Joanne's Recipes

We're racing into Valentine season, if the grocery stores are providing any indication. Valentine cards and candies have been on display since Christmas, I believe...maybe longer. If sweets are on your mind, my mother kept a ton of recipes for those. My favorite, though, have to be her bourbon balls (1 cup of bourbon!). They were so good that I haven't attempted to make them because I'm sure I'll fall short. Give them a shot and let me know in the comments if you tried this recipe and how it worked out for you.

When it comes to food quality and safety, few regions compare to Scandinavia. Known for its breathtaking landscapes and high quality of life, this northern European region—comprising Sweden, Norway, and Denmark—takes pride in maintaining some of the strictest food regulations in the world. From farm to table, every step of the food production process is carefully monitored to ensure sustainability, health, and taste. Scandinavia's rigorous approach to food standards reflects its commitment to public health, environmental stewardship, and culinary excellence. Key Food Regulations in Scandinavia Ban on Harmful Additives : Scandinavia has banned the use of certain food additives, such as artificial dyes and preservatives, that are still widely used in other parts of the world. For example, Norway prohibits azodicarbonamide, a chemical used as a flour bleaching agent. Strict Pesticide Use : Scandinavian countries strictly limit the use of pesticides, prioritizing organic farming practi...

This recipe is located on the back of the card that holds the  Brown Sugar Pecan Pie recipe. Mom took the liberty of adding amounts for two pastry crusts in the recipe. I think that's an interesting add, because she shows here that she might have been under some stress while baking, although she learned to bake at an early age from her mother. The addition of those double amounts made it easier for her to avoid calculating on the fly, although she was pretty good with math. She handled the household budget during 60 years of my parents' marriage. What I find interesting is the second ingredient as will as the water sprinkle...take a look:

This is the first of mom's recipe cards for this blog, and I want to run through all the cards before I go into her cookbooks, recipe clippings from magazines and newspapers, and more. Some of these cards are very old, and she wrote a few in pencil, which is fading. This is one such card for Brown Sugar Pecan Pie. I wanted to start with a sweet, because her cards will probably end with a sweet. She had a disproportionate number of recipes for sweet things, because she had a sweet tooth. Long story there, but dad and I were both gobsmacked by the number of packages of little cookies and little bags of candies she had stashed throughout the house after she died in 2014. A regular treasure trove! Although mom says "nuts" as the last ingredient, providing the reader with hopes of using anything other than pecans, trust me--pecans are the best choice. They seem to go with brown sugar and butter better than any other nut.

Choose wood or stainless steel. Ever wonder about the toxicity of your cooking utensils , especially those chic and sleek black plastic numbers? This article addresses some of the safety priorities you might adopt, especially in setting up a new kitchen or when you're ready to replace those older utensils. "When discussing toxicity, it’s essential to consider it alongside the environmental impact of our consumer choices," adds Vacheva. 'Factors such as biodegradability, the potential release of toxins during disposal, and damage to marine ecosystems should always be taken into account. We are part of a connected ecosystem, and even if the effects are not immediately visible or direct, they remain significant and impactful,' she notes." Tsvetomira Vacheva is the brand manager for Woodenhouse Lifelong Quality.

"Meghan Markle’s forthcoming cooking show, ' With Love, Meghan ,' hasn’t even debuted yet and it's already being sliced and diced online. Scheduled to premiere Jan. 15 on Netflix, the series promises a glossy blend of culinary escapades, celebrity cameos and sunlit glimpses of The Duchess of Sussex's life in Montecito — but the reaction to its trailer has been swift and cutting, a barrage of disdain that feels both predictable and overdetermined, as if the mere existence of the show is some kind of affront." I haven't see the trailer, but now I have to watch...I doubt I'll sign up for Netflix just for this show, though. Are you going to watch?