Photo of tape measure, spoon and apple pieces on wooden worktop with text: The Dirtiest Inch in Your Kitchen

The Dirtiest Inch in Your Kitchen

A young friend recently sent me an email. She wanted to warn me about the dangers of not washing off the tops of cans before opening them.

After all, dirt can accumulate on the cans in the warehouse or on the grocery store shelf.

And then there are the diseases carried by critters of all kinds walking about on the cans. To say nothing of reports of bugs and small rodents found in bottles and cans – ugh! (We kids always laughed at my dear Mom, who would habitually check the glass Coke bottle after she took her first sip!)

Aside from the obvious good advice for removing any accumulated dust, I remembered an even greater bit of wisdom I once heard about the dirtiest inch in your kitchen.Continue reading

Basket of apples in field with text: Food As Medicine: Natural Nutrients as Old as the Centuries

Food As Medicine: Natural Nutrients as Old as the Centuries

Why do we say? “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Because consuming natural nutrients in the form of whole foods, instead of supplements or packaged processed foods, is much better for your health.

According to experts, this is mainly because the body can absorb and utilize natural nutrients more easily than artificially-prepared tablets that might not be thoroughly digested in the system.

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Wine rack of different types of wine with text: No Need to Whine! The Right Wine to Serve with Every Dish

No Need to Whine: The Right Wine to Serve with Every Dish

Selecting wines to go with party menus can be a bit of a challenge. To make sure you don’t whine about wine, I’ve created a simple guide to which wine best accompanies what food.

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Daughter hugging Mom in kitchen overlaid with text: The Perfect Gift for Your Mom on Mother's Day

The Perfect Gift for Your Mom on Mother’s Day

Here at Cookbook People, we’ve got some really terrific gifts for Mom on Mother’s Day – or any day!

To help you with ideas for the perfect gift for your Mom on Mother’s Day, we’ve profiled a few gift Mom candidate types:Continue reading

Mom in paper letters with flowers and title: 5-Star Mother's Day Brunch Menu to Make at Home

5-Star Mother’s Day Brunch Menu to Make at Home

Prepare a special 5-Star Mother’s Day brunch at home for your Mom with this super-easy menu.

With a home-made brunch, there are no crowds, no lines, no reservations to contend with, and no enormous check to divvy up among the kids so you everyone can make the most of the time and enjoy themselves.

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Black plate of fritters on wooden table with title: Frittering Away Those Forgotten Veggies - Squash Fritters Recipe: Quick, Easy and Surprisingly Tasty!

Frittering Away Those Forgotten Veggies

Although I rarely fry food, occasionally I make fritters as a really good way of using those forgotten veggies I find at the bottom of the fridge. Leftover squash is particularly good in fritters when combined with cheddar cheese.

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Pregnant woman holding a paper heart in front of her belly with text: How Not to Labor When Creating a Family Cookbook

How Not to Labor When Creating a Family Cookbook

Some people think that creating a family cookbook is worse than going into labor. They obviously haven’t tried Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software. We made sure that creating a family cookbook is fun and easy and not like labor of any sort!Continue reading

young man with watermelon slice + text: Make a Family Cookbook for Single Cooks

Make a Family Cookbook for Single Cooks

My nephew Ben has a great idea to make a family cookbook for single cooks. He suggests creating a do-it-yourself cookbook using Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software.

The cookbook would be geared for solo individuals who cook for themselves. You know, bachelors, students, and senior singles — anyone who cooks for one.Continue reading

Wooden kitchen utensils on marble surface overlaid with text: Top 10 Essential Kitchen Tools to Make Your Cooking Efficient

Top 10 Essential Kitchen Tools to Make Your Cooking Efficient

Have you noticed that new kitchen tools have a habit of creeping into your kitchen cupboards and drawers?

Do these fancy doodad gadgets really make your cooking more efficient? Or would you be better off with a minimalist set of essential kitchen tools that do more than one task?Continue reading

American biscuits with jar of honey overlaid with text: How to Make No Fuss American Biscuits

Rise of Humble Homemade Biscuits in the Family Cookbook

The humble homemade biscuit has always had a place at the Southern table. It’s historically been used as an inexpensive quick bread.

But for the last few years biscuits have become less “country” and more universal in appeal. I suspect this might be because fast food burger and chicken chains have added biscuit variations to their menus.

The following homemade biscuit recipe appeared in a little photocopied newspaper called the Troy (Texas) Country Sun and it inspired me to write today’s column.

The biscuit recipe was attributed to George Patterson. George’s “no fuss” approach to biscuit making has probably come from years of making homemade biscuits every morning. He’d no more eat toast for breakfast than forget to shave. Continue reading

Perplexed cook surrounding by vegetables with text: Vegan? Vegetarian? Gluten-free? Surprisingly easy menus!

Surprisingly Easy Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten-free Menus

Since Chelsea Clinton’s wedding reception featured vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, this kind of food is now well on the way to becoming a staple of mainstream American cooking.

But if you thumb through your family cookbook, you’ll probably find more vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes than you might have imagined.Continue reading

tortilla chip scooping salsa with title: Salsa: Food of the Gods for Your Cinco de Mayo Mini-Fiesta

Salsa: Food of the Gods for Your Cinco de Mayo Mini-Fiesta

If you like Mexican food, your favorite holiday will be arriving soon: Cinco de Mayo. What better excuse to enjoy a mini-fiesta and serve the dish I call ‘food for the gods’: Salsa and refried beans.Continue reading

Bowl of salad surrounded by small bowls of other healthy ingredients with text: Top 10 Superfoods in One Nutrition-Packed Meal

Top 10 Superfoods in One Nutrition-Packed Meal

“Why don’t you make a meal out of just the top 10 superfoods?” asked my good friend, Ruth. I had just told her about the article I’d read about the top 10 superfoods and all the nutritional benefits they contain.

Ruth’s idea sounded appealing! I’d already copied down the top 10 superfoods in order to make sure I incorporated them into my shopping list.

All I needed to do was check my list and figure out what I could make!
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vintage style photo of baklava and walnuts with title: 5 Indispensable Qualities of Heirloom Recipes & Cookbooks

5 Indispensable Qualities of Heirloom Recipes & Cookbooks

Every year many heirloom recipes and cookbooks are lost. Due to lack of family interest, downsizing a home, or sadly, a family member’s death, these precious links to the past are being broken.

Yet heirloom recipes and cookbooks becoming increasingly valued and valuable. Collectors avidly search for them at estate sales and in old book stores and thrift shops.

But just what makes a basic everyday recipe become an heirloom recipe?
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Group of friends at birthday party overlaid with title: Make a Birthday Calendar to Track Important Family Dates

Make a Birthday Calendar to Track Important Family Dates

In our family, birthdays were always very special. The birthday celebrant got to sit at the head of the table, and was honored with a red dinner plate at supper time.

The birthday boy or girl also got to choose the main entree of the night. It could be anything within reason. One birthday I chose ice cream sundaes! Continue reading

Mint ice cream in cone with lime pieces and mint leaves with text Quick Jalapeño Mint Ice Cream Recipe

Quick Jalapeño Mint Ice Cream Recipe

Jalapeño mint ice cream. It sounds kind of odd, doesn’t it? Both hot and cool! But as odd as it sounds, jalapeño mint ice cream is surprisingly good.

Try this quick recipe for jalapeño mint ice cream to startle your dinner guests or have fun at parties!

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Vanilla sticks on bowl of custard with text: Anything But Plain: 5 Little-Known Facts About Vanilla

Anything But Plain: 5 Little-Known Facts About Vanilla

I always laugh when I hear the term ‘plain vanilla’. Vanilla is anything but plain! It has a pleasantly complex, yet distinctive flavor and aroma.

Add vanilla, to improve whatever you’re eating or drinking. Nothing quite beats fine quality French vanilla ice cream with little black specks of vanilla seeds!

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Blueberry muffins with mint sprig and text: Low-Calorie Applesauce Muffins Recipe

Low-Calorie Applesauce Muffins Recipe

Some years ago I came up with this low-calorie Applesauce Muffins recipe to replace the very tempting, calorie-laden cupcakes that are available seemingly everywhere.

All it took was reading the label on one giant muffin to convince me that making my own low-calorie Applesauce Muffins would help me practice better portion control.Continue reading

Red pen resting on printed sheet of text: 8 Proofreading Tips for a Perfect Family Cookbook

8 Proofreading Tips for a Perfect Family Cookbook

You want to create the perfect family cookbook, right? But you’re afraid that you’ll overlook some glaring error.

You dread the pain and embarrassment of someone finding a typographical error smack dab in the middle of the family cookbook!

And you just cringe at the thought of those snide comments from folks in the family who think there’s a prize for finding fault (but didn’t help when they had the chance).

Don’t worry, you’re not alone in your fear! Every cookbook author shares this fear. And luckily, it’s not that difficult to overcome.

Here are some ways to boost your confidence and help you create a family cookbook to be proud of:Continue reading

Photo of spinach and garbanzos on dark plate with title: Spinach and Garbanzos - the Perfect Combo! Who Knew?

Spinach and Garbanzos – the Perfect Combo! Who Knew?

I was in the mood for vegetarian one day last week, so I peeked into the fridge and found a big bag of fresh spinach. Then I checked my canned goods pantry and found a big can of garbanzo beans in the back. (Probably intended to make hummus with them, but, well, that never happened.)

So, on to the fresh spinach and garbanzos dish I was about to create. What would make that taste good, I thought. How about adding some garlic, onion and tomatoes for some extra flavor, and a little lemon juice for sparkle? This spinach and garbanzos dish was beginning to remind me of some Mediterranean-style foods I’ve enjoyed.Continue reading