Birthdays are my favorite holidays of the year. They are, in my opinion, the only holidays you don’t have to share with someone. That is, unless you know somebody with your particular birthday. I do, but since it is my brother-in-law, and therefore family, I am willing to share.

October is a month filled with the birthdays of some of my favorite people, both past and present.  My best friend, Karen, started the month with her celebration on October 6th. As it wasn’t a “biggie” this year there was no need to hire a caterer and rent a function hall for a...

When I was a kid growing up in New England, New Year’s Eve was a very special family holiday. My parent’s best friends would come for dinner, which was typically fondue. All the rage in the ‘60s, we would start with meat fondue. My mother would prepare small bites of raw beef,...

On this rare and unusually snowy morning on Cape Cod, my husband and I had breakfast together. What’s so extraordinary about that, you might ask? Well, we own a bed and breakfast inn on Cape Cod, and most Sunday mornings we prepare breakfast for our guests. This Sunday before Christmas, however, we are experiencing a classic Nor’easter. The wind is howling, the snow is drifting, and we cannot see out the windows because they are covered in snow. The weather forecasters prepared us well for this event, giving us 2-3 days warning of what was to come. Anyone contemplating a trip to Cape...

On the first day of Advent, it is a Swedish tradition to take down all the Christmas things from the attic and bake Pepparkokor and Lussekattor. Then everyone goes out and window shops. This Sunday is known as “Skyltsondag”.

Today being the beginning of Advent, I thought I would share my Mom’s recipe for Swedish Pepparkokor. I hope you enjoy it. I’m headed upstairs to get out my Christmas decorations.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons...
  

This was one of my mother’s favorite recipes. It can be made with either fresh or frozen blueberries. But I will warn you, it is addictive.

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 ¾ cup sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries (or 1 can, drained)

Crumb Topping:
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons soft margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat...