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Janet's Notebook

Homemade Dips: An Easy Way to Celebrate the Everyday

Which came first, the party or the party dip? Right here and now I'm going on record with my theory that where there's homemade dip, a party is soon to follow!I remember standing on my tip-toes as a child, peering...

Janet's Notebook

Easy, Delicious Dishes Save Time and Money

Simple recipes don't have to mean boring meals. Not once in my life have I passed up a recipe because it looked "too easy". Can you imagine? I practically jump up and down for joy any time I find a...

Janet's Notebook

Tennessee Mom Wins Grand Prize with Holiday Recipe

Franklin, TN home cook and Holiday Family Traditions Contest Winner Missy Wimpelberg knows a thing or two about cooking for a crowd. Some of her earliest holiday memories are of the entire family - all 40 so of them -...

Janet's Notebook

Eat Sassy, Stay Healthy in the New Year

Frequent readers may be under the impression that I don't spend too much time counting calories or fat grams... well, they'd be right! However, lest you think I'm all about extra cheese and second helpings, I do make a point...

Janet's Notebook

Good Luck is Just One Recipe Away

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get the New Year off to a terrific start! The best way I know to put my luckiest foot forward is to whip up a spread of good-luck foods. Superstition or...

Janet's Notebook

The Secret to Last-Minute Gifts Is Right in Your Pantry

I absolutely love giving - and receiving - homemade food gifts. Having baked for years, I know first-hand how much care goes into creating handcrafted gifts, and am thrilled to pieces anytime friends and family are willing to share their...

Janet's Notebook

Magical Memories of Sweet Holiday Mornings

One of the sweetest parts of Christmas mornings growing up in Kentucky was the feast that was lovingly laid out on our dining table. As a child it was all my parents could do to tear me from the piles...

Janet's Notebook

Savor the Sweetness of Giving This Holiday Season

Whether you're cooking for one or for a house full of hungry folks, this time of year is perfect for yummy indulgences. A cookie exchange can be a great way to bake a little and taste a lot, but have...

Janet's Notebook

Homemade Bread Warms Heart and Home

Nothing transports me to a happy place faster than the smell of bread baking. There's something comforting, something happy, something thoroughly warming to the soul about that yeasty, nutty aroma. Even as a child, bread-baking time was a favorite for...

Janet's Notebook

Easy Recipes, Fancy Names: Taking the Fear Out of Holiday Cooking

Over the years I have collected many handy tools that I keep close by while cooking. There's one thing, however, that I absolutely refuse to have to use in the kitchen.... a dictionary! There are so many recipes these days...

Janet's Notebook

Blue Ribbon Showcase, First-Class Cooks

I never cease to be amazed at how talented you folks in this Club are. No really, I mean it! The Kitchen Crew and I can taste it in the recipes we prepare from you, and we are privileged to...

Janet's Notebook

Pass the Cheese: A Cook Comes Clean

Having the pleasure of trying so many of your recipes on a regular basis, I've come to really appreciate all kinds of unfamiliar flavors and ingredients. I've encountered all types of goodies, and have rarely come up against anything in...

Janet's Notebook

Seasonal Drinks Warm Hearts Though the Generations

Years ago a dear friend introduced me to the flavors of her heritage. With a Puerto Rican father and Dominican mother, she grew up with an endless supply of fresh ingredients, hearty recipes and spices galore. One Christmas she surprised...

Janet's Notebook

Living the Sweet Life with Caramel Coated Memories

As the thermometer dips and the view from my kitchen window transforms into a scene ablaze with the colors of fall, I once again feel a familiar craving inch up. There's something deeply satisfying about the rich, creaminess of fine...

Janet's Notebook

Butternut Squash Perfect Pumpkin Substitute in a Pinch

Necessity is the mother of invention, and last year at about this time I was a grandmother with one serious need for an inventive ingredient swap! That summer's unusual weather had affected the pumpkin crop and made canned pumpkin a...

Janet's Notebook

Food Traditions Inspire Two New Ways to Win… BIG!

How does that saying go: "There's nothing sweeter than the taste of victory"? Well, catch me with a plate full of ginger snaps and I will sure beg to differ! For me the sweetest thing of all is getting to...

Janet's Notebook

Get Cooking with Creative Chicken Combinations

Let's see... what's for dinner? It needs to be inexpensive, something I already have on hand, fun to cook and delicious. I know, how about chicken?! That's right! Gone are the days of boring, dry chicken. I'm leading the charge...

Janet's Notebook

Soup’s On! Comfort Food Makes A Return

A leaf fell in our yard yesterday. You have no idea how happy this makes me. For days I've kept my ear to the oak tree outside believing that I might actually be able to hear that "swish" of the...

Janet's Notebook

How ‘Bout Them Apples? Fall into the Sweetness of Autumn

Caramel apples, apple pie, cobbler, hot cider... this can mean only one thing: autumn is on the way! And for me the cooler days bring with them fond childhood memories of hours spent baking in our warm, family kitchen. As...

Janet's Notebook

Fast, Easy and Delicious Time-Savers

Breakfast-time, dinnertime or anytime in between, time always seems to be an ingredient in short supply these days. With kids and grandkids heading back off to school, there are lunches to be packed, snacks to fix, bake sales to organize!...