If it’s snowing near you, put a container outside to collect some clean snow to make ice cream! Once you’ve gotten enough snow, add vanilla and either sweetened condensed milk or a little milk with sugar.  Stir and adjust to taste.  Eat right away! Results of My Snow Ice Cream Experiment: In the photo...

These Sugar Cookies are Gluten-free and made with icing that has no food dye in it! When making gluten-free recipes, make sure beforehand that all your ingredients are gluten-free. Recipe for Gluten-free Sugar Cookies Ingredients 1 1/2 c. White Rice Flour 1 1/2 c. Oatmeal Flour ...

Linda Nataprawira wrote from Indonesia: Mother’s day = "onde" day December 22nd is Mother’s Day in Indonesia.  In indo-chinese tradition, we always make "onde" on that day too. They’re made of glutinous flour and filled with peanuts & sugar inside. The taste is sweet. Onde is also called onde-onde.  Sometimes it’s served in...

Gingerbread Houses are made at Christmastime in Germany, the US and other countries around the world. Gingerbread Houses are intricately linked to the Grimm fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel.  In the story, two children, Hansel and Gretel get lost in the woods.  They come upon a house made of gingerbread covered in frosting and candy. ...

Maryann Serra was kind enough to contribute her recipe for Anise Cookies… Anise cookies are a popular tradition for Italians and other families around the world, especially during the holidays. This light fluffy cookie tastes much like licorice cake, so people who like the flavor licorice especially enjoy them. Making Italian anise cookies is fun and...

  French "fruits déguisés" (fancy fruit) is eaten at Christmastime in France.  It’s dried fruit, mainly dates, prunes or figs, stuffed with almond paste or a sweetened crumbled cookie mixture.  The filling is usually made in different pastel colors.  Almond paste is actually sold in different colors in France.  The normal colors you find at...

The other day I was making Juice Gumdrops for the kids in my family, and I thought, "What if I made gumdrops with liquor for the adults?"  That’s what led me to making this Anisette version of gumdrops.  All of the adults I’ve given it to so far have given it the thumbs up! ...

Gumdrop candy is associated with Christmas in many countries.  Gumdrops are used to decorate gingerbread houses.They’re also part of The Nutcracker, a popular ballet that’s performed at Christmastime.  In the ballet, sugarplum fairies and gumdrops dance.  Visions of dancing candy got me to thinking of making gumdrops for Christmas this year. Most of the gumdrop candy...

It’s so nice to give homemade gifts! This year I decided to make homemade vanilla extract to give to my friends and family.  It’s easy!  Here’s the recipe… Recipe for Homemade Vanilla Ingredients: 2 to 2 1/2 Vanilla Beans (I used organic vanilla beans) 1/2 cup Vodka (or Brandy) 1. Slice the vanilla bean pods down the side leaving about...

Remember this… Boy times have changed!

Today I cooked homemade stewed apples and pears.  It’s really easy to make, and much healthier than store-bought canned fruit.  It’s delish! You can make this recipe with just apples, just pears or a mixture of both.  I used both in my recipe. Recipe for Homemade Stewed Apples and...

A Herman Cake is also called a Friendship Cake.  It’s a sourdough coffee cake.  But it’s also a kind of game.  Here’s how it works… It’s made with a starter dough that’s passed along from friend to friend like a chain letter. You’re given a piece of dough by a friend.  You add ingredients to it...

There are different theories about where the American Red Velvet Cake is originally from, ranging from the South (perhaps the time of the Civil War?) to a creation of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. No one seems to really know for sure!  What’s certain is that this cake feels special, and in fact,...

Kourabiedes are Greek shortbread cookies that are eaten for Christmas, Easter and Christenings.  Sometimes at Christmastime, they’re made with a clove in the middle to represent the spices the three magi brought to Jesus as a gift.        There are many variations of these cookies – so feel free to tinker with the recipe.  Here’s how...

Cuccìa is a dish made in some regions for Santa Lucia in Italy, especially in Sicily.  The word itself is Sicilian.  Cuccìa is typically made with wheat berries, ricotta and sugar. On Santa Lucia people eat a variety of dishes made with wheat berries.  It’s said that there was a famine in Sicily several centuries...

A candle apple is called a "pomme d’amour" in French.  That’s literally "apple of love"!  How cool is that?! What’s it called in your language?  Please let us know in the comments below.

Monique Palomares sent me this recipe from France for gluten-free and lactose-free Quince and Apple Crumble.  The measurements aren’t precise so you’ll need to play around with the quantities.  Here’s what Monique wrote: "This is a gluten and lactose-free quince and apple pie.  But you could make it with either apples or quinces. Here’s how I...

My nephew Nick creates his own recipes. How cool is that!  Here you’ll find his Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake recipe with a note he wrote about cooking from scratch… Dear Mama Lisa, I made this peanut butter chocolate cake for my mom, on her birthday. Her two favorite ingredients are peanut butter and chocolate. Her birthday is...

Monique wrote from France: "La pâte d’abricot is apricot paste.  It’s like candy.  Here’s how you make it: Recipe for Apricot Paste 1. Peel apricots and cover them with water in a pot.  2. Cook them until heated.  3.  Purée the mixture until smooth.  4.  Weigh the mixture and add sugar in an amount equaling the weight...