With a marinade or rub, a boneless pork loin is easy to bake or grill. This recipe uses a marinade that includes red pepper flakes to give the outer part of the roast a little zip and a glaze made with apricot preserves. Zesty Pork Loin Boneless pork loin roast (2 – 2 1/2 pounds) Marinade 1/2 cup light…
Tag: food
Pulgogi (Korean Barbeque)
We lived in Seoul, South Korea for two years and during that time, we learned to enjoy many of the Korean foods. Pulgogi (Bulgogi), or Korean Barbeque, is one of best-known Korean dishes. As we traveled around to different sites, it was common to see Koreans cooking pulgogi on a small grill on the sidewalk…
The Promise of Peaches to Come
The peach trees are blooming at the local orchard with the promise of sweet, juicy peaches for the summer. The strange weather this year does not seem to have damaged the apples nor the peaches. While peaches are usually associated with Georgia or South Carolina, there are many peach orchards in southeastern and central Pennsylvania. We are…
Cornbread – The Essential Food of the Rural South
I grew up in rural southeastern Arkansas. When I say rural, I mean 10 miles on a gravel road from the nearest town which had a population a little below 3,000. We did not have electricity nor indoor plumbing until I was in the first grade. Getting a telephone line out to the house took a lot longer and that did…
Fastnachts (German Doughnuts)
There are two different traditions in my life related to the German yeast doughnuts known as fastnachts or fashnachts. My German mother-in-law made fastnachts on Good Friday because they abstained from meat on that day (I never understood how eating warm freshly made yeast doughnuts was a sacrifice but I considered it a great tradition every Good Friday…
Mmmmm…. Chocolate
Pennsylvania has a long history of chocolate and candy making — from the well-known large companies such as Hershey, Ludens and 5th Avenue (both of the last two companies were originally located in Reading) to small companies such as Wilbur Chocolates in Litiz or Reppert’s in Oley. There are also many very small chocolate makers such as Lorah’s Handmade Chocolates. Started forty…
Clam Chowder
Canned clams make this New England style creamy chowder recipe quick to prepare. Clam Chowder 2 slices bacon, chopped 1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1/2 cup carrots, chopped 1 cup chopped, peeled potatoes 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice 1 cup water 2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed 1/4…
Easy Apple Dumplings
This is a quick way to make apple dumplings using refrigerated pie crust to wrap around the cored and peeled apple. Even though the recipe does not use home-made pie crust, by the time you add the apple and drizzle the syrup on top, it tastes great. If you are a fan of nutmeg, add 1/2 teaspoon along…
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is a great recipe for oatmeal cookies that includes raisins and nuts. The cookies are thick and chewy but don’t cook them too long in order to preserve the soft texture. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs
Firecracker Chili
This is a thick rich chili that is a great dinner on a cold day. The number of Jalenpeno peppers can be adjusted depending on personal taste. Firecracker Chili 4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 large bell pepper, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and dumplings is a favorite of many southern families. There are may different recipes for the dumplings. This is the recipe that my mother used which involves rolling the dough out into a thin rectangle, cutting into squares and dropping in the boiling broth. A pan of hot cornbread always accompanies the chicken and dumplings. Yum,…
Choosing the Right Apple
Pennsylvania is the fourth largest apple producer in the country with hundreds of different varieties grown in the state and within Pennsylvania, Berks County is one of the top five apple producing counties. We are fortunate to live a mile away from a four-generation family farm, Weavers’ Orchard–a great place for fresh fruit and vegetables throughout…
Chunky Apple Cake
Nothing is better in the fall and winter than the smell of apples cooking in the oven. When baking apples I like to use a variety that maintains its shape such as Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Granny Smith, or Braeburn. This recipe takes advantage of that characteristic with slices of apple in the cake. Chunky Apple…
German-Style Apple Coffee Cake
This is an apple coffee cake that was made by my German mother-in-law. It has a yeast dough base and is topped with sliced apples. My mother-in-law also used sliced plums on top of the cake in place of the apples when the plums were in season. German Apple Coffee Cake
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
While rummaging through a folder of old recipes, I found this bread recipe I saved from a 1973 yeast packet. The loaves can be shaped into two traditional rectangular loaves and baked in loaf pans or shaped into round loaves. See suggestions for crust variations below the recipe. Honey Whole Wheat Bread 3 1/2 to 4…
Beef Vegetable Soup
Snow and sleet in the forecast–a great time for making soup. This is a filling beef vegetable and barley soup. Using frozen mixed vegetables cuts down the prep time. Very nice for a cold winter day. Beef Vegetable Soup 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 pound of beef stew meat (or sirloin tips) cut into 1″ cubes 4…
Raspberry Bars
The first time I had raspberries was after I got married and we went to New York state to visit my husband’s parents. His mother grew raspberries and blueberries and a whole new “berry world” was opened to me. In south Arkansas, the extent of our fresh berries were pretty much blackberries, which grew wild by the…
Apple Bread Pudding
Bread pudding is a great use stale bread or when you buy a brand of bread that no one in the family likes. It is also a good way to use up extra milk if you find yourself with an extra carton that is starting to get old. This recipe includes sliced apples with…
Nature and Life Notes 