Fresh eggs are the ultimate for eating and baking.

April showers bring early flowers for garnishing.

Grandmommie’s sweet pickles’ recipe is almost 100 years old. Unlike other family recipes, this one hasn’t been tweaked even slightly. The only thing her grandchildren and great grandchildren do differently is, the initial sterilization of the jars is now done in the dishwasher, which didn’t exist in her pickling days. The pickles themselves and the juice of these pickles are key to her yummy potato salad and but I also pour a dab in my deviled eggs and tuna fish. My family love them on hamburgers and sandwiches and a jar make a great hostess or Christmas gift during the holidays.

Linda has cooked for special events for years. Check out one of these winning dinner events from years ago!

Linda loves presentation of her food, table and surroundings. Check out this beautiful blend of tradition with whimsy. She has an acorn themed bee’s wax candle flanked by a circle of feathers.

Just lookin’ at this cake gives a lift. Linda’s Perfect Southern poundcake is a rise above the rest! A favorite birthday cake in the family, the recipe can be found in Suga’s Cookin’ Cookbook.

Once the Shuga’s business took off, I was busy making cakes and other desserts, sauces, and specialty foods for special events and fundraisers, like the one for the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Children’s Inn is a nonprofit that provides residential services and a wide range of programs to children, teens and young adults with rare and serious diseases whose best hope for a diagnosis or treatment is an NIH clinical research study. The Inn is “A Place Like Home” for those brave families who come from across the country and around the world to participate in often lifesaving clinical trials at The NIH. This basket was the least I could do for such an amazing program!

What you see is the base of the most delicious corn soup from the Four Season’s Resort in Palm Beach, Florida. My mother was dining there and fell in love with it. She was an excellent cook in her own right but was also especially charming and could persuade a bird from its nest…..thus, the resort sent her this recipe in June 1999 and many have enjoyed it ever since.

Marinated goat and sheep’s milk cheese is divine. Try it on French bread, chicken, in your salad…anything!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love food presentation—even lunch with my grandson is made special! While the world shut down and life was turned upside down, my grandson Spencer and I made the most of our time together. He came to Baltimore on Sunday and stayed through the afternoon on Wednesday and learned from home with me! We spent hours together working hard but the best part was that it meant special lunches together too!! Who knew there was so many ways to make a turkey sandwich?