Joyce Middleton's Blog, page 11

Holiday Nuggets

Holiday Nuggets have been the favorite Christmas cookie in my family since I was a child. They are light, have a slight crisp on the outside, and rise to a perfect “snow ball” cookie rolled in powdered sugar. The moment you bite into the cookie, it starts to melt in your mouth while you enjoy the slight crunch of nuts and the mild almond flavor. There are many variations on this cookie, sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cookie or Russian Tea {Read More}

Yugoslavian Potica

Enjoy this rich nut roll made with honey and topped with lots of icing and chopped nuts. Simply delicious – a recipe you’ll want to make every holiday season. Imagine the many ways you could decorate it! I was introduced to this recipe by a friend who has been making it for years. Although the recipe is written to knead the dough by hand, you can let your bread machine do most of the work to save time while you {Read More}

Fall Recipe Ideas for the Slow Cooker

Once the temperature drops, everyone wants to stay warm. I live in California, so it’s easy to love the fall and winter, which never gets that cold! If you live somewhere else, it might not be your favorite season, but think of all the great recipes you can make to keep you warm. These are usually your favorite comfort foods and I’ll bet you can make every single one of them in your slow cooker. It’s an easy and convenient {Read More}

Roasted Meat Loaf with Chili Sauce

Years ago, my mother made her meat loaf in a loaf pan and I did too until I found this recipe that instantly became a favorite. Now – here’s the thing with meat loaf; it can be made so many different ways, it really is one of the perfect meals to cook with what you have in the pantry. All you need is ground meat, a filler, a binder, and any produce you want to use up. The secret {Read More}

Kitchen Gadgets – Do You Really Need Them?

I’m not really a shopper, but I am into kitchen stores. Today, you can find a kitchen gadget to do just about any task, but do you really need them? I always have to remind myself that every kitchen gadget comes with extra work for me…. as in washing and drying every time I use it. Before pulling out your wallet or credit card, think about this purchase as an investment. What to Consider The first thing to consider is {Read More}

Batch Cooking to Save Time and Money

Batch cooking refers to the process of buying and cooking in bulk. After purchasing your bulk items, you break them down into smaller portions, and freeze them for later. This saves you a lot of time by not having to travel back out to the store, but it also saves you money. Batch cooking is a fairly new term as we used to just say we’re cooking for the freezer. The introduction of super stores years ago made this process {Read More}

Roasted Red Potatoes with Dill

I love dill – it’s excellent on lamb, and in soups, and stews. But this is a post about cooking what you have and I just so happened to have a longing for dill. I like to make recipes that you can get more than one meal from, and that’s what this one is. You can double the recipe and freeze portions for another time. To reheat, just thaw and pop them back in the oven for about 30 minutes. {Read More}

Easy Strawberry Cake

I found a simple recipe for a fresh strawberry cake today totally by accident. While doing research on the ‘net, I was captivated by an image of a cake, studded by fresh strawberries. There wasn’t a print button on the site, so I captured the recipe by hand. I wasn’t planning on making the recipe today because I didn’t even have any strawberries. Although I had to go to the market today, strawberries were not on the list because, well, {Read More}

Things to do with Basil

One of my favorite herbs to have in the fridge is basil. You can do so much with this fresh herb in cooking and salads, but did you also know that it’s good for digestion? Wash and clean your basil then place it in water in an open container in the refrigerator. Slowly chew 2-4 leaves throughout the day to prevent and relieve acid reflux. Now that you have your cleaned fresh basil on-hand, put a few leaves in a {Read More}

Chewy Walnut Fudge Brownies

Everyone has a favorite brownie recipe, so I didn’t even consider publishing mine. That is, until I received a few contact forms from readers requesting a recipe to go along with my post Brownies to Impress. Some people like a cakey brownie; others prefer a dense, chewy brownie. Whichever is your favorite, this recipe can do it all. There is very little flour in the recipe, but you can bake it a little longer to produce a more flaky brownie. {Read More}