My family's favorite recipe for chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. It makes life simple for bakers in families with raisin-lovers and raisin-haters. Have it both ways! Stir in raisins (or the less-sweet and smaller currants, or the chocolate-covered raisins called Raisinets) into half the cookie dough, leave the other half plain. COMPLIMENTS! "I love this recipe. ... I will use this recipe as a base for cookies for many years to come." ~ Kerri "... never had so many requests for cookies as I do for this recipe." ~ Anonymous "... they have been great. My only "complaint" is that they are so good, they usually disappear in a day or two." ~ DMan "These were fabulous!" ~ Erica "They were very tasty ..." ~ forget-me-not "They are Delic!" ~ Jennifer For all the debate, it might be a presidential election. For all the ferocity, it might be a battle between good and evil. You see, some folks are m

Food TV icon Rachael Ray has a winning formula: 30-Minute Meals. But when home cooks gripe about Rachael Ray, it’s because those very same quick meals load the body with calories and the sink with pots and pans. What’s the point of eating at home if you might as well hit the drive-through? What’s the point of cooking supper in 30 minutes if it takes another 30 to clean up? This quick supper (might I add, this tasty supper?) is low in calories. It requires only a skillet and a spatula, a cutting board and a knife, plus a bowl for dredging. Now that, home cooks, is truly a winning formula! CAJUN SPICE MIX With a well-stocked spice pantry, it’s easy and inexpensive to blend homemade spice mixes. I fill empty spice jars with my own blends, then just add them to the collection. For Cajun flavors, combine a tablespoon each of paprika, cumin and kosher salt with a teaspoon each of garlic powder, black pepper, thyme and oregano. ALANNA's TIPS The smaller the potato dice,

Imagine this grocery list: 1200 pounds parchmeal, 3400 pounds flour, half ton hulled corn, nearly two tons pork, 750 pounds salt, 100 pounds lard, 112 pounds sugar, 50 pounds coffee. Whew! In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark gathered provisions for a grand expedition to secure control of the Louisiana Purchase. Their party of forty-five men and a dog pushed up the Missouri River through Nebraska and the Dakotas into what’s now Montana where they reached the Missouri headwaters, crossed the Rockies, and finally, followed the Columbia to the Pacific. In 1806, the exhausting journey drew to an 8000-mile close, returning to grand celebrations in St. Louis on September 23rd. During the trek, the explorers ate much and ate well. In her book The Food Journal of Lewis & Clark, culinary historian Mary Gunderson brings alive the explorers’ planning, hunting, fishing, gathering, trading, cooking and eating. It is historybook and cookbook all in one, both readable and cook

Pound for pound, sweet peppers are one of the most expensive vegetables in the grocery store’s produce section. They’re worth it for one or two but it’s hard to justify gorging on peppers at $1.50 a pop. But beginning in early September, the farmers market has big baskets of sweet peppers priced for a binge, some times four for a dollar. Side-by-side with the perfect commercial beauties, garden-grown peppers are small and odd-shaped. But they’re full of freshness and flavor. Yes, September is the month to feast on sweet bell peppers! WARM PEPPER SALAD Arrange grilled peppers in a single layer in a baking dish. Top with an ounce of finely chopped anchovies, a handful of capers and Italian seasoning. Repeat with a second layer, then drizzle the anchovy oil over top. Let flavors meld in a 350F oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Good served warm or at room temperature. ALANNA's TIPS I love the food processor attachment to my immersion blender . It’s the perfect size for dressi