A simple bowl of sesame noodles will hit the carb appeal spot most of the time, but with just a few extras, you have a meal that is as inviting as it is tasty. One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is a simple bowl of sesame noodles. They have flavor and carb appeal, a…
Month: March 2020
Fire Roasted Tomato and Artichoke Soup
We can make this comfort soup entirely with items in our pantry, or dress it up with leftovers from the refrigerator. Whether living under a Stay Home order by the state, or just looking for an easy dinner on a day when there was no time to shop, this is a handy recipe to have…
Magic Meringues
Every once in a while, you play around with some new culinary ingredient that leaves you amazed. These meringues made from canned bean liquid do just that. “Aquafaba.” This relatively new, made-up word is the liquid in a can of beans, usually chickpeas, and normally gets drained and dumped down the drain. That’s a perfect…
Spinach Crazy Salad with Coffee Vinaigrette
It’s certain that fine women eat A crazy salad with their meat. ~ William Butler Yeats “A Prayer for my Daughter” A crazy salad at my home is a kind of kitchen sink dish, you make it with whatever you have on hand, within reason of course! When I make this salad, I go…
Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes with Maple Dijon Sauce
Although we were teased with daffodil sprouts earlier this week and the calendar said it was the first day of Spring, this is what we woke up to. No, it didn’t last long, but that is hardly the point. What I needed was asparagus I decided I needed asparagus. I knew I had two bags…
Lemon, Farro, and Wild Rice Salad
Farro and wild rice both have wonderful texture, and when you put them together in a salad, you have a winning combination that is packed with flavor and nutrition. I love salads that I can put together and munch on all week at lunch or snack time. They are often the same salads that provide…
Homemade Oat Milk
A cup of organic oats costs about 25 cents and makes a quart of oat milk. A purchased quart is between $2.99 and $3.99. Any questions? I remembered making “oatmeal water” for a Victorian picnic many years ago. It was delicious, and proved to be both refreshing and popular with everyone. It was thinner than…
Favorite Pantry Pasta
Coronavirus aside, it’s always a good idea to have a few easy, delicious recipes that use all or mostly pantry ingredients. This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. It is easy, fast, did I say easy? And it’s absolutely satisfying. Vermont is closed. The schools are closed. The restaurants and bars, library, town offices,…
You won’t miss the dairy in this almost traditional Irish Soda Bread!
This classic quick bread is a must for St. Patrick’s Day, or any day when you need a little comfort baking that is also quick. With dairy-challenged folks in my family, a quick bread that has been adapted to use plant-based products is a welcome site, especially if it is pretty to look at! I’ve…
Three Mushroom Cassoulet
A traditional cassoulet is an experience in beans and meats, and more meats, and can be quite heavy. This lightened up version uses no meat at all, just meaty mushrooms and lots of other flavor. The traditional slow-cooked cassoulet was created in France, the original Languedoc region towns of Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Castelnaudary. It was…
Let’s use every inch of the carrot – roast them and create a luscious Carrot Top Pesto
Save these gems from the compost bin, add some maple syrup and ginger, and you have a delicious pesto! I have to admit, most of the time I have used carrot greens, or tops, as an addition to the stock pot so as not to waste them, or occasionally added a few leaves to salads….
Almost Spring Salad
This is one of those simple salads that tastes better the next day after everything has a chance to get acquainted – but it’s pretty good the first day too! It feels like spring. Most of my snow has melted (for now), the frost is leaving the ground, and mud is everywhere. The neighbor’s chickens…
A Lighter, Colorful Irish Colcannon
Traditionally, colcannon is an Irish dish composed of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale. But with a few twists, this dish is lightened up for the 21st Century, and stars in three delicious left-over creations. St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, a time to visit some of the traditional dishes that traveled from Ireland to…
Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic Cloves and Mushrooms
Sweet and unique in flavor, roasted garlic enhances a simple dish of pasta. I don’t think there is anyone of any age in our family who doesn’t love roasted garlic. Often, we pop a whole head in the oven to roast and add the tender, sweet flesh to mashed potatoes, or smear it on a…
