I don’t know about everyone else, but all this isolation has me feeling a little (okay, maybe a LOT) nutty. During the last few weeks, life has seemed upside down. Perhaps that is why I decided to make good on a challenge my son Adam gave me several years ago. Through the years, I have told many family stories in Cooks’ Corner. However, there is one that I didn’t think I would ever relate here. Adam dared me to put…..
During my childhood years, the holiday known as “Easter” was often referred to as “Resurrection Sunday.” This is quite understandable, as the whole reason Christians celebrate it is the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Lately, there has been a lot of fuss on Facebook concerning a remark from a reporter. This person is supposed to have stated that this is the first year our nation will not be celebrating Easter. People have been indignant about this declaration…..
Spring arrives on March 19th this year. It seems early, but we have been waiting all winter for the news that spring has sprung. However, winter doesn’t always listen to the fact that it is supposed to be gone, so we can’t depend on it to completely go away for several weeks yet. Since March is National Flour Month, I decided to focus this particular column on that subject. I am sometimes asked about the differences in flour types –…..
I had been planning this week’s column in my head for quite a while, but then, as often happens, life got in the way. For just over a month now, I have been getting reports on my cousin Jimmy and his health issues. Then, on Friday evening, I learned that Jimmy will never have physical problems again. The text I received informed me that “Jimmy just went home.” James William Ogden was a special soul, loved by oh, so many…..
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. It is usually billed as a romantic holiday, filled with cards, flowers, and chocolate. This celebration often brings quite a bit of income to retailers who specialize in those areas. For the most part, my late husband didn’t participate in adding to the coffers of stores that sell gifts that appeal to the heart. The Valentine’s day before Bob graduated to Heaven, my “present” was a box of Dulcolax that I needed for a procedure…..
I think I have been way too busy lately. When I haven’t been going somewhere, I have been preparing to go somewhere. (We won’t talk about the morning I spent in the dentist’s office getting crowns on a couple of teeth.) I readied a craft project for a group of ladies to put together this past Saturday, plus baked cookies for the same event. Part of my schedule involved trying new cookie recipes to include in this column. I picked…..
This past weekend was something I had been anticipating. The plan was for it to be filled with time with my grandchildren. Things started out well; my son Jonathan brought his son Elijah (4) on Friday morning. After Jonathan left, Elijah and I went through a book filled with cookie recipes; I let him choose two different kinds for us to make. Following a trip to town to purchase some needed ingredients, plus taking time out for lunch, Elijah and…..
What is black and white and red all over and comes in the middle of February? It isn’t a sunburned penguin, nor is it an embarrassed skunk. It’s also not a zebra running through a strawberry patch. Give up? It’s my annual column with recipes for Valentine’s Day. (Black-on-white print in the newspaper that is read all over…) Sometimes it is hard to write about themes that recur year after year. This is the thirteenth time I need to come…..
It’s cookie time! Christmas cookie baking has long been a tradition at the Ray household. I have recipes that are old favorites, but I frequently try new ones as well. In preparation for this particular column, I went through a stack of recipes I have clipped out of magazines, newspapers, and food packages. Of course there were several for cookies! I also checked out my computer file of “Untried Recipes,” category “Cookies.” Sunday afternoon was going to be my baking…..
I know it’s coming, and I dread it just as much as I have for a long time. When I was a child, I looked forward to it. However, as an adult, I see it from a whole different perspective. And it makes me cringe. Yes, Christmas is coming, but that is not what makes me want to run and hide. I love planning gifts for others, although sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the shopping and creating. One present…..