Do you have some bananas hanging out at your kitchen counter? Are they a lovely shade of yellow flecked with brown? They are ready for these cookies. Don't throw them out.

This has some sauerkraut added for flavor and tartness. I am always looking for ways to use leftover ham. Ham does not freeze well, so I try to use any leftovers within a day or two. This recipe is easy and foolproof. It is great fresh but even better warmed up the next day.

This is one of the few “roll-out” cookie doughs that I use. How else am I going to get the fancy shapes I like so well at holiday times. It makes a big batch and is frosted, too.

I like caramel. It seems there isn't much I don't like. I remember when I wore a size 10 dress. That was so very long ago. This recipe will help throw you into those half sizes I now know so well. It is delicious. Try it anyway.

Apple pie. Apple pie. Custardly, creamy apple pie. Only a few apples in the fridge? All this pie takes is three pie apples. Then it only takes a pie shell. If you have some dough in the freezer left over from your last baking bash, rescue those apples and make this pie. If there is not quite enough apples, that's ok. Maybe throw in a few raisins. Notice that there is no cinnamon in this apple pie.

I try most every yeast bread dough that comes along. These doughnuts are especially good. They are light, airy and melt-in-your-mouth yeast raised doughnuts and stir together quickly. They don't need kneading. That is a plus. Try them.

Biscuit mix makes stirring together a biscuit dough easy as pie. It makes a fine coffeecake as well. Crushed pineapple is one of my favorite go-to fruits to bake with. Stir up this for your next Sunday morning breakfast.

I prefer recipes for anything chocolate to be made with cocoa. I always have a box of cocoa on hand, chocolate not so much. This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups. Enough for the gang.

This is a fancy carrot salad. Of course i call anything fancy if it has marshmallows in it.

In the summertime, fresh from the garden, Mother would stir up a cucumber and onion salad. She never put sugar in her dish. I do. She combined vinegar, salt and water with the sliced cucumbers and onions. Mother never used sour cream in anything. We didn't have a refrigerator back in the day.