Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • We tried this recipe when we had a surplus of plain Greek yogurt. Details here: https://www.sugardishme.com/lemon-yogurt-pound-cake/ We forgot to add ¼ cup lemon juice to the batter, but the lemon flavor was still prominent and the texture pretty fluffy. This recipe calls for 1 cup butter and 6 eggs, so the cake is fairly decadent. (Dec. 2017)

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  • We first had these cookies in Jan. 2013 at a B&B in Westerly, RI. The proprietor kindly shared her handwritten recipe with me. Unfortunately, some ingredient proportions were unclear (e.g., two sticks butter, 1 box confectioners sugar), so we had to guess. The flavor was correct, but the batter was too runny to mold.
    1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl: 1 cup white sugar (we used vanilla-infused), 6 eggs (well-beaten), 2 sticks melted butter (we assume 1 stick = ½ cup, so 2 sticks = 1 cup), and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Using a electric hand mixer, we blended these on low setting.
    2. In a separate medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 5 cups flour and 6 tsp (or 2 Tbsp) baking powder (we wonder if this was too much baking powder).
    3. Slowly blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, taking care not to overmix (so that the flour doesn’t get gummy).
    4. If the dough is too runny to handle, pour into Saran Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (see Note below). Then, scoop out the dough with a household tablespoon and drop each scoop, two inches apart, on a parchment lined cookie sheet (we had two sheets ready for about 24 cookies). Bake in preheated oven and bake for 10 mins, until bottom edges are slightly browned.
    5. While cookies are baking, whisk one stick (we assume ½ cup) melted butter with one box (we assume 8-10 oz confectioners sugar) and 1 tsp vanilla extract. This mixture will be lumpy. Slowly drizzle up to ¼ cup milk (we used about 1/8 cup) into the mixture, stirring until icing is smooth.
    6. Using a flat turner, gently transfer each cookie to a wire cooking rack. Smear about 1-2 tsp of the icing (we used a dinner fork) onto each cookie, then let the cookies cool. This recipe is courtesy of Carole Cillino Marshall of Parkside East B&B in Westerly, RI. (Nov. 2017)
    Note: When Carole made these cookies, she rolled each dough ball into twists. We found our dough too runny to do anything but scoop it into drop cookies onto the baking sheet, and that was after the dough had firmed up a bit from being refrigerated. If you do manage to roll your dough into twists, the baking time is 18 mins at 350.

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  • We tried this Chinese recipe for savory breakfast: http://iamafoodblog.com/crispy-salt-and-pepper-french-toast-recipe/ It’s a good use of leftover sliced bread. Based on our pantry, we omitted the cilantro. We also found that for four pieces of toast, we used 3 eggs and 3 Tbsp milk, and we adjusted the other seasonings accordingly. We cooked the egg-dipped bread in an oil-sprayed pan. (Nov. 2017)

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  • Inspired by a Moroccan cookie we had Club Med, we tried this recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/12/sesame-tahini-cookies-recipe.html (Nov. 2017)

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  • We tried this Martha Stewart recipe, and it is delicious: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.marthastewart.com/1050268/crispy-roasted-shiitake-mushrooms%3famp We found, however, that 25 mins at 400 degrees was the total cooking time; we removed the baking sheet from the oven at that time. Both sides of the shiitakes had browned without being turned over. (Nov. 2017)
    Note: To clean the mushrooms, we gently wiped each one off with a dry paper towel. We did not rinse them with water, which would have caused the mushrooms to steam, rather than roast, in the oven. It is best for a vegetable to be bone dry in order for it to properly brown in the oven.

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  • Details here: http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2006/11/cinnamon-swirl-bread/ We found it tasty, but dense and quite crumbly. We served this with nonfat Greek yogurt with toasted walnuts and honey. (Oct. 2017)

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  • We tried this recipe: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/spiced-pumpkin-bread.html Our modifications: first, we reduced the sugar from 2 cups to 1 ½ cups. We also used vanilla-infused sugar. Second, we added ¾ cup walnut pieces to the batter at the end. (Oct. 2017)

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  • This is not a recipe per se, but a post memorializing a technique for grilling sausages, hot dogs, etc. in your oven. We have a gas stove. First, preheat oven broiler to high setting. Place the top oven rack one level down, so that the rack will be about 8 inches below the open flame. Second, prepare a baking sheet with foil, then place a baking rack on top of the foil. Lightly spray the top surface of the baking rack with oil so that nothing will stick to the baking rack. Third, remove the sausages from their packaging (we use a package of Boar’s Head hot smoked sausages, which has 5) and place on a cutting board. Pat each sausage dry with paper towels (to prevent steaming), then lightly score the top and bottom sides of each sausage (about 3 marks per side). Spread the sausages on the oiled baking rack, about 1 inch apart. Place the loaded baking sheet on the oven rack. Watch carefully for the top side of the sausages to crisp and brown (there will be sizzling), then flip over so that the other side also can get browned (this will take 5-6 mins total). If you find the sausages not browned enough, then during the last minute of cooking, reset the broiler to low and move up the oven rack so it is at the top level, about 4 inches from the open flame. Be wary of smoke and possible grease fires (if anything happens, you can douse the grease fire liberally with salt). We serve our broiled sausages in hot dog buns with plenty of mustard. (Oct. 2017)

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  • We followed this Ina Garten recipe:
    https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-butternut-squash-soup-and-curry-condiments-recipe-1972725 Our modifications: first, we used 5 shallots instead of 2 onions. Second, rather than heat the broth in the pot, we first added the roasted vegetables to the pot and poured in 4 cups room temperature broth; we found 4 cups to be the right amount for soup viscosity. Third, we increased the curry to ¾ tsp curry powder (½ tsp McCormick curry powder and ¼ tsp Jamaican curry powder) and added 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Fourth, we used an immersion blender to purée the soup in our stainless steel pot (we would not recommend this approach with a teflon-coated pot). Finally, we balanced the soup with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar at the end. (Oct. 2017)


    Note: The recipe calls for chicken broth, but if you use vegetable broth, this recipe easily could be vegetarian.

    Note 2: Sometimes we lightly toast whole raw cashews in the toaster oven at 350 (Bake setting) for 5 mins. As soup topping, they add crunchy texture to the soup. (Feb. 2026)

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  • My husband loves coffee milkshakes, and our local place had run out. So we tried this recipe:
    https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-a-milkshake-995115 For the ice cream, we used about 5 small scoops vanilla gelato (which already was soft while frozen). To make it coffee flavor, we used ¼ cup Autocrat coffee syrup in lieu of ¼ cup chocolate syrup. We mixed the ice cream, ¼ cup each milk and coffee syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a blender powered by a handheld mixer. Autocrat is a brand from my husband’s New England childhood. (Oct. 2017)

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