Went to a cooking show last night and it was so much fun. The cooking demonstrator onstage created 10 different recipes over two hours, including appetizers, entrees and desserts: APPETIZERS Fall Harvest Salad Smoked Salmon & Chives Cheesecake (also great as a party food) PARTY FOODS & MUNCHIES Snickerdoodle Chex® mix Fresh fruit centerpiece ENTREES Cheesy Vegetable Chowder (smaller portions make a good appetizer, too) Stuffed Manicotti with Spicy Sausage & Fresh Marinara Sauce M... Read Full Story

We often get inquiries from customers about what type of paper to purchase for printing a cookbook on a home printer. Sounds like a straightforward question, but it can be a bit complicated because there are many types of paper out there to confuse you. First, you want to choose a paper (aka “stock”) that fits the kind of printer you have. Some papers will say on the label that they are suitable for either inkjet or laser printers, or both. These papers have a better surface texture (aka “fi... Read Full Story

I have just returned from a Halloween party where the most disgusting, delicious, hilarious, and cleverly horrible dessert was served. Kitty Litter Cake. Kitty Litter Cake is a concoction of demented minds, yet it garnered lots of laughs and marvels at how it actually mimics “the real thing,” even down to the tormented Tootsie Rolls used to imitate cat poop. I just had to share this frightful Kitty Litter Cake marvel of modern culinary arts with you as soon as possible. I understand that you... Read Full Story

Sometimes simple food is the best. The clever cook is one who adds spices, herbs and other inexpensive ingredients to simple food and ends up with a glorious dish that even food snobs cannot resist. Often called international street food or peasant ethnic food (I hope because of its basic close-to-the-earth goodness), many of these savory simple food dishes are made of common staples such as grains, root vegetables, and tough scraps of meat that do well with patience. Here are some of my fav... Read Full Story

Preserving family treasures, including recipes for a family recipe cookbook or recipe scrapbook, can be a simple matter if you know what you’re doing. Ever since the Library of Congress lamented the loss of deteriorating books during the late 1980s, we’ve been hearing more and more about conservation techniques to save family heirlooms and museum displays. Experts tell us that there are 7 basic enemies that haunt most keepsake preservation efforts. Here they are, beginning with the most harm... Read Full Story

I use any excuse in the book to eat garlic, especially garlic mashed potatoes. So be it if I reek after eating a fine bowl of garlic mashed potatoes.  Some Things to Know About Garlic - One finely minced raw garlic clove releases more flavor and aroma because more surfaces are exposed - A good garlic press is an important kitchen gadget - Always refrigerate jars of garlic in oil to avoid deadly bacteria - Use garlic powder, garlic extract, or garlic salt only if fresh garlic is not available... Read Full Story

When adding biographies and family stories to my family cookbook, I always follow the basic principle of KISS (keep it short & simple).  To do this, I try to focus on one topic at a time when telling a tale, and avoid everything my subject discusses that is off the topic. This can be hard to do, especially when the subject rambles or hopskotches through years of a life well-lived. For example, I interviewed a 96-year-old relative a few years ago who was a professional chef (as well as ma... Read Full Story

I was looking for some inspired funeral food the other day to take to a grieving family, and was struck by the lack of local information on the subject.  I realized that churches could provide a great service for their congregations and the community if they could include a section in their church fundraising cookbook that explains the local traditions of funeral food and funeral etiquette. Of course, you’re thinking I’m thinking the church would use my Matilda’s Fantastic Cookbook Software ... Read Full Story

Unfortunately, our site had a major hiccup this morning. You should be able to order now. Our store is powered by Volusion, one of the major shopping cart systems out there. Customers all over the planet experienced similar problems. We’re up and running now, though! Read Full Story

As the weather becomes cooler and leaves begin to turn amber and red, it is time to pull out a favorite family recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that my family has been making for many decades. These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are plump, cakelike cookies that have a moist and delicious pumpkin flavor accented by chocolate pieces throughout.  I don’t know why, but they have a haunting flavor that draws me to them around Halloween time.  The ghosts of ancestors past perhaps, who ba... Read Full Story