Food Bites & Articles
Bring Comfort to Your Holiday Table with Nostalgic Pudding Recipes
Pudding? Boring? Never! The varieties are endless... and so easy! Chances are a bowl of pudding served down South is going to be laced with golden slices of banana and a healthy crunch of vanilla cookies. New England cooks make...
Community Cookbooks Spark Creativity, Preserve Traditions
"How did your cookbook collection start?" asks home cook Kathy Sterling in her Just A Pinch online discussion group, Cookbook Collectors Corner. "Perhaps someone gave you a gift and it started your romance with cookbooks, or you inherited your family...
Creamy Chowders Warm Body and Soul on Cool Autumn Evenings
Controversy is not usually my cup of tea. (I'm more of an Earl Grey gal). However, I am compelled to make an exception when the subject at hand is one near and dear to my heart: chowder. That's right, chowder!...
Pumpkin, the Flavor of Fall
There's been big news around the Test Kitchen: pumpkin is back! Like wearing white after Labor Day, we have been needlessly - yet religiously - bound by the culinary conventions of the seasons... abstaining from all things pumpkin since that...
Hearty Pastas That Heat Up the Kitchen… and Your Imagination
While I am a firm believer that pure and simple is often best, there are times when a gal just needs to mix things up a bit! Such is occasionally the case in the world of pasta. Marinara is my...
Going Nuts for Sweet Almond Desserts!
Once upon a time in a land far, far away I had a kringle. And not just any kringle, but the most deliciously creamy almond kringle ever made. These traditional Scandinavian pastries are a delicacy in the northern part of...
2, 4, 6, 8! Let’s Get Ready to Tailgate!
This time last year the Crew and I were happily up to our elbows in entries for the Just A Pinch Sporty Snack Showdown recipe contest. We received so many wonderful entries - including Gail Herbest's Grand Champ Antipasto Squares...
Eating Your Veggies Never Tasted So Good!
With warm weather beginning to wane - at least in theory - it becomes all the more enjoyable to savor those brave veggies still popping up in the garden. Mama always said to eat your veggies and now, thanks to...
Grandma’s Table: Creating A Legacy Of Love Through Food
It's official... September brings us National Grandparents Day! While technically observed on September 11 this year, I see no reason whatsoever to limit ourselves! Granted, this grandma may be a wee bit biased, but I think we should be celebrating...
Smokin’ Ribs Recipe Wins Just A Pinch Grill Contest!
Let me say, it surely is a good thing that the Kitchen Crew is made up of enthusiastic eaters! We had our plates chock full of good eats recently as we grilled our way through the many delicious dishes entered...
Award Winning Recipes Straight From the County Fair
People tell me there's a whole lot to do at county fairs - rides, games, music, crafts - but I never can seem to stray far from the FOOD! And I don't mean those rich-smelling food trucks (although those are...
Savoring the Goodness of Homegrown Tomatoes
Growing up, my friend's grandfather always told us girls that to enjoy a fresh tomato all we needed was a sharp knife and a pinch of salt. Indeed, there were tomatoes served at every one of their meals during those...
Back to School: Brighten Up Your Lunch Boxes with Surprising, Kid-Friendly Recipes
Shhhh.... don't tell the kiddos, but it's nearly back to school time again! I can hardly believe it myself. It seems just like yesterday that I finally got all the summer clothes ironed and hung up. (Oh dear, I think...
Adventures in Cooking: Discovering Dutch Ovens
Much of my childhood was spent in the kitchen... watching my mom cook up wonderful meals. Many of those meals were made in her ancient Dutch oven. She used it all the time; it was no more special than, say,...
Elevate Dessert Time with Deceptively Simple Mascarpone Cheese Recipes
They say that once you become aware of something you'll see it plain everywhere. Well, true to form, mascarpone cheese has been cropping up in about every delectable recipe I come across lately!It turns out that mascarpone is a deceptively...
Online Friendships Blossom into Tasty New Tradition
California cook and Recipe Club member, Dee Stillwell, knows how to bring people together. With her keyboard in one hand and cake-server in the other, Dee recently organized fellow Club members in and around her hometown of Sacramento, and soon...
Cultivate Sweet Summer Moments by the Bushel
It's peach-picking time again! And whether you're picking 'em from the tree or from the grocery store shelf, now is the time to indulge in the summery sweetness of all things peachy.First off, when picking out your perfect peach, look...
What’s Your Signature Drink? Refresh Your Outlook with Cool Thirst-Quenchers
We cooks - you and I - talk a lot about what's for dinner, the meat and potatoes of our daily meals. Well, let us not forget how ultra-important a good beverage can be in creating the ideal food experience....
Why I Love America: An Homage to Homemade Pie
So what's so all-American about pie anyway? Well, let me count the ways! For one thing pie is so darn practical. Our ancestors used pie-making as an easy, portable way to make use of seasonally abundant fruits, veggies and meats....
Impressive Lime Recipes Get Cooks Talking
Not only does the heat of Summer have me thinking about the refreshing flavors of citrus, but so do YOU! When the Crew and I recently shared a recipe for Creamy Lime Bars with our friends on the Just A...