recipes

At times, I put on the chef's hat and apron at home and cook a little something. This week, I was challenged by my family to try to make my dear old dad's potato soup. My father passed away several years ago, but I think I remember how he made it. Check this out.

With a name like McShea, you know that I'm a wee bit Irish. And one food item that I look forward to at St. Patrick's time is Irish Soda bread. If you've never had it, it's like a combination raisin bread-rye bread, but looks more like a muffin. What?

We've all heard jokes about holiday fruitcakes. My father used to say that some people he knew were "nuttier than a fruitcake". We in the McShea household happen to like fruitcake. My aunt used to make a great fruitcake but is no longer with us and neither is her recipe. So, I searched for a good, easy to make fruitcake recipe.

It's an all-day event in the Greg McShea household, when the family bakes up batch after batch of Christmas sugar cookies for Christmas. We make all sorts of shapes and sizes, from Christmas trees to Frosty The Snowmans. I have a very important job during the cookie making event...guarding the sprinkles.

During the holidays, you may here about the drink called, "Wassail". My first question is, what is it? Apparently, Wassail is an old English traditional hot mulled cider. And, we found an easy recipe if you want to have a go at making your own.

One of my favorite comfort foods is macaroni and cheese, and my family loves it too. Lately, I've been seeing more and more central New York restaurants featuring mac & cheese on their menus. But, if you're worried about the fat and calories, here's a guilt-free recipe.

With the holiday season here, the eggnog will be flowing. And either you like it or you don't. Most people in my family aren't too crazy about eggnog, with the exception of my mother. And, it's easy to make your very own homemade eggnog. Here's how.

Thanksgiving is about a week and half away, and if you want something extra special to put on the table, try pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread is one my favorites - great with tea or coffee at breakfast or served with your Thanksgiving Dinner. Here's an easy-to-bake recipe.

Ever since I was a kid, I heard about baked apples, but never had them. So, I got busy looking for what baked apples are all about, and how to  make them. And considering that it's apple season in central New York, now's the time. Check out this easy recipe.

Driving around central New York these days, you probably will see a number of pumpkins sitting on the porch or lawn of area homes. And in a few days, we'll be carving jack-o-lanterns. So, other than Halloween and a pumpkin pie, what can we do with all these ripe pumpkins?

Autumn is apple season in central New York, and there so many varieties available now for making pies, tarts, cider, and of course apple crisp. Apple crisp is so good and easy to make. Here's a simple recipe.

With football season here, many of us are watching games on Sundays, Monday nights and even Thursdays! And with college football, throw in Saturdays too. So, our "Greg's Grill" recipe researchers asked what food goes good with football on TV? The answer...pizza! And, we found an easy do-it-yourself pizza recipe.