Cool, creamy, tangy, and garlicky; our Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is bursting with fresh flavors! There is nothing like a good, fresh buttermilk Ranch dressing. You might suppose that good, fresh, homemade Ranch is a relatively simple thing to make – and turns out, it is! But first, you have to have a great recipe. So just what is a perfect Ranch, anyway? In my mind, it's creamy and cool, with a fresh, light, buttermilky tang. It has a bright, clean flavor with absolutely no bottle … [Read more...]
Savory Herb Pie Crust
Our tender, flaky Herb Pie Crust is the perfect wrapping for all your savory pies and pastries, and the herbs can easily be customized to complement any dish. This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. The foods we prepare for the people we love stays with them long after we are gone. My mother will always be remembered for her fruit pies and her spaghetti sauce and her chili mac. Simple, dependable, and delicious. When I remember Mr B's Great-Granny … [Read more...]
How to Make Hearty Homemade Chicken Stock (Bone Broth)
Delicious, healthy, Homemade Chicken Stock for all your soups and sauces. Make it for just pennies with a leftover rotisserie chicken carcass and vegetable scraps. This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. Soups are a personal specialty of mine, but I never would have learned to make delicious soups if I hadn’t first learned to make a good soup stock. Canned broths and stocks just don’t cut it. Homemade chicken stock can be made entirely from scraps: … [Read more...]
Sweet & Easy Homemade Pie Crust
Homemade pie crust is easy if you know a few simple secrets! This easy pie crust recipe is slightly sweet, and makes enough for one standard double-crust pie, two standard single-crust pies, or ten 6-inch hand-pies. This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. My mother made the best pies: berry pies of all kinds, pumpkin pies, and of course, her famous cherry-rhubarb pie. The secret, she always said, was in the crust. It was magic, watching Mama make a pie … [Read more...]
How to Make Rye Sourdough Starter [100% Hydration]
Rye Sourdough Starter is - by far - the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water. This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. My mother kept a sourdough starter when I was young, and the pancakes and bread she made are now a treasured food memory. It's time to continue the tradition. IMPORTANT NOTE: It takes about 5 days to establish a new Rye Sourdough Starter. Once established, Starter can easily be converted to a white … [Read more...]
Easy Basic Sweet Vanilla Crepes
Thin, delicate, and buttery, our easy Basic Vanilla Crepes are perfect for your sweet fillings and toppings. This tried and true basic crepe recipe can be made in a regular skillet, and requires just seven simple ingredients. This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. If you can make a pancakes, you can make this basic crêpes recipe. Before you get started though, here are a few tips that will make the process even easier: Crêpe Batter Crêpe batter … [Read more...]
How to Make Perfectly Poached Eggs
It's astonishingly easy it is to cook a velvety soft, perfectly poached egg - all you need are a few simple tricks! I never really liked poached eggs as a kid. But then again, I wasn't really eating real poached eggs. I was eating little rubber egg-shaped patties posing as poached eggs. My poor mom poached our eggs in a little aluminum poaching pan, and (like many cooks of her era) she cooked them until they were “good and done”; more suitable for bouncing than eating. I knew that poached … [Read more...]
Seahawks 7-Layer Dip & Superbowl Snack Round-up
UPDATE: January 2015 - I would like to sincerely thank the Seahawks franchise for making this post relevant for the second year in a row. Here in the PNW, we are all about the the Big Game this weekend - our very own Seattle Seahawks are in the Superbowl!! (OK, as a Portlander, saying "our very own" and "Seattle" in the same sentence hurts just a little bit, but we don't have our own football franchise, so it's time to suck it up and take one for the team embrace and support our brothers and … [Read more...]
Homemade Pumpkin Spice {Using FRESH Spices}
Made with fresh spices in just minutes, this Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix is a must-have for fall baking! This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. The thing is, Pumpkin Spice in those little bottles at the store costs a fortune (relatively speaking), and you never know how long it’s been been sitting on that shelf. What’s more, they never have just the right balance of nutmeg to everything else for me. (I love nutmeg!) A few years ago, I decided it was time … [Read more...]
Rich & Hearty Homemade Vegetable Stock
Homemade Vegetable Stock is cheap, easy to make; and essential for cooking soups, stews, and sauces. Make our roasted vegetable stock just once and you’ll never go back to canned. This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite. Homemade vegetable stock is cheap, easy to make; and essential for cooking soups, stews, and sauces. Fresh roasted vegetables are the heart of this homemade vegetable stock. The basic vegetarian version includes onion, celery and … [Read more...]
