Food Adventures of a Comfort Cook

Pot roast dinner and gravy brings it all together. Mary Cokenour photo.
Gravy making, why does it seem to be so complicated? Growing up, the only gravy I remember having at a meal was at Thanksgiving time, and it was not homemade, but came out of a can. During my first marriage I would watch my, then, mother-in-law make a slurry of flour, garlic powder and water, pour...
Muffins are an awesome November treat.  Mary Cokenour photos
“Do you know the Muffin man The Muffin man, the Muffin man Oh, do you know the Muffin man Who lives on Drury Lane?” This song, or nursery rhyme, was first published in 1820, but its origin story goes back farther than that. It is based upon an urban legend about a baker in London’s West End, a poor...
Dos, the new sushi chef at Ja-Roen Thai & Sushi in Monticello. Mary Cokenour photo
Saturday night is “date night” for Roy and myself. Often times I cook up buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, hand cut fries, homemade pizza, even do all the work required for authentic English style fish n’ chips. Then we pick out a movie, usually a mystery, horror, sci-fi, or comedic mystery,...
Momma’s little baby loves shortenin’ bread. Mary Cokenour photo
“Put on the skillet, put on the lid Mama’s gonna make a little short’nin’ bread That ain’t all Mama’s gonna do She’s gonna make a little coffee, too Mama’s little baby loves short’nin’, short’nin’, Mama’s little baby loves short’nin’ bread Mama’s little baby loves short’nin’, short’nin’ Her little...
Side dishes have many uses, including variety and balance, accomodating preferences, extending a meal, and more. But this batch of candied sweet potatoes mainly serves to provide gustatory pleasure.  Mary Cokenour photo
The “side dish” – what exactly does that mean? After laying out the main meal, then come the sides, sort of like an afterthought. It’s sort of like, “Hey, we have all these extra cans of green beans about to expire. Let’s gussy them up and serve them with dinner!” Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines...
Pumpkin pancakes are a seasonal treat.  Mary Cokenour photo
“Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. “You can look around and there’s not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the...
Apple Candy, from a recipe in A Melting Pot of Pioneer Recipes, are one of the favorite old Mormon sweets.  Mary Cokenour photo
The inspiration to go through various cookbooks, dedicated to Utah, was once again due to autumn knocking at the door. Typically, we wait to see if woolly caterpillars will give us any hints as to what kind of winter will be around the corner. If a few, not too much snow; if an abundance, better...
There are lots of tasty options at The Lunch Box in Dove Creek.  Mary Cokenour photo
1987 was a year dedicated to Michael Jackson being “Bad”, Whitney Houston wanting to dance with somebody, “The Lost Boys” being found and staked, and most historically, Ronald Reagan’s visit to West Berlin, and his famous speech, imploring The USSR’s leader, Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the...
Honey Wheat pancakes. Courtesy photo
One of the best decisions we have made, about entertainment, is to get rid of DISH, and switch to using an Amazon Firestick. Besides Prime, there are a slew of streaming options that are free for watching like Tubi and Plex. Oh sure, you have to watch some ads, or pay for the privilege of ad-free...
If you have a vegetable surplus as summer slides into autumn, check out some delicious options for your dining table. Courtesy photo
Here we are, almost to the end of August and Labor Day begins the month of September. Farmers’ markets are laden with surpluses of homegrown vegetables, or baked goods, jams and jellies. One of our friends dropped off several bags of yellow squash, zucchini and cucumbers which, of course, got me...

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