How do you top a Finnan Haddie? With Potato Peelings of course!

This chowder is dairy-free, but you’d never guess! Many New Englanders and Canadians grew up with the classic Scottish Finnan Haddie, a delicately smoked haddock with a funny name. It was used in chowders and fish cakes when I was a kid, and was often served frequently during Lent. I loved the chowder the best….

Light & Lively Open-Faced Tuna Sandwich

Not quite the tuna sandwich you grew up on! Tuna sandwiches were a mainstay in our house growing up. They were simple, just canned tuna, mayonnaise, diced onion, a little celery. If we had unexpected company at lunch time, my mom could make an amazing number of sandwiches with just one can of tuna! She…

Cream of Party Platter Soup

First step in recipe: Throw a party There’s one at every party, a crudités platter, beautifully cut-up vegetables, arranged in vibrant color swaths, decorated with herbs and little treats. Sometimes, depending on what else is available, it even gets eaten! Always some left over However, usually there are lots left over, especially if a large…

Put A Little Sole in a Late Winter Seafood Dish

Winter Flounder (or sole) is a bountiful, seasonal New England delight, full of soul and flavor. I am tired of root vegetables, and they are getting just plain tired of me as well. My frozen local veggies are pretty much depleted, and even the fresh from elsewhere in the country leave much to be desired….

Shrimp and Artichoke Paella: Sometimes it does matter what pan you use.

The hand-me-down pots from your mother are more than just kitchen utensils! My kitchen is lusciously littered with items from the women in my life. My grandmother’s cast-iron frying pan, my mother’s bread bowl, my sister’s coffee press. Various pastry making items from aunts. A special wooden spoon from a reporter from a rival newspaper….

Because sometimes we all need to be coddled.

 Coddled eggs may have gone out of fashion, but they are always a delight. One of the last gifts my mom gave me was a set of egg coddler cups from Williams Sanoma. They were beautiful little treasures in Delft white with blue, which she knew I loved, with shiny stainless-steel tops. She thought my…

Jazzy Rutabaga and Black Bean Soup

Full of flavor, this soup will warm you, wake you up, and make you want to dance. And it won’t break the bank! I was talking to my friend Chris recently, and he was making black bean soup. The thoughts of the soup stuck in my mind, so that evening I put a pound of…

Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread with Anise

Slightly sweet, beautifully textured, with the subtle fragrance of anise It is a frigid day, so a perfect time to bake bread and make soup. I needed to feed “Ginny Junior,” my sourdough starter, so bread making was definitely in the cards. Sweet and sturdy       I wanted a sturdy loaf, whole wheat with a lot…

Goat Cheese Marinated with Herbes de Provençe

Keep a jar in the refrigerator, and you’ve got a quick appetizer! One of those happy accidents. I had prepared a plate of sliced goat cheese for a gathering and I sprinkled it with herbs and crushed red peppers, drizzled it with olive oil, and had a bit left over at the end of the…

Apple Galette with Whole Wheat Crust

Keep a disc of this pastry in the freezer, and dessert is simplified Much simpler than a pie, a galette is easier and more forgiving. You have only one layer of dough, flat on a sheet, filled, then the edges turned up. It is rustic, lovely to look at, and dessert can be made in…

Quick Cod Curry with Mushrooms

A colorful weeknight dish that takes little time but packs tons of flavor! We didn’t eat a lot of curry in our house when I was growing up. Typical old time New Englander, my father liked things on the plain side, but my mom loved spices and heat. Dad usually won the battle, telling my…

Let’s Play! Steamed Mussels with Leeks and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

There’s probably a hundred ways to make mussels in white wine, so why not 101 and use some sun-dried tomatoes! Mussels are pretty popular in my house. Whether serving as a starter, a component on a buffet, or a quick and humble main dish for supper, these lovely little bivalves are always welcome, and always…

Radish & Sesame Winter Salad

There’s sesame in three ways in this lovely salad! After the holidays are over, all I want to eat is salads and light meals. My body has long since told me to behave, and I certainly listen as I turn the page on the calendar. While we try to keep things fairly healthy even during…

My favorite leftovers!

We try hard to reduce waste in the kitchen, and planning for use of “leftovers” goes a long way to help! It can be a challenge to repurpose those leftovers hiding in the refrigerator. One can toss the remnants of yesterday’s casserole in soups, vegetables and grains in frittatas and omelets, and lots of leftovers…

Warmed Mixed Olives and Artichokes

Simple, but quite addictive! I often make an olive and artichoke tapenade at gatherings. It is always well received, and any leftovers keep for quite some time. You can also make it well ahead of time because it keeps well in the refrigerator. Let’s try something new       However, this year, I decided to switch things…

Feast of Seven Fishes – Stew!

You can honor the idea of the Feast of Seven Fishes in a one-dish meal that takes a fraction of the time, but delights with great flavor! Time is short, and I’m sending you a rerun of a previous post. Happiest of Holidays to you all! Dorothy I prepared the full Feast of the Seven…

Nantucket Bay Scallops with Shallots over Mashed Potatoes

A New England treasure, they are in season right now, at this shortest day of the year! There’s a beautiful island 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast, Nantucket, home of the world renowned wild seasonal delicacy, the bay scallop. Have you ever been there? The protected, clean waters off this island nurture the world’s oldest…

Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Peels

My granddaughter, Jaina, and I make these every year at Christmastime, and we give them for gifts. I think she likes the idea of using orange peels that would normally go in the compost pile! They take a little fuss, but it is not difficult and require little in the way of ingredients. When we…

Barb’s Grandmother’s Hungarian Christmas Cookies

Known as “Kolaches,” these delightful apricot-filled cookies are a favorite holiday treat from my past, and now part of a virtual cookie exchange in the present. Barb and I have been friends since we were in our early 20s. Two young newspaper reporters (at first working for different newspapers), we didn’t have two nickels to…

Cranberry Sauce with Pearl Onions and Ginger

Homemade cranberry sauce is like a sparkling jewel on the table. This jewel also packs flavor and a bit of warmth. I had some cranberries left over from Thanksgiving and a package of frozen pearl onions. They asked to be put together. If you are looking for a really quick side dish to make for…