Yummy Oyster Chowder

There's definitely some history behind this recipe, which is from John Bucy in Idaho. The story precedes the recipe:

As background for this recipe, Connie and I were living in upstate New York (Glens Falls, just north of Saratoga and south of Lake George, hard on the edge of Adirondack State Park, which is pictured at left), in the late 70's and before kids. Christmas Eve, being a special family time and our family being 3,000 miles away, was also a bit lonely. However, our next door neighbors, Don and Pat Boyle, invited us over to partake in their Christmas Eve activities. Being good Catholics, they had 4 or 5 of their own kids, plus their brothers andsisters in attendance made the count of "young" cousins quite high. They also had three or four nuns from the local convent over. So people were in abundance! There also was a piano and it seemed like someone was continually at the keyboard playing Christmas Carols.

Their house had a section with a cathedral ceiling that stretched three stories high. This is where they put the Christmas tree, which was purchased on Christmas eve (due to economics and/or tradition), put up and decorated. Initial food preparation for the next day's feast had begun, last minute gift wrapping was underway, just a lot of activity.

There was also tragedy that particular night. Pat's sister and husband lived in a double wide which caught fire and as I recall was totally destroyed. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries. Anyway, as this action packed and fun evening started to wind down, Don announced that he was going to make some oyster chowder. We gathered around to observe and asked for his recipe. Don didn't have one, he just winged it like a seasoned chef can. His sister grabbed a note pad and wrote a recipe as he made it. She then made a hand written copy for us, which we still have. Below is the actual written recipe today.


This is one of our oldest written recipes! Every year since, while not always on Christmas Eve, we reenact this Christmas tradition. Again, thanks to Don Boyle.

2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Slowly sauté these two ingredients in butter. (Recipe doesn't say how much
butter, but I suppose more is better!! A cube.)

Add 1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
4 dashes Tabasco
2 tsp soy sauce
1 bay leaf, crumbled

Add 1 pt. oysters (I cut mine up into bite size pieces). Simmer until
oysters curl, 5 min.

Add 1/2 cup (or more) 1/2 & 1/2 or use whipping cream, and 1-1/2 cup milk.
Add 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese. (Don told us that we could use half cheddar and half swiss, but experience has taught us that swiss makes the chowder curdle, so if you want to use swiss, add it at the end as a topping.)

Add 3/4 cup dry white wine. Enjoy!!

Since this recipe was documented on the fly by observation, the amounts are
approximations. Don't sweat the small stuff!!

Wild Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna

A lot of lasagna is made with tomato sauce and some form of meat. This one is a bit different in that it has neither. Instead, it makes use of a rich mushroom sauce laced at the last minute with spinach.

The rest of the dish is straightforward lasagna, with layered flat noodles and cheese, with the whole thing baked until bubbly. If you added some tuna and peas to this, you'd have a deconstructed (reconstructed?) tuna casserole!

Mark and Sheri' DuMond made this on a recent weekday evening (note: making lasagna on a weeknight is not necessarily advisable). It fed us twice and we froze enough to have again later.

1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil
12 dried lasagna noodles

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
6 green onions, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 lb. mixed wild mushrooms (chanterelle, portobello, shiitake, oyster), roughly chopped

3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-fat milk

1 lb. fresh baby spinach leaves, cleaned, stemmed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

2 cups shredded parmesan or asiago cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt, oil and lasagna pasta. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or al dente. Drain and toss pasta with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick, and set aside.

In a wok or large saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil. When it's hot, add the shallots, scallions and garlic, and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add all the mushrooms and cook for about eight minutes, until they've given off their juices and the juices have mostly evaporated.

Add the flour, salt and pepper, and stir thoroughly to incorporate the flour with the vegetables. Slowly add the milk and cook the sauce over medium heat until it's thickened considerably and bubbly. Add the spinach and basil and cook for a couple minutes more, until wilted. Remove from heat.

Spray a two-inch-deep 9-by-13 baking dish with cooking spray. Coat the bottom with the mushroom-spinach sauce, top with 1/2 cup cheese, and top that with three lasagne noodles laid next to one another. Repeat the layering, finishing with sauce and cheese. Put the mozzarella over the top of the whole thing and put in the preheated oven. Bake the lasagna for about 30 minutes until it's hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before serving.

We had this with steamed broccolini and a green salad with roasted garlic-buttermilk dressing. But it goes with just about any kind of accompaniment, including garlic bread, Caesar salad, speamed asparagus, you name it.

Everyday Hummus

Karen in Anchorage sent this one today. She makes a batch of this every week for lunch. Stuff into pita bread with chopped red, orange, or yellow bell peppers and lettuce - yum! Even better if you have some fresh cooked asparagus to toss in.

2/3 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sesame tahini
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, mashed or passed through garlic press
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp hot pepper flakes, to taste
3-4 oz fresh basil leaves (optional)

Change water garbanzo beans have been soaking in and cook for an hour or so, until tender. Drain and put in food processor with rest of ingredients. Process until smooth. If too thick, add a bit of cooking water or more lemon to thin.

Roast Beef with Fresh Garlic Seasoning Salt

Another recipe from Connie Bucy's busy kitchen in Idaho. Here's Connie's story about this one:

"If you've ever had a Christmas dinner in one of the DuMonds' home, the Bucys', the Prestons', then surely you know about this recipe. I believe I've shared this recipe with more people than any other, though my niece Saleen mentioned today she's never had the recipe, so here it is. It was discovered by John and me in the Bon Appetit magazine in December of 1990. The heading was "Old English Christmas Dinner" and the part of the menu we took from it follows."

3 large garlic cloves
1 ½ Tbsp. salt
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. ground thyme
½ tsp. pepper

1 7-pound beef rib roast (about 3 ribs)
2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil (or oil of your own choice)

Mince your garlic cloves and put in small bowl. Add in salt, paprika, turmeric, thyme & pepper.

Wipe beef dry with paper towels. Rub all sides with oil. Rub garlic & salt mixture over sides and top of beef. Transfer to shallow pan. Cover loosely with foil. Refrigerate overnight.

Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour. Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Roast beef 30 minutes to sear. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Roast until thermometer inserted straight down from top center reads 120 degrees F for medium-rare, about 1 hour 15 minutes longer. While meat roasts, spoon off ¼ cup drippings from pan & reserve for Yorkshire Pudding, if desired. Transfer meat to platter. Let meat stand 15 minutes. Carve meat into 1/2 –inch-slices (or whatever thickness you prefer) and serve.

I always try to make Yorkshire Pudding with this meal (also known as popovers in some cookbooks), though they can be a challenge to “pop up” at times!

Check Out These Fun "Food Movies"

The stories that are told in movies are first and foremost about people. But some of our favorite films are also about something else we all are fond of: food! If you think about it, there are certain elements in the motion pictures that we can all relate to. Love, sex, laughs, thrills, scares, music, colors, intrigue, etc. And sometimes, yes, even food.

Here are some films that have food and cooking at their core, but are enjoyable regardless:

BIG NIGHT (1996) – The story takes place in the 1950s in a restaurant run by two brothers (played by Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci) who have come to America from Italy. They are struggling to survive in the business and come upon a plan to have a “big night” with an appearance at their place by a celebrity, Louis Prima. The centerpiece of the special meal they create is a timpano, an Italian dish you won’t want to make yourself after you see this film. But the visual experience of seeing this timpano being created is something to behold. While this is a film with food as a focal point, the story is really about the relationship of the two brothers. The final scene in the movie is a single wide static shot of the brothers eating scrambled eggs. The scene has no dialogue and lasts for several minutes. Sounds boring, right? No, actually, it’s a pitch-perfect way to end the film, and it resonates with genuine emotion.

DINNER RUSH (2000) – Danny Aiello plays the owner of an Italian restaurant in New York and the story takes place during a single busy night. An amazing ensemble of actors populates this film, which bounces from the kitchen to the dining room to the street and back to the kitchen. Lots of storylines are taking place simultaneously and things happen toward the end that you definitely would not have expected. To say more would be to ruin the movie for those who haven’t seen it. So if you haven’t seen Dinner Rush, check it out.

MOSTLY MARTHA (2001) – This is a German film so you’ll have to deal with subtitles, but it’s well worth it. A top woman chef is living a self-centered, lonely life when she ends up the guardian of her eight-year-old niece when the girl’s mom is killed in a car wreck. As the story unfolds, the relationship between the two goes from frosty to loving in somewhat predictable ways. But it’s an emotionally involving movie and worth the investment of time to watch. Plus it has some great music by jazzman Keith Jarrett. Mostly Martha was remade as a much more high-profile American movie called No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Abigail Breslin and Aaron Eckhart. The remake isn’t bad, but the original German version is better.

EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994) – Speaking of foreign films, this one’s a classic. It’s in Mandarin Chinese so again you’ll need to read subtitles. This is a fine film, directed by Ang Lee, who would go on to make the Oscar-nominated films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. Eat Drink Man Woman is about a father and his daughters, with food as an inspiring thread that weaves its way through the story. This movie was remade as…

TORTILLA SOUP (2001) - …a Hispanic version of Eat Drink Man Woman. The father is played by Hector Elizondo, who loves to cook but is losing his ability to do so while maintaining a special relationship with his three beautiful daughters. Virtually every time the family gets together over a fabulous meal, one of the daughters makes an “announcement” to the family, which is what propels the story forward. This movie is a little on the “soapy” side, but the family relationships are a treasure and the food looks fantastic.

RATATOUILLE (2007) – This animated feature is a delight from first frame to last. It deservedly won the Oscar for best animated feature (and was nominated for four others). One might think a story about rats in a restaurant kitchen is a suspect idea, but it really works. A rat named Remy shows off his culinary prowess in a highbrow Paris eatery. Hilarious, goofy, heartwarming, colorful – this movie has it all.

Do you have a favorite movie with a food theme that wasn’t on this list? Click on the ‘comments’ button at the end of this post and send us your thoughts.

This one just in from Alaska! - Chilaquiles Casserole

Here's a great recipe from Karen Faivre in Anchorage, Alaska. Karen was Mark DuMond's galpal some years ago (we won't say how many) and is also a great friend of Ace's. She likes to portion this dish out and freeze it for later.

1 Tbsp or so of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, passed through garlic press
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes, any style, drained
1-1/2 cups corn, frozen (thawed) or fresh
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 corn tortillas, quartered
1 (19 ounce) can medium red enchilada sauce
1-1/4 cups or more of shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute a bit. Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, spices and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are heated through.

Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the baking dish. Top with about half the vegetable mixture, about half the enchilada sauce and half the cheese. Repeat with one more layer of tortillas, vegetables, sauce and cheese. Cover with foil.

Bake the casserole for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

Lemon-Parsley Clams Linguini

Another classic recipe from Connie Bucy in Idaho. It's one of her favorite clams linguini recipes and she'll double it if she's making it for four or five people. As usual with Connie's recipes, there's a story behind it:

"As I came upon this recipe today and decided to share it, it made me think of where it came from. In the late 80s, my close friend from school had her first child and I went to L.A. to help out for a week. She had recently been taking a lot of cooking classes and this was a dish she made for me and then graciously shared the recipe. To Laurie, thanks so much!"

14-16 oz. canned clams, minced (I use 2 cans of minced clams. The other option would be fresh, cook the clams, mince them and use the water you cooked them in for the "clam juice.")
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 oz. linguini (I prefer fresh, if possible)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. lemon rind, grated
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Drain juice from clams; set both aside. Saute onion & garlic in oil & butter until tender, but not brown – about 5 minutes. Add clam juice, oregano, salt & pepper; bring to boil over high heat. Cook until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the linguini according to directions on the package. Drain and keep warm. Lower heat under clam juice mixture. Add clams, parsley, lemon rind, and lemon juice; heat thoroughly. Toss with hot linguini. Serve with parmesan cheese and a nice green salad & warm bread.

Holiday Comfort Food - Classic Sinful Potatoes

Here is a dish from Sheri' DuMond's mom, Lois Rhodes in Medford, Oregon. This is called "sinful" for a reason. It's got everything: fat, calories, sodium, the works. But oh so good. We're labeling it a "holiday" recipe for a couple of reasons. First, it goes great with Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts. Second, its "sinful" ingredients mean you should probably only indulge in dishes like this on special occasions.

Makes about 8 servings.

2 lb. frozen hashed brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups sour cream
1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix well. Spread into a 9-by13 baking dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Sallie's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Those in the extended DuMond family circle have likely experienced this soup. Probably more than once. It's too good to have just one time. In Sallie's words:

This recipe was found years ago, I believe in a Bon Appetit magazine. It has been an all time favorite for many, many years. The great thing about this recipe, you can find the peppers on sale (red, yellow or orange) and roast, prep and freeze them until time to make the soup. The time consuming part is out of the way! If you intend to freeze this soup, leave out the cream and add the cream after soup is defrosted. I usually double this recipe and freeze half.

3 large sweet red bell peppers
1 Tbs olive oil
1 med onion. chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika
3 Tbs tomato paste
Salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup whipping cream
Finely chopped basil and/or chives

Place peppers on their side on a sheet of foil. Bake peppers at 450 for 40 minutes.

Alternative: You can rub peppers with olive oil and use barbeque to roast. Whichever method you use, be sure to continue turning peppers until blackened. Remove peppers and place in paper bag. Let sit 15 to 20 minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel off skins. Cut in half and remove seeds. Chop coarsely.

In a saucepan, saute onion until limp. Add stock, peppers, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Puree in a food processor or blender. Blend in cream. Heat thoroughly or refrigerate. Serve in bowls garnished with basil or finely chopped chives. A dollop of sour cream is also very good. Enjoy!

Here's one just in from Great Britain - Susie Mouzie's Beef Stew

Yes -- the DuMond Brothers blog has already reached "across the pond" to Europe and found a new follower.

This recipe comes all the way from England, where close friend Susan Mouzon now lives with her amazing family. Read below about her AGA and then realize that a future DuMondezvous should probably take place in Great Britain at Susan's place, if for no other reason than to introduce all of us to the challenge of cooking on an AGA!

2 lbs. diced beef of choice
Flour for dredging
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large carrots, diced
Green beans (you chose how many) topped and tailed then halved
5 cups beef stock- if not homemade, out of the carton would suffice
1 cup red wine
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp mixed herbs, oregano, basil & thyme work best for this
3 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper

Dredge beef in flour seasoned with salt & pepper. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large oven safe casserole pot. (I find that Le Creuset provides a great result.) Brown beef in batches, removing from pot and keeping warm until called for. In beef drippings and bits, add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add wine and beef stock and bring to a low boil. Stir in tomato paste until well incorporated. Add balsamic vinegar and herb mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper accordingly.

Return browned beef to pot and bring mixture to a boil. Cover and place in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours or until beef is tender. Add green beans and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes or if you prefer a one pot meal, dice the potatoes and add to the stew early on to ensure they are tender.

Personal note: I live with my husband and 3 children in a 16th Century farmhouse in rural England. My kitchen came equipped with an AGA (you must look it up) rather than a conventional stove and oven. There are no temperature controls per se, only a dial with 1-5 and a numberless thermometer. An AGA has a boiling and simmering plate on the top and a roasting oven which is maintains a temperature of approximately 475 degrees and a simmering oven that is about 200 degrees. There are methods of manipulating the heat. The most common are using a heat deflecting shield or cooking all day, which guarantees the oven temperature will have decreased. I have had to adapt all of my recipes compiled while living in the USA in order to cook them successfully on the AGA. I love the challenge and invite our friends to visit and join me at the AGA for a gastronomic adventure.

Yummy Eggs - Handed down through the generations

Here is another one from Connie in Idaho:

Well, this particular recipe is very special for all the “girls” in our family as it was truly one of the first things our mother learned to cook as a little girl. I was the fortunate one a few years ago after Mom passed away to receive the actual cookbook from her childhood that contains this recipe. To give credit where credit is due, the name of the cookbook is Kitchen Fun, A Cook Book for Children, by Louise Price Bell, published in 1932!! The recipe over these many years I’m sure has been changed a bit by all of us in how much we use and what extras we add, but I’m going to give the simple recipe and the rest is for your wonderful imaginations to create something delectable!

1 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (your choice)

Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add milk, salt & pepper and beat. Melt butter in a double boiler and then add remaining ingredients. Cook over boiling water in double boiler for 30+ minutes (it depends how large a quantity you make, but they definitely take awhile to firm up). Bon appetit!!

*Just a note – my original handwritten recipe from Mom also calls for scallions, but I left them out because they aren’t in the “original” recipe.

"Hamburger & Cabbage" from John Bucy's College Years

The first recipe published on this site was the decidedly un-chic DuMond creation known as "Slop." So it turns out another family member has a loosely related recipe that was created during his college days, which was, um, a while back.

John Bucy, who is married to Sallie DuMond's sister Connie, recently hosted a DuMond family get-together at their fabulous home near Wilder, Idaho (the gathering was dubbed a "DuMondezvous" -- a post about this reunion will be published here soon). John knows his way around the kitchen as well as the rest of the family, and his initial contribution to the "Twins in the Kitchen" site came from a pal in college. "It came from my college days and more specifically my college buddy, Jim Weeks, via his grandmother," says John. "This really isn't a recipe, but rather a guide for a cook's feel of what is right."

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 head (or a half, depending upon size) of cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces, not shredded
1 can (or 2, depending upon size of can, or more if you think it needs it) tomato sauce

Brown ground beef in large skillet or sauce pan, add cabbage and cover with tomato sauce. Cover and let simmer until cabbage is done to your preference (al dente??). Salt and pepper to taste.

Did you think the recipe was going to end there? No way. John continues:

"Now the fun begins and the imagination never ends!! We liked it a little spicier (hotter), so we added some hot red pepper flakes. Then we added Hot Italian Sausage and eliminated the pepper flakes. The boys left home and we added onion and peppers. Plus, garlic is good in ANYTHING!! Other spices/herbs, GO FOR IT.

"This is a great dish for tailgating or cold winter days when time is short and homemade is desirable. It is a hearty dish and we think it is healthy because of the cabbage. Serve with some hot bread, preferably garlic, and enjoy!!"

A Brief Interlude - Food Video Entertainment

We interrupt this blog to bring you this cool little video which combines the Star Wars movie franchise with grocery store produce:

Weekend Veggie Scramble

Just about everyone enjoys a special breakfast or brunch on a weekend morning. But what if blowing ten or twelve bucks a head doesn't fit into the family budget? Not to worry. One cool solution is to put together a scramble with mostly veggie ingredients you have on hand.

Accordingly, this recipe is extremely adaptable and reflects what Mark and Sheri' had in the kitchen on a recent Saturday morning. Go ahead and experiment with different combinations of things. The one thing that's consistent is the fact that what we're dealing with here is basically scrambled eggs with stuff added for color and flavor.

And don't limit dishes like this to morning only. Breakfast-for-dinner can be fun and delicious!

Makes four servings.

1/2 red onion, peeled, halved & sliced thinly
2 small red new potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 small bunch broccoli, florets cut into small bite-size pieces
1 small zucchini, trimmed and diced
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb. baby spinach leaves, stemmed and washed

8 whole eggs
3 Tbsp. low-fat milk
Salt & pepper

4 thick slices sourdough bread
Salted butter, room temperature

In a large saute pan, melt the butter. When it's hot, add the onions and saute for about a minute. Then add all the other vegetables except the tomatoes and spinach, and stir-fry for about five minutes until crisp-tender. Add the cherry tomatoes and spinach and toss until the spinach is completely wilted.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the milk until well scrambled. Add to the veggies in the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Add salt and pepper (or any other herbs or spices you like) and cook the eggs, turning with a wide spatula, until set.

Toast the sourdough bread and spread it with butter. Serve the scramble on wide plates alongside toast. Enjoy!

Connie's Poached Eggs on Shredded Wheat

From Connie Bucy, Sallie's wonderful sister in Idaho, comes this simple breakfast dish. Connie's boys are all grown up now, but she says this "is by far my kids' favorite thing to have for breakfast when they come home."

Here's Connie's recipe in narrative form (two variations on the theme):

You just take a shredded wheat and slice it lengthwise in half - put a little butter on the shredded wheat, poach your eggs and put atop the shredded wheat. Another variation of this dish is to put crushed strawberries (already sweetened) on top instead of eggs (was always a special treat when we were young) or, for that matter, you could use any fruit you wanted.

Addictive Cereal Snack Mix

We're guessing almost everyone in America has had a taste of this age-old snack mix made up of various cereals, nuts and pretzels. This summer, Mark and Sheri' DuMond, along with daughter Jess, went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to visit Ace, Sallie and Keaton DuMond. While there, a batch of this snack mix was made and brought back home to Seattle. It elicited fond memories; decades ago this snack was made by Ace and Mark's mom, Ruth DuMond. Now we have it on hand all the time.

There are many variations of this snack, and we change it virtually every time we make it. The main alteration Sheri' and Mark instituted is a reduction in butter and salt from the original recipe, just because we believe less fat and sodium is a good thing. We also crank up the heat factor with the addition of some hot sauce.

1/3 cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. Tabasco "chipotle" pepper sauce
3 cups Crispix cereal
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup peanuts
2 cups pretzel or pretzel chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Melt the butter carefully in a microwave oven. Stir the worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and Tabasco sauce into the butter. Pour this mixture into a large baking dish and add all the rest of the ingredients. Stir well to coat everything completely.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes. Immediately spread the mix on parchment paper or paper towels and let it cool completely before storing. After the snack mix has cooled, store it in an airtight container.

Classic Chicken & Mushrooms with Bernaise

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Sallie DuMond worked in the restaurant biz. At a place in Lake Oswego, Oregon called Quinn's Mill, a chef taught her how to make a dish with chicken, mushrooms and bernaise sauce. Over the years, Sallie has made adjustments to make the recipe her own.

2 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp butter
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 rack of Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 large red potatoes, quartered
4 large carrots, whole
8 large regular button mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Ace's bernaise sauce (not yet tried in blender but soon):
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 Tbsp shallot (or 2 green onion)
3 white peppercorns
2 sprigs tarragon leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 sprig chervil leaves, finely chopped
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp warm water
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Clean chicken breasts, pat dry. Dip in egg, then crushed ritz crackers. Fry until cooked through in peanut oil. Set aside to keep warm. Meanwhile steam red potatoes and carrots until just tender. In a saute pan, cook sliced button mushrooms with butter. Plate chicken breasts, veggies and mushrooms. Pour bernaise sauce over.

BERNAISE:

Saute first 7 ingredients, reduce to full 2 tablespoons, strain into top of double boiler. Blend egg and water till creamy. Melt butter and add by 1/2 teaspoon to whisked egg yolks till creamy. Stir in vinegar and wine mixture, and add salt if desired.

Blender recipe: Put strained wine vinegar mixture into blender add egg yolks and salt. Buzz for 3 seconds, boil butter in microwave till bubbly. Turn blender on high; pour a thin stream of melted butter (should take 30 seconds) into blender.

Spicy Shrimp Soup with a Thai Twist

This is a longtime DuMond favorite. Ace and Sallie have made this soup countless times, and have served it to Mark and his family on numerous occasions. It's an elegant dish, suitable for royalty, but easy to make, especially if you have a sous chef in the kitchen doing your mincing, chopping and shrimp-peeling-and-deveining.

2 Tbsp. peanut oil
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. (or more) dried crushed red pepper
5 cups homemade chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 Tbsp. lime peel, cut up the size of match sticks (green part only)
1/2 cup long grain white rice
3/4 lb. uncooked deveined shrimp (20 per lb size)
6 to 8 large fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 can regular coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
4 green onions, sliced on the bias.

Heat the oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger, red pepper flakes and garlic. Saute about 1 minute until aromatic. Add stock and lime peel, bring to a boil; stir in rice and lime peel, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the next four ingredients, cook on medium for 5 more minutes just until shrimp are opaque. Remove from heat, add 1/2 the lime juice.

Pour into serving bowls, garnish with a touch of lime juice and green onion. Serve and enjoy with a nice piece of rustic homemade bread.

Breakfast of Champions - Spicy & Soupy Mac & Cheese

Ace and Mark were raised on a peculiar diet. Their dad, L.W. "Bill" DuMond, decided early on that macaroni and cheese was a good breakfast food for the twins. Not only that, but the mac & cheese was always prepared almost as a "soup." So while their contemporaries in grade school were having their Fruit Loops and Cheerios, the DuMond twins were chowing down on their bowls of mac & cheese to start the day.

Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, and it comes in a virtually unlimited number of versions. This one is done on a stovetop, as opposed to the many variations which are baked in an oven. They're all good!

12 oz. dried elbow macaroni or other pasta

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. white flour
3 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp. "altered" Essence, recipe follows

Bring a large saucepan full of salted water to a full boil. Add the pasta and boil until al dente, according to package directions. Drain in a colander, drizzle with canola oil and toss to prevent sticking.

Put the pan back on the burner over medium heat, add the butter and heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk until a smooth roux is formed. Add the milk and whisk until a thickened sauce results. Add the half & half and continue whisking until the sauce is bubbling and hot. Add the grated cheeses and take the heat to low. Add the cooked macaroni and stir to mix well. Add the essence and stir. At this point, you can adjust seasonings and texture. If you want it spicier, add some pepper or cayenne. If you want it soupier, add some more lowfat milk.

ALTERED ESSENCE

Full disclosure: We lifted the recipe for Essence from the legendary Emeril Lagasse of Food Network fame. We wanted to have some of this stuff around all the time, but decided to alter the recipe to cut back on the salt content. So this recipe is identical to Emeril's with the exception of half the salt.

2.5 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. dried crushed oregano
1 Tbsp. dried crushed thyme

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Keep this condiment in your pantry for use any time.

Eggs Florentine, DuMond-Style

Variations on the "Eggs Benedict" theme abound. It's basically poached eggs atop English muffins, along with a sauce and something yummy underneath the egg. Ace is the one who pioneered making hollandaise sauce with a blender, which is easy and foolproof. Sallie's sister Connie had this to say about Ace's hollandaise: "There is one other recipe my kids will always request when they are home and that is Ace's hollandaise sauce, aka Eggs Benedict. Seth & Jake both have worked in very fine restaurants around the country and neither has found a better sauce than the one you guys use." Not a bad review, indeed.

This is a true "special occasion" brunch or breakfast dish, as it's essentially cholesterol combined with cholesterol served with extra cholesterol. But oh so good...

Makes four servings.

8 whole eggs

1/2 lb. spinach, washed and stemmed
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. frozen artichoke hearts, parboiled and drained
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

3 egg yolks
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 English muffins, halved

Smoked paprika

Heat the tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and add the spinach. Cook until wilted all the way through and set aside.

Poach the eggs in an egg poacher pan or in boiling water. Drain the eggs and set aside. Poaching time is dictated by how soft or firm you like your eggs. We poach for about four minutes and let the eggs sit in the pan for a few more seconds. Three minutes will yield poached eggs that are quite "runny" with liquid yolks; five minutes will give you pretty solid yolks.

Toast the English muffins and spread with unsalted butter.

Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a blender and buzz for a few seconds. Place the 1/2 cup butter in a measuring cup and put in the microwave until fully melted. Slowly pour melted butter into the blender while the blender is buzzing.

Put two English muffin halves on each of four plates. Place on each muffin half some sauteed spinach, some sliced avocado, a few pieces of thinly slice artichoke heart, and a slice of tomato. Top that with a poached egg, then pour enough hollandaise directly from the blender to cover the eggs.

Dust the tops of the eggs florentine with paprika and serve.

"Slop" - Back where it all began...

It was the 1970s. The DuMond twins were living together in a house in Santa Ana, California, along with a third roommate, Russ Beaulac, who was the owner of the home. Not a whole lot of cooking was going on back then, but a certain dish was created in the kitchen there. It was a breakfast/brunch recipe, although to call it a recipe would be inaccurate. Nobody can really remember if anyone ever actually wrote this one down, and it probably changed every time we made it. As a matter of fact, it likely changed each time depending on what we had on hand (this was not an era of a "well-stocked kitchen" to be sure).

So ... to the best of our recollection, here is the recipe. We gave it a rather inelegant name: Slop. Today it might be known by the somewhat more graceful description of "vegetable frittata." You can add and subtract ingredients based on your likes, dislikes, and what's in the fridge.

Makes four servings.

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil
1 large russet potato, scrubbed and diced
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 green onions, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
8 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut in bite-size pieces
1 small zucchini, trimmed and diced

8 whole eggs
2 Tbsp. low-fat milk
Salt & pepper

1.5 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese

Preheat the broiler.

Heat the butter or oil in a large ovenproof skillet and add the onions and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the other veggies and saute everything another five minutes or so, until the vegetables are cooked al dente.

Scramble the eggs with the milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the eggs into the pan with the veggies and cook, stirring and folding until the eggs are almost set. Scatter the cheese over the top and put the whole thing under the broiler. Keeping a watchful eye, cook under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly but not browned.

Remove from the oven , cut into four wedges and serve.