have eaten a lot of pinto beans and rice in my life. They are incredibly inexpensive and really hearty. At one point I was buying a 25 pound bag of pinto beans from the farm coop for about $10.…
Spicy Lentil Stew
The weather has turned cooler, the leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the days are noticeably shorter. While I am not a fan of shorter days, I love fall and winter cooking because they involve…
Attention Shoppers! We have a lost adult on aisle 9…
I have come to realize in the past few weeks that I really like having a routine. I also like my grocery stores to be part of that routine. And I am a little lost without that routine. While I…
Spaghetti Squash with Fire Roasted Marinara and Zucchini
It has been a while since I have posted. Life has this way of challenging even the best plans. Starting in July, our family did most of our eating out – as in Mom is not cooking, mostly because the…
Banana Bread
I love to cook. My family loves to eat what I cook. I have a tendency to “improve recipes as I go. I often make notes on cookbook pages to document my changes as you can see in the photo.…
Posole! Ole!
I am a huge fan of posole. A Mexican stew made with hominy, chilis and pork. It is spicy and hearty and wonderful. The best posole I have ever eaten is found in Santa Fe, New Mexico at a little…
Modifying Family Favorites
One of the obstacles facing a family changing their diet to vegetarian is the loss of favorite meals. As we changed our diet, I considered at the favorite recipes and looked for ways to modify them to be vegetarian. I…
Chicken and Dumplings – Vegetarian Style
It has been a few months since I posted recipes. I have been busy writing my PhD exams and I have neglected the blog and even cooking. Life often interferes with our ability to do some of the everyday things…
The lost art of making do
Let’s face it, we all like things that are new and shiny. When given a choice most of us pick new over old. The ongoing economic recession has made it more challenging for all of us to get the new…