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Roast Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Sauce

Pork

My granddaughter celebrated her eighth birthday right before Christmas, and we asked her if she had any requests for her birthday dinner. She said, “I want Bompas’ (that’s me) pork tenderloin!” Somewhere she was served a memorable one with raspberry sauce, and I’ve tried to reproduce it for her several times with varying critical responses. She deemed this one pretty good, so I will share it with you. Continue reading

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Tofu with Hot Bean Sauce (Mapo Tofu)

Mapo Tofu

I’ve been making various versions of this dish since my children were little. They loved it and would request it. I had a good vegetarian tofu dish as well, but that was a hard sell. I think of it as Chinese comfort food. The original recipe came from the superb The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kao, but I’ve tweaked it over the years. Some of the ingredients are probably not in your pantry, but they’re worth seeking out at an Asian market. You can substitute ground beef for the pork, but it will be heavier. Make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking as the actual cooking takes very little time. Continue reading

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Rick’s Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Ice cream

We have a great farm stand around the corner from us, and this time of year we revel in fresh sweet corn and ripe tomatoes. They also always have the best peaches which they import from various places. The ones they have right now are from Pennsylvania, and they are juicy and ripe. I love peaches, but have stopped buying them in the grocery store, because they are either hard as a rock or mealy in texture. If you have good peaches available, I recommend making peach ice cream. This recipe is easy. No eggs, you don’t have to make a custard, and you don’t have to peel the peaches. The ice cream tastes like summer. You will need an ice cream machine. Continue reading

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The Best Store-Bought Eggnog Near You!

eggnogYes, I know your mom’s homemade eggnog is the best ever, but sometimes you just want to open a bottle or carton of the stuff from the local store.

Here in the Berkshires the best eggnog from a store is High Lawn Farm in Lee, MA, hands down! But you can’t get it everywhere in the land, so I took a highly unscientific poll from all my social media friends and followers asking what they like where they live. Here’s what I found. Continue reading

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Rick’s German Pancake (Dutch Baby)

DutchMy daughter-in-law introduced me to this wonderful recipe. This is simplicity itself. Just eggs, milk, flour and butter whisked together and baked, and you have a lovely breakfast or brunch dish that has a texture somewhere between a pancake and a fluffy omelet. Serves four to six. Continue reading

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Slow Cooker Chinese Short Ribs

Short ribspg

I’ve always loved braising in my Dutch Oven. Tough cuts of meat like brisket and short ribs become meltingly delicious when braised. When my children and grandchildren were with us during the pandemic, they brought their slow cooker and I was hooked. When they left and took it with them, I bought myself one like theirs, a Cuisinart 6 ½ quart that has a sauté function, so you can brown things before you start the slow part. Continue reading