I found some great pears on Ninth Street the other day, so with Thanksgiving nigh upon us, I decided to bake a traditional pear cake. Well, I’m sure it’s a tradition somewhere. The recipe calls for peeled pears, but I don’t bother as I don’t notice the peels once they’re baked. Also, I like to … Continue reading Pear Cake
Food
Tomato Soup
I went looking for a tomato soup recipe and the very first one I found turned out to be the one I tried. And it turned out to be quite tasty too. It’s called the Best Ever Tomato Soup. I can’t vouch for that, but it is quite good. I made it for lunch and … Continue reading Tomato Soup
Walnut Coffee Cake
I love walnuts. So the other day I decided to look for a coffee cake recipe with walnuts. And I think I found a good one. It’s from a great-grandmother so it’s got to be good, right? It’s pretty easy except the topping called for cutting the butter. I guess I should have looked … Continue reading Walnut Coffee Cake
Banana Bread
I had some bananas that were ripening faster than I expected, so I decided to bake some banana bread. Did you know that banana bread was invented during the Great Depression in the 1930s when frugal homemakers needed to find uses for overly ripe or even rotting bananas? Plus, baking soda and baking powder were … Continue reading Banana Bread
A mini Banana Split
A few years ago there was an episode of Murdoch Mysteries where Crabtree tries a newly invented concoction called a banana split that has been imported all the way from Pennsylvania. Like many of the Murdoch historical references, that one was based on fact, as the banana split was invented in Pennsylvania in 1904. Anyway, it … Continue reading A mini Banana Split
Hamburger Barbecue
Growing up, we always called it hamburger barbecue, never sloppy joes, and that’s how I still think of it. And I don’t think I’ve ever made it the same way twice. Ground beef, onion, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, those seem to be the defining ingredients. I looked up a bunch of recipes yesterday and … Continue reading Hamburger Barbecue
The So-Called Smart Oven
A few months ago I bought one of those table-top so-called smart ovens. My main goal was to be able to use the oven during the hot months without putting a strain on the AC. I think I achieved that goal. Now in order to make room for the Tovala Smart Oven, I had to … Continue reading The So-Called Smart Oven
The Internet Is Always Right
I found a recipe that I liked but it used garlic powder, and I wondered if I could substitute fresh garlic in its stead. The Internet to the rescue! After doing an intensive search here’s what I found at several different sites: Fresh garlic is much stronger than its powdered counterpart and may overpower the … Continue reading The Internet Is Always Right
Roasted Strawberries
On a recent Graham Norton podcast Show chef Martha outlined an interesting idea to perk up those sad strawberries that you might find sitting in the back of your fridge. Alas, I didn’t have any strawberries in my fridge, sad or otherwise, so I went out and bought some just to try it out. Wash … Continue reading Roasted Strawberries
Old City Coffee
I’ve been getting my coffee from Old City Coffee for years, decades in fact. I used to go to their store at the Reading Terminal Market, where I’d typically get two pounds of whole bean coffee at a time. One pound of regular and one pound of decaf. As I like a full-bodied brew I’d … Continue reading Old City Coffee