Chew on these stories...

Truth be told, I've never been a huge fan of kettle corn. Oh sure, I'll eat the stuff, but I've always thought it a bit monochromatic where taste is concerned. When I came up with this recipe, I was making a lot of popcorn on the stove, and it occurred to me that popcorn cooked in bacon grease finished with some homemade apple wood smoked salt might be a winner. As the fat hit the pan, I made an impulse decision to dump a shot of real maple syrup into the as-of-yet-to pop corn, and after a brisk amount of agitation during the popping process, what I happened to…

I have a pretty extensive background in the sciences; and that's probably because I'm one of those people that really want to know how something works. I also love me some gin. So you can imagine my delight upon opening up The Homemade Gin Kit on Christmas. Here is a gift that puts you in control of your neutral grain spirit destiny: You pick a vodka, you add the botanicals, you steep the hooch, and you filter and bottle. Sound like fun? Yeah I thought so too; and that's why I've taken down my impressions of The Homemade Gin Kit for your review!

Anyone with a decent food processor can process horseradish. But if you wanna bring the devil out in your horseradish, you truly gotta pay attention to the details. Surface area is key to great horseradish, but without the right amount of vinegar to lock in that pungency, all the heat in your horseradish will fizzle in just a few weeks' time. This video I did for The Hays Daily News is proof of just how good homemade horseradish can be. It's a lot easier to explain what you're doing when you're not in tears, so if you want to really know how it's done, then be sure to check to check out this…

It's just not Christmas at our house if we don't do a little cookie baking as a family. My kids wanted to decorate some gingerbread men, so I took the opportunity to kick the tires on a gingerbread cookie recipe from my modest collection of community cookbooks. This is a cookie carried by the aromas of ginger, cinnamon, and clove; bolstered with the sweetness of molasses and brown sugar. And, while I've not changed much in the way of proportions for this eggless gingerbread cookie recipe, I have taken the liberty of putting more of a Kansas spin on the whole deal by making this a 100% whole wheat gingerbread cookie, and spiking the dough with an apple cider made right here in the Sunflower State.