I'm a southern gal with a passion for cooking and baking from scratch, the old fashioned way!
Dear readers, I was eating some beautiful strawberries the other day. They were sliced into beautiful heart-shaped pieces, and it made me think of my oldest friend, who is awaiting a heart transplant. She and I grew up next door to one another, romping and playing together since we were in diapers. She is just barely 29 years old, and is in need of a new heart. Her life depends on the generosity of some yet-to-be determined individual who decided to become an organ donor.
In my family, Easter weekend brings with it many culinary traditions: Easter brunch, sliced, ham, deviled eggs, desserts infused with the flavors of spring . . . But one of those traditions was in danger of coming to an end this year.
Since before I was born, my family has frequented a small, independent bakery in Atlanta for fresh bread, colorful thumbprint cookies, and – an Easter tradition – hot cross buns. Sadly, our precious little bakery closed a few months ago, as the owner decided it was time to retire.
And so the challenge was laid before me: homemade hot cross buns! So I hit the books and started paging through some my my vintage cookbooks. When I reached my mom’s 1973 edition of Better Homes and Gardens’ Homemade Bread Cook Book, I found one of those wonderful little newspaper clippings that get forgotten, lodged inside of forgotten cookbooks. The clipping came from the March 27, 1983 issue of Atlanta Weekly. Glancing over the recipe, I knew this one was The One.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, dear readers!!
Is this recipe Irish? Not really. Is it hearty, warming, delicious, and cozy? Yes. Good enough for me!!!
These Apple-Oat-Walnut-Flaxseed Muffins are moist and tender, fluffy but chock full of good-for-you goodness! They freeze well for a quick breakfast on the go. And they’re packed with 5 grams of fiber per muffin! So feel free to have seconds!
I think you can tell from the photograph where this delicious treat gets its name!
This creamy and delicious salad was a favorite in my family when I was growing up. My mom first found it in The Congressional Club Cook Book (8th Edition, 1970) and it has been a tradition in our house ever since. We usually have this around Christmas time, ,but I think that it makes a gloriously green addition to any St. Patrick’s Day or Easter table, too!
I’ve made this nice cozy breakfast bread several times this season. A slice of this bread is absolutely perfect with a cup of coffee or tea on a chilly morning. It is packed full of tart apples, juicy cranberries, and toasty walnuts – with barely enough spiced batter to hold it all together!