Some of us remember when the dog ate table scraps. Occasionally, they’d get a pone of “dog bread.” How times have changed! For the better.

Happy New Year!

I make literally hundreds of cookies every Christmas season. I seldom eat one, not even the burnt ones, cause it’s like pickin’ berries. The more you eat, the more you have to pick.

After many turkey sandwiches, I’m ready for soup, but not turkey noodle. Cauliflower soup was a big hit with my friends today, and so was the bread. If you’re not a fan of hot foods, you can omit some of the Jalapeño peppers. I simply took out a lot of the veins and seeds. That cooled the ho…

I’m sound asleep by the time most parties start. The Campbell family started Miss Tamie’s surprise birthday party early so I could attend.

I’d never heard of pumpkin frosting, but knew some cook had already thought of it and found several recipes. I really liked the one I’m sharing with you today. Be sure the butter is at warm room temperature. There’ll be butter lumps in the icing if it isn’t smooth. I used it on a gussied up …

I read! I read books, cookbooks, signs, soup labels, cereal boxes and cracker boxes. If there’s print on it, I read it. Henceforth, today’s soup recipe from the back of a cracker box. I admit to changing a couple of ingredients to make it more pantry friendly. Most of us don’t have fresh thy…

You’d think, since low carbohydrate diets are very common now, I’d be offering recipes that are along those lines.

Chicken cordon bleu is certainly an impressive looking dish and no doubt worth all the pounding and rolling and sprinkling if you’re feeding the prospective son in law. But if you’re feeding the current beloved son in law, you want it delicious and on the table.

It’s almost time for the Blue Ribbon Country Fair at the Heritage Center in Townsend. The popular annual event will take place Sept. 27 and 28. Today, I’m encouraging you to enter the baked goods contest.

I’ve made the same orange scone for 20 plus years. It’s easy, delicious and gets rave reviews, but it’s still just a glorified biscuit.

I have told y’all many times I would rather have a new cookbook as a new dress. I can make myself a new dress in half a day. It sometimes takes years to write a cookbook.Dear Ms. Edmonds and Ms. Murphy know how much I cook and my weakness for cookbooks. They each gave me a cookbook from thei…

There are as many recipes for gazpacho as there are cooks. I love my version and hope you will, too.

Miss Olivia set out to find a recipe as close to the mix as she could remember.

I’ve decided there are five seasons in Tennessee. The fifth is Sprinter. Half-winter, half-spring and being a native Tennessean, I love them all!

At my table, it’s soup weather year ’round. I really like to make soup and love to eat it. Slow cookers have given way to fast cookers just when I was getting the hang of slow cookers. My schedule has never been slow cooker friendly. However, today’s recipe and the timing was just right. I’m…

I thought the little individual desserts last week were just the cutest things and delicious, too. Not to mention what a time saver they are when you're having company. I think today's recipes are even better. Use any red Jell-O flavor you have on hand. I used the quick thickening method wit…

Grilled cheese sandwich day is April 12. I’ve no idea why it’s so late in the year. April is usually nice weather. Now is the time for grilled cheese sandwiches and good hot tomato soup. At my table, grilled cheese and tomato soup is good any day in any weather. My every day tomato soup is g…

Pumpkin!

I don’t know how many chicken casserole recipes I have, and you have them all from this column. I like every one of them, but I admit to being weary of the same ole, same ole. Today’s recipe is a combination of two or three of the old ones. It got good reviews from my friends John and Caroly…

There’s nearly as many recipes for chicken spaghetti as there is King ranch chicken. Once again, I put the best of my findings together for a dish of my own. I expect you to do the same.

Y'all can always tell when I've been visiting with Marie Nichols. We have a delicious new recipe. I make a better than average good chocolate pie, if I do say so myself. Marie's is just plain delicious. It holds up better, too. She gave us a recipe for whipped cream that will hold up for a c…

I love all things pumpkin. I’ve been known to make pumpkin pie in June and eat it for breakfast. I’m not fond of cinnamon. I substitute pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice, if possible, when cinnamon is called for in recipes. The blends also eliminate dealing with small to tiny measurements…

I know lots if folks are monitoring their carbohydrate intake. I ain’t one of them. I’ve never met a pasta I didn’t like. As a matter of fact, I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like either. Please consider the following recipe. It has other redeeming factors like five good-for-you ingredients…

I’m jumping from one soap box to another today. Charlotte Tilson from the Wagon Wheelers Square Dance Club joins me in promoting the Western style square dancing lessons beginning this month, sponsored by the club.

I love food cooked in a charcoal grill. I hate cooking on a charcoal grill. The smoke is always in my face and once I even dumped a whole rack of hamburgers into the fire. You can grill the vegetable packets if you want to. I put them into the oven. You can alter the contents as well. Be sur…

Twenty years. Nothing’s changed. I put the oohs and aahs about the salted nut squares in last column and omitted the recipe. You will have to buy two (10-ounce) bags of peanut butter chips to get enough. You can’t get by with one package. The squares will never set up. Don’t ask me how I know.

On Aug. 19, 1998, I submitted my first food column to The Daily Times. Twenty years later I’m still submitting recipes. I have you, fellow cooks, and Life Times Editor Melanie Tucker, to thank. You’ve tried my recipes. Ms. Melanie has saved me from my errors and translated what I said into w…

Remember you can make your own strawberry pie filling from the recipe I shared when I was mad at the canned stuff folks. I made mine with fresh strawberries for today’s recipe and was delighted with the taste and consistency. It adds a little more time to the preparation of the dessert, but …

I was sorely tempted to use store bought fresh(ish) salsa. It is convenient, right tasty and so on. I looked at the “use by: date and gently returned it to its place in the grocery store fridge. I don’t use “fresh” food that “keeps” for months.

All of today’s recipes got rave reviews at my table and I think you will enjoy them, too. They’re all easy and delicious.

I think the Pina Colada Fruit Salad could benefit from a nice firm, ripe banana, but t’would have to be added right before serving. A cup or so of miniature marshmallows would soak up some of the liquid as well. A little shredded coconut, maybe ...

The last time I had a sloppy Joe I poured some sauce out if a can into some cooked hamburger meat and bought a bag of Merita bread buns. I think this was in the late ‘60s. And the sandwich was sloppy. Today’s recipe certainly didn’t come out of a can and I don’t think it’s nearly as sloppy. …

There’s redbud, dogwood, locust, blackberry, whippoorwill and yet another called linsey-woolsey britches winter. So named for the plant, tree, birds seen for the first time or for the heavier clothes needed again after “real” winter is passed. Spring always comes and some of today’s recipes …

I love tacos. I even ate a fish taco once. Not my favorite. The recipe on the back of the seasoning blend package is great, but today's recipe sounded so good, I couldn't wait to adjust it to my tastes and pass it on to you to do the same thing. I almost balked at French dressing in taco fil…

Dear fellow cooks, I’m mad again.

Even the birds in Marie Nichols trees get home cooked food. She says now they take one look at store bought suet, turn their little beaks up and fly away. Use your leftover bread for crumbs, less expensive shortening, peanut butter, flour and meal. She says they're not that picky.