[I]n the thousands of miles famed roving food writer Clementine Paddleford logged in the 1940s and ‘50s for her How America Eatscolumns and cookbook, she did not skirt her home state of Kansas. Of Liberal, Kan., “self-styled Pancake Hub of the Universe,†where an annual pancake race of international notoriety […]
“Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be.†— Jennie Paddleford to her daughter, Clementine [H]ow is it possible that, in the four years I attended Kansas State University, majoring in journalism, spending two years working on the school’s daily newspaper, The Collegian, and even planning and […]
[I] anticipate my monthly bread adventures the way others look forward to road trips or nights on the town. I enjoy those things, too, but the plotting and planning of a bread-baking day has my mind aswirl and my excitement on the rise, especially when I embark on a recipe […]
[I]magine a place where a pancake, a scone and a donut all meet. Well, apparently, that place is Wales and the treat is a very humble-looking yet flavorful little bread called a Welsh cake. In the Welsh language, they are called “cage bach†or “picau ar y maen.†In much […]
[I] may be going against popular opinion by saying this but, chocolate does not go with everything. Some people could eat it anywhere, anytime, on anything. But as I recently strolled through a market and noticed a basket full of dried chocolate fettuccine, I realized, surprisingly, that chocolate in that […]
[S]ometimes, nothing else but soup will do. As the whole country has been enshrouded in cold and darkness this winter, why not make up a soup fit to fight this foe? I’ve been spoiled by homemade soups these past few years, as I am fortunate enough to work where a […]
[I]n my youth, I was resistant to cranberries. My over-sensitive tastebuds (as is the case with most childhood tongues) couldn’t tolerate their bitter tartness, nor could they handle dark chocolate or hot sauce. Today, my tastebuds, matured and more dulled and ready for strong flavors, make staples of all three. […]
[I] have complete respect for the days set aside to honor, including Jan. 19, which is also National Popcorn Day. That being said, it occurs to me there is no day set aside to honor the First Americans. Some of us choose not to forget. In so doing, I honor […]
[I] put up my tree recently, and as with many a Christmas tradition, this ritual sent me back — footsteps clearly marked despite the drifting snow of thoughts flurrying in my mind — to trees of the past. Of prickly cedar trees whose feathery branches could barely bear the weight […]
[I]’m not the only soul who feels light-deprived this time of year. Though I love the wee hours of the morning when I’m in the dark, pondering, and feeling as though I have the world to myself, I still find every December to be a race against the dark, from […]