Good Things by David

Buttermilk pancakes hot off the griddle with a pat of sweet butter and a generous drizzle of pure maple syrup are one of life's delicious pleasures.  My fluffy pancakes are enhanced with malted milk powder and a bit of  vanilla sugar  which sets them apart from most standard recipes.  The batter is so easy to make because there is no need to bring any of the ingredients to room temperature or have the batter sit around for a few hours.  The eggs and buttermilk can be added cold and the pancakes can be dropped onto a hot griddle in a matter of minutes. Such a treat to have on the weekends when everyone is puttering around the house or waking up late, buttermilk pancakes will certainly help everyone start their day off on a good note.  Bring a platter of my pancakes along with some eggs and bacon if you're in the mood for savory extras and have plenty of maple syrup on hand.  All you need now to complete this enticing breakfast is some freshly squeezed orange juice or a co

It's such a pleasure to make one's own marinara for pasta.  With only a handful of well-chosen ingredients that can be found at just about any grocery store, a most delicious sauce can be made in less than one hour.  Within that time you can make a salad, set the table, pour the wine and have the pasta boiling so that you and your guests can eat well.   Usually, I make a marinara that's simply garlic, tomatoes and olive oil which is simmered for about half an hour.  If I decide I want to add more flavor I throw in some finely chopped onion, perhaps some basil and some chili flakes for kick.  It all depends on what I'm craving that particular day and who will be eating this tasty sauce.  For an even heartier marinara I add ground turkey and simmer it for a good forty five minutes until it thickens.  Really & truly, anyone can make a good marinara. All that is left to decide is which type of pasta to use for the sauce.  More often than not I use a form of s

I want to wish all of you a safe & happy holiday weekend.   May you and your loved ones enjoy  a wonderful start to spring & all that it has to offer.   Happy Easter! David 

Biscotti are always welcomed with a cup of strong coffee or a steaming cappuccino no matter the time of day.  If I’m at a cafe I look to see what the selections are, and if there is a biscotti flavor combination I’ve never tried before, I get it.  You would think that a bad biscotti is hard to come by, but believe me, it does happen.  There have been several biscotti from certain bakeries which have left me wondering what went wrong.  Don’t even get me started on the ones from the supermarket!   Making these at home is so simple and so worth one’s while.  A number of flavor combinations can be made to satisfy a craving and, of course, there is always the question of whether one should slice baked biscotti on the thin or thick side.  What about the cookie’s depth?  I’ve seen biscotti that are well over one inch high and yet, I’ve seen those which barely reach half an inch.  Ultimately those decisions are up to the baker and I have no preference.  As long as one uses good ingredi

As much as I would like to have lush surroundings right now, I have to be a little patient to allow mother nature to come into full bloom.  I've seen hints of buds, flowers, leaves and other activity out in the landscape during my afternoon walks, and I have to say that I'm absolutely ready for some greenery. It's only a matter of time before everything is transformed and I have a dense canopy of trees, lush shrubs, flowering dogwoods, cherry blossoms and the magnolias to enjoy.  Some of our neighbors have magnificent specimens when it comes to trees and I do look for their transition every single year.  On my drives I'm always observing to see if such & such tree on a particular property or street corner is blooming like it did in years past.  Do you do the same? More often than not I walk around our trails without a camera, but on certain occasions I do take it with me in order to catalog the way our surroundings are at any given moment.  It's time to

One of my favorite cake molds from the former  Martha by Mail  catalog happens to be in the shape of a chicken.  This two-part mold made of heavy cast-aluminum provides great detail with which to decorate & embellish a most charming cake.  Although every cake mold that was offered through the catalog was supplied with a recipe & decorating card, any number of cake batters can easily be used to create a memorable dessert.  Chickens are a very popular motif for the home and are therefore appropriate all year long.  One doesn't have to wait for spring or the Easter holiday to partake of a chicken cake, at least in my opinion.  Why not delight a few guests for an intimate luncheon with one of these cakes?  You can pipe various-sized feathers tinted in a number of hues using the lightest of buttercreams or you can use a rich ganache made from high quality chocolate to glaze the cake with great success.  Making one of these cakes using a bit of imagination is half the fun.

Arranging snowdrops is one of the first things I like to do at the start of spring. The small flowers are among my favorite harbingers of the season, followed closely by daffodils and crocuses, so I waste not a single moment to bring a few of them into my home as soon as I spot the clusters of low-lying flowers. I'm not sure why it is the case, but we seem to have a copious amount of snowdrops this year, a sort of bumper crop if you will.  I've even noticed them migrating their way onto the lawns, something which hasn't happened in years past. After this long winter and heavy snowfall here in our area, I was afraid that our snowdrops were never going to come out, but I was proven wrong.  I'm so glad I was.  Since I have an inordinate amount of these gorgeous flowers right now, I've been treating myself to a few arrangements every few days. Nothing grand or ostentatious mind you, because these tiny flowers require the simplest of vessels for display and noth