When I was growing up, my Dad did all of the cooking on Sunday mornings. He was always the first one up, a habit from years of getting up early for work! He simply enjoyed the quiet time, putting on the coffee and reading the Sunday paper. We’d wake to the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying. I know it always got me out of bed, hungry and ready for a big family breakfast. I can still see him cooking up his favorite eggs and bacon in his big, sturdy cast iron frying pan. So when I was setting up my kitchen, I knew I wanted a sturdy cast iron pan just like Dad’s. I found something even better, a handy Cast Iron Skillet Set. Read the rest of this entry »

People exchange gifts on several occasions and for different purposes. Gift shops are full of gift items from arts and crafts to jewelry, wall hangings, kitchen items and many more. We get bored selecting the same gift item and the process gets repetitive. You can try some gift baskets for a change. There are wonderful baskets available in stores and online, filled with tempting items to please all, and one such basket is a Taste of Tuscany gift basket. Read the rest of this entry »

My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I’ve been thinking about making her cake from scratch this year. I usually use one of those box mixes, but when you think about it, that’s just flour, sugar and spices, so I might as well make it myself. So far I’ve always used canned frosting, but my mother-in-law just shared her favorite vanilla frosting recipe and it sounds simple enough. So I’ll give that a try as well. Read the rest of this entry »