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Apple Date Dream Cake
(The name is an understatement.) This cake is perfectly moist and tender, lightly spiced, and studded with dates and nuts. Then there’s the sauce. Buttery, rich, and addicting, it’s pure indulgence and really makes the cake. My Grandma has made this cake every Christmas for decades, with rave reviews. She makes mini versions as gifts for friends and neighbors, and it’s become a staple at our family holiday gatherings. (Behind her back, Grandpa would sneak to the fridge and steal spoonfuls of the sauce if he ever got the chance.) This year we aren’t having our usual big family get-together, however, so I decided to give Grandma’s recipe a try…
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Beef Stew
Beef Stew is one of those wonderful, hearty meals that’s a family go-to year round, but especially during the colder months. It’s one of those easy “fix it and forget it” dishes that are ideal for a slow cooker. I make it regularly, and my mom also made it often when we were growing up. It’s always been one of my favorites. Serve it with sliced bread or rolls, and you’ve hit comfort food heaven. This week, I made stew in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Last year Jeremiah and I took a trip out to Ireland, where I was excited to try out some authentic “Irish Beef Stew.” I…
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German Pancakes
Also referred to as “Dutch baby pancakes,” “puffed oven pancakes,” or even “oversized popovers,” all I know is that whatever you call them, they taste incredible. Apparently these were first created in the United States by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers, and fortunately the tradition continued from there. They’re light, buttery, not too sweet, and entirely delicious. They’re leavened with eggs, so they rise tall and golden in the oven, then after baking, they collapse into a perfect “bowl” for holding your toppings. These have been a family breakfast hit for as long as I can remember, and I make them often for my own kids now too. My Dad (who grew…
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Honey Taffy
Honey taffy is one of those old-fashioned recipes that never goes out of style. These rich caramel-like candies start out hard and then slowly soften into chewy melt-in-your-mouth goodness. They have a warm honey flavor that’s hard to resist. Plus the taffy-pulling process is a fun activity to to with kids, and I remember helping with several taffy pulls at family gatherings growing up. I shared these with family at a recent movie night, and they were a big hit, perfect for slowly savoring as we enjoyed the movie together. This recipe is in honor of my ancestor (through my Mom’s side) Emma Brooks Landon (1846-1919). She was born in…
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Banana Bread Muffins
I can’t seem to get enough banana bread, and I especially love banana muffins. These are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast (or a lazy leisurely one too, with a mug of tea or warm milk), and they make a great snack any time of day. Even better, the flavor and texture improve overnight, so you can make them in advance and enjoy them for a few days (if they last that long). This recipe is a slightly adapted version of my great-grandma Florence Robinson Beck’s (1905-1998) banana bread. (Mainly, I took her bread recipe and turned it into muffins instead.) It yields muffins that are light and moist (not soggy…
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Irish Fish Pie
If Irish Fish Pie isn’t already on your month’s menu, please add it now. Fish pie is a common meal in Ireland, and this dish was inspired by one that we enjoyed at Fishy Fishy restaurant in Kinsale while Jeremiah and I were visiting Ireland last year. We both loved it, and after our trip we craved it so much that I just had to try and create a fish pie at home as well. Growing up in a land-bound part of the country, I was never a fan of fish or seafood of any kind as a kid. (Except for maybe fish sticks once in a while.) But that…
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Soft Sugar Cookies
Valentine’s Day and sugar cookies are pretty much synonymous for me. I’m not usually a big sugar cookie fan, as the sweet on sweet combo is often toothachingly overpowering, but this is one of the few times each year I make them. They’re so fun to decorate, especially with kids, and bring back many fun memories from my own childhood. This year, I tried out my grandma, Linda Beck Bullough’s recipe for soft sugar cookies. These cookies are soft and tall, with rounded edges, so the heart shape works well, but a more intricate shape may not. They’re slightly cake-like and not too sweet (they’re meant to be paired with…
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Chocolate Chip Cookies, Two Ways
Aunt Sheryl’s cookies are mandatory at family get-togethers. If she shows up without them, panic ensues. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when these cookies weren’t a family stand-by. And for good reason. Sheryl has been tweaking and perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe since she was eleven years old, long before I came along to enjoy them. I remember walking into my grandma’s kitchen as a kid, and Sheryl would often be in there whipping up a batch of these babies, or better yet, just pulling them out of the oven. Nothing beats warm, melty chocolate chip cookies, and if you add a glass of milk…
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Whole Wheat Bread
This is another recipe from my mom, Heather Stephens Bullough, aka “the Bread Queen.” She worked hard to earn this title. I remember as a young mom, she made bread often and was constantly working to improve her recipes and technique. The internet hadn’t yet become the mainstream tool that it is today, so she consulted cookbooks and asked friends and neighbors for their recipes and tips on baking better bread. Wanting to provide her family a healthy diet, she especially wanted to perfect her whole wheat bread, which can be tricky and wasn’t as common at the time. She went through a few rounds of unsuccessful bread “bricks” as…
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Corn Chowder
Creamy, savory, corn-studded comfort. Chock full of sweet corn, salty bacon, and cheesy, chunky potatoes, this soup is one you’ll be making often. It’s always been one of my favorite soups, and I can’t let a fall or winter go by without making it. This recipe comes from my grandma, Linda Beck Bullough, and it’s a long-standing family favorite. I’ve adapted it slightly, but it’s still her best-loved recipe at the core. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked for life. Prepare for popularity, because everyone around you will be too. Linda Beck Bullough is the queen of quick-and-easy meals, and this soup is a classic example of that. It…
