I am a big fan of most types of squash, as long as it’s cooked the right way. My dad used to cook yellow squash in a sauce pan with a lot of onion and some water for moisture, and if I’m not mistaken, some bacon. The squash would basically turn into mush, and I… Continue reading Cooking basics: Cinnamon-butter acorn squash
Last weekend our extended family had a spur-of-the-moment cookout. My husband’s Aunt Pat had driven up from deep East Texas to spend the weekend, the weather was unusually mild for Texas in August, and my father-in-law was in the mood to grill. We had to take advantage of that combination of events for a fun… Continue reading Tongue-thrilling peach cobbler filling
I have weird dreams. They say that’s a sign of a creative mind, right? Last night I actually dreamed that I did so much decluttering in my kitchen that I had some empty cabinets. I mean, who dreams that? Anyone who knows me well knows that dreaming about organizing is somewhat out of character for… Continue reading The grilled peach salad of my dreams
A few years back when my three boys were little and we lived down in Anderson County on an acre of beautiful, chicken-poop fortified black dirt, I grew tomatoes. Not just a few tomatoes. My husband put in 40 or more tomato plants, along with corn, various varieties of peppers, purple hull peas, and butterbeans.… Continue reading Save a little summer sun in your freezer: Freezing fresh tomatoes
Berries, berries everywhere! That’s one of the very best things about this time of year. Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and more are available in abundance. They’re all so wonderful. Here’s a cake that I made on In the Kitchen with Mama Steph on KLTV last week, using strawberries and blueberries, but which could obviously be made… Continue reading Mama Steph’s Summerberry Sheetcake
Bread pudding is such a lovely traditional Southern dessert. Food historians say that it was originally made by home cooks who, due to necessity, didn’t waste a scrap of food, ever. When there was stale bread, some genius, practical cook decided to break it up into chunks and pour a custardy liquid over the bread, adding in other things that… Continue reading Mama Steph’s bread puddings: simply decadent comfort food
There is something simple and nostalgic about Mason jars. I love their simple, shiny clean look, and how they hold the promise of something delicious held over from the garden’s harvest. John Mason invented and patented the first glass jar with a screw-on cap in 1858, and though he didn’t make much money from his… Continue reading Mason Jar love: Simple layered salads & other fun ideas
I always think of my Uncle Jessie Hill when I hear the words “peaches and cream.” Whenever we’d visit his home in Laurenburg, N.C., he’d make sure to feed my little sister Sherrin and me a bowl of peaches and cream, which was, to me, an amazing food, as I had never had cream before.… Continue reading Peaches & Cream French Toast Casserole
In the summertime, when we are all blessedly swimming in fresh tomatoes, whether homegrown or from the farmers market, we eat our fair share of tomato sandwiches, salads, and the like. But what else can you do with fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes? This year, we have something new to do with those gorgeous, juicy orbs. It’s my… Continue reading Simple pasta alla checca
We have so much to be thankful for. We do live in a crazy world, I’ll give you that. I work in a TV news station, so believe me, I hear the craziness on the police scanners and on the other end of the telephone, and I see it in my inbox and via satellite… Continue reading Can balsamic vinegar say I love you on a day like today?
In Mama Steph's Kitchen 