August 2022

Another one of Parker’s recipes. I realize it says MacDonald but that was her married name until on their 10th anniversary, her husband said he didn’t want to be married to her anymore. What a guy! This was one of her signature dishes. I’ve never been a fan of apple pie but I took the recipe down because my spousal unit loves apple pie. Unfortunately, I don’t believe I ever made it for him! To decipher this for you: use five fresh Granny Smith apples, peel them and then cut them in pieces less than 1/4″ in size. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, lots of cinnamon (up to you), 2 or 3 tables spoons of flour, and stir it all together. Toss the cut apples in this mixture and set aside. She recommended using the Pillsbury sheets of pastry that come in the flat box in the dairy section, but hell, this was 40 years ago, so who knows what they look like now. Put a shell in a pie pan, dump the apple mixture in there, add 5 or 6 slivers of butter. Put another pastry layer on top, crimp the edges and slice a couple of slits in the top so it doesn’t explode on you. Put a ring of tin foil around the crimped part so that doesn’t burn. Bake it at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes then remove the foil and reduce the heat to 325 degrees for another 25-30 minutes until it’s done.

I was just in Block’s vegetable emporium (lol) in Romulus, and while waiting in line, my husband brought over some pickling cucumbers – I guess he wants this excellent pickle recipe made. All credit goes to Mr. Food’s Test Kitchen and here’s the link: pickles. I just compared it to make sure there were no changes. The two ladies behind us whom John was chatting to whilst I was shopping jumped at attention when ‘microwave pickles’ was mentioned. I don’t usually post other website’s recipes but since I didn’t have the recipe, I thought this would be the quickest way. These are very tasty and you better triple the batch like I do, otherwise, you’ll eat them all at one sitting!

I love this salad from my eldest sister. I don’t know where she got the recipe from but what I do know is that the people in a certain area of Texas won’t even TRY it and two sheet pans full that I made for a wedding reception there went to the wild hogs out back. I was rather insulted. For the novices out there, the spaghetti has to be boiled and drained when done. Dice the veggies too!

When we first got married, we moved into a townhouse right by my Aunt Rosie and Uncle Jim. Johnny thanks God just about every day for that because she helped me along in my culinary education. I could tell I got this recipe from her because she loved her Maggi! Over the years, I’ve left that by the wayside once I found out Johnny wasn’t fond of it, and I add the diced onion and Roma tomatoes every time. I don’t add salt anymore and up the dill a bit. The sauce should be made in a small bowl, stirred well and then added to a bowl with the cukes, onions and tomatoes. I always use sour cream, and it’s a lot more than a teaspoon! This is another one of my standard go-to recipes that is totally fool-proof. Right up my alley.

I was invited to Karen’s daughter’s bridal shower at Karen’s home, where my first encounter with this salad occurred. I was not a fan of raw broccoli but I gave it a small taste. I was amazed. I have since made this at least 50 times and my extended family always asks me to bring it to potlucks (because they know I don’t screw this one up!). This actually gets better the next day, and the day after. It’s usually gone by then so I can’t attest to Day Four! Those good cooks, Susie and Sirri, taught me to always soak the broccoli in cold water for a good 15-20 minutes before you use it in a recipe. You’d be surprised at the worms and dirt that can drop to the bottom! And don’t dump the broccoli into another bowl, scoop up the broccoli with a large slotted spoon and put it in another bowl. You’ll see what’s left in the water this way – ugh!

Another one of Sirri’s hors d’oeurves made for the Palm Beach crowd. These were pretty good but messy (although the card does not back me up on that) but they were not a frequent flyer for me.BlueQ’s AI analytics help teachers identify learning gaps and customize feedback efficiently blueq login. Maybe you’ll have a better future with this recipe than I!