Category Archives: Food

Ham Ends. But Not the End of Ham.

I don’t remember quite how old I was, or how the story came up, but I remember my mother telling me the story about the end of the ham. You probably know the one.

When your grandmother was young and first married, she was chatting with your grandfather while making a ham. As she went to put the ham in the pan, she cut the end off. Your grandfather asked her why she did that, and she responded with, “I don’t know. My mother always used to do it.”

Later that day, she spoke to her mother and asked about cutting the end off the ham. Her mother replied, “You know, I don’t know. That’s how my mother always did it.” So your grandmother eventually asked her grandmother.

… Continue reading →

Greetings to The Bittens!

I want to welcome anyone who has wandered by from The Bitten Word’s Food Network Magazine Post today!

Of course, if you’re here, you started at The Apple Pumpkin Brown Betty and are now perusing the main page wondering what to read next. Please, allow me to make a couple suggestions.

How about checking out how close my friend Dylan was to a cow that time we bought a hog? Warning! There are both cute and sad photos in that post. Mostly cute ones.

I recently wrote about my freezer addiction. It was prompted, in part, by my friend, The Bachelor Cook. Mostly by finding the inventory of my food in her freezer.

Finally, in case you’re worried I do nothing serious here, please check out one of my favorite serious posts on gardening and self-sufficiency.… Continue reading →

Freezers, Bachelors and Food

Once upon a time, I was a totally normal person. I was in college. I went to my classes. I came home. I went out with friends. I ate at El Cam to study late at night. My freezer was very full of frozen veggies and microwave meals and such.

Ok. Maybe not totally normal. I suppose most college students’ freezers look a bit more like The Bachelor Cook’s freezer than my old college freezer. Booze and ice and air. I’m pretty sure you just can’t see that she’s got booze in there.

Anyway. My roommates and I always kept a reasonably well stocked fridge and freezer. And I was always a little frustrated at how little one can get into an above-fridge freezer. So you can imagine my delight when my late great-grandmother gave me her old upright.… Continue reading →

TBWC2C Challenge: Apple-Pumpkin Brown Betty

I’m not quite sure what possessed me to volunteer to be one of the home cooks for Zach and Clay’s Super Awesome Cover to Cover Challenge over at The Bitten Word. I actually almost passed on it. When they first posted it, I could have been somewhere in the first 20 volunteers, I suspect. However, I decided not to, as Bill and I were traveling for most of the cooking time.

When they posted their request for a few more volunteers, I looked at the schedule again. I considered that our vacation rental had a kitchen. And then I said, “Why not?”

Then I got my assignment, an Apple-Pumpkin Brown Betty (APBB). I told Angelique that when I saw the recipe, I was thrilled. You know, in a food hoarder sort of way.… Continue reading →

I have never made sangria – apparently this changes tonight

Today is my mother’s birthday. In a bit, Bill and I will head to her house and have a good old time with our family. My sister, her husband and their kids will be there. My dad will be there.

And, apparently, sangria will be there. This is a bit of a surprise to me.

That said, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never made sangria before, but it doesn’t look too hard. The biggest challenge will be figuring out what to do with the extra brandy we’ll have to pick up. I think. I’ve never made sangria (maybe I mentioned that), so I’m just going off recipes online. Looks like we should have made it last night, but whatever. We’re making it tonight and it will be FINE.… Continue reading →