I love banana bread, but more importantly, I love good banana bread. I like it to be dense and moist. I’m not too picky on the nuts vs. no nuts debate. I like them both. Ole considers himself a banana bread “purist.” He believes it’s not true banana bread unless there are walnuts involved. I have one of those recipes. This is not it. This recipe is all about the marriage of the banana with the chocolate chip. It’s like grocery store muffins…except there... more

Three years ago I went to a bridal shower for my cousin. There was a French toast bake there. It was fantastic. This is not that recipe. It only prompted me to search online for something similar. After looking over a few, I came up with this. While most breakfast bakes call for cream or half and half and lots of butter, this one is lacking those things either entirely or in large amounts. This allows you to eat a second or…third piece. I also get several requests for this recipe. ... more

We eat a lot of avocados.  I like them.  In case you hadn’t noticed. Avocados are a lot like mushrooms. People either hate them or they love them, and then there’s a group that just has never tried them because they were never introduced to them when they were sitting around their dinner table at night in third grade. I urge you to give them a try. They’re good for you. Avocados are wonderful sources of B vitamins, fiber, folate and potassium, which can help lower blood pressure.... more

When a man works all day he wants to find some meat on his plate when he sits down for the evening meal (is it dinner or supper?).  With certain meals the meat can be hard to find, for instance, pasta.  Sure you can use a “meat sauce” but I’m usually back in the kitchen a few hours later looking for a snack to take me through until morning.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  I found a great way to bring the meat to the pasta AND use the grill to do it.  Plus it goes together... more

I can be lazy when it comes to cooking. There are days where I’m just wholly unmotivated to get in that kitchen. Like today. I *should* be boiling noodles right now, but I’m sitting here in my chair again, definitely not boiling water… Water is on the stove. Now I don’t feel so bad. I know you were worried about my mental health. How thoughtful you are. For this recipe I used the leftover cornbread muffins I made the week before. I waited until they were completely... more

We made it! We’re on the shores of Gichigami, enjoying the 14 inches of snow that were dumped here this week. Kola Nut was thoroughly impressed by the deer grazing outside our front door. And outside our back door? It’s Lac-Supérieur itself, greeting me home. How I missed you, Big-Sea-Water. Now we sit and wait for others to arrive with kids and food stuffs. My young ones have already taken advantage of the pool area in the main lodge. There will be snowshoeing, snowboarding,... more

In my opinion, planning a menu and finding a system that works for you is an entirely personal function. What works for one family or one individual may be entirely different from what works for another individual in the same type of situation. Personality types, budget, seasonal foods, work and play schedules, grocery shopping trips and more can all play a factor in what works for you. If you only grocery shop on a specific day of the week or once every two weeks, you may need some flexibility... more