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McCurdy’s Department Store Apple Spice Cake

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Today’s recipe is pure nostalgia and a piece of Rochester history! McCurdy’s Department Store Apple Spice Cake as found in the Junior League of Rochester’s classic cookbook Applehood and Motherpie.  When I attended the You Are What You Eat Event Hosted by the New York State Folklore Society last year I was really struck by the fact that our food …

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Celebrate Ithaca’s Role in Ice Cream Sundae History with a Tart Cherry Sundae

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This quick and easy tart cherry sauce is the perfect topping for desserts – use it to top pound cake, waffles, yogurt and ice cream! It can be made year-round with fresh or frozen sour cherries. Ithaca, has long been known as an area having some of the best dining in Upstate New York, but …

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Lake Shore Solid Pack Pumpkin Pie

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There is no denying that Libby’s dominates the canned pumpkin scene, but there is an Upstate New York Player with a considerably cooler looking label you may have noticed while shopping at Tops Markets. Lake Shore Solid Pack Pumpkin I happened upon Lake Shore Solid Pack Pumpkin while shopping at Tops Friendly Markets recently, being significantly closer …

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Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce

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Buffalo Chicken Wings, they are found at nearly every super bowl party, pizza shop, and sports bar. This messy finger food is an upstate New York original. Tracing its roots back to Buffalo, in a small family owned bar. The sauce that gives this spicy snack its signature taste is remarkably easy to make at …

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Rochester Hot Sauce

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A few months ago when I decided I wanted to recreate ALL of Upstate New York’s regional foods, I sat down and made a list. And while making a Rochester Style Meat Hot Sauce in my kitchen did sound tempting, I was pretty apprehensive.  Garbage plates may seem a culinary oddity if you aren’t from Upstate …

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Sibley’s Department Store Bakery Apple Pie

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The turn of the century recipe for Apple Pie from Sibley’s Department Store, and holiday traditions at Midtown. I have been collecting recipes for quite a while, and usually, the backstory is just as good as the prepared dish.  I have decided I want to try to find and make as many Upstate New York signature recipes …

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Taste of Western New York: Beef On Weck

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A beef on weck (also known as beef on wick) is a sandwich found primarily in Western New York, specifically in the Buffalo region. What separates this hot roast beef sandwich from a French dip is the roll. Served on a salt and caraway seed encrusted Kummelweck roll, which is simply shortened to “weck”, this sandwich has …

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Concord Grape Pie

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Nothing says fall in Upstate New York like a grape pie. This grapey Naples, NY confection is fairly new to the world of desserts, but it sure has made an impact. This annual treat is anticipated by many, and for some home cooks like myself worth the time-consuming effort it takes to put one together. …

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Strawberry and Onion Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

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Strawberry and Onion Salad with Poppyseed Dressing from the iconic Rochester Junior League Cookbook Applehood and Motherpie, is a refreshing spring salad. Make this when local strawberries are abundant. One of my favorite salads from my favorite cookbooks… I can’t tell you how many times I flipped past this recipe, overlooking it because of its simplicity. …

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Upstate New York’s Iconic Half-Moon Cookie Recipe

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A former architect, Harry Hemstrought, opened up a little bakery in Utica in 1925. His signature cookie, half chocolate icing, half white, caught on immediately with his customers. The cookie’s popularity has spread throughout Central New York, and you can now find Half-Moon cookies just about everywhere, including Wegmans. Don’t even think of calling these Black …

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Homemade 1000 Island Dressing

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If I had to make a list of the most charming towns in Upstate New York Clayton would make the list. In fact, I think I would place it pretty high on that list, but having spent summers there fishing off the village docks, and drifting around goose bay in a row boat, I might …

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Fresh Strawberry Almond Muffins

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Fresh Strawberry Almond Muffins I am pretty sure some of the best cooks are innkeepers at bed and breakfast inns.  So, I am thrilled to share this recipe from the Vintage Gardens Bed and Breakfast in Newark, NY. Kimberly Meeks, the innkeeper of Vintage Gardens graciously shared her most popular breakfast recipes with me.  And …

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Sauerkraut Salad

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Oh Sauerkraut, people either love it or hate it,  it seems there is no gray area where fermented cabbage is concerned. I happen to love sauerkraut, but even if you are not a fan don’t be too quick to brush off this recipe for Sauerkraut salad, surprisingly you can hardly taste the sauerkraut. Sauerkraut has a …

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Apple Cider Upside Down Cake

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Maybe it was the weather this weekend, which was decidedly fall-ish or that fact that apple picking has begun in our area, but when I shared this picture on my personal Facebook profile I got all sorts of messages and comments. After passing on the recipe a few times it occurred to me I should …

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