It was an old standby, a large pot of flavorful and filling soup that fed an army using pantry staples and leftover scraps. My mother made yankee bean soup when she had a leftover ham bone and bits of ham and wasn’t planning to make her split pea soup. She didn’t have an actual recipe…
Category: Appetizers
Green Mountain Onion Soup
This variation on French onion soup gets a little twist with the additions of apple cider and maple syrup – just a touch. I love onions, and I really love French onion soup. However, what I want the most is to taste the vegetable first and foremost, so I thought I’d experiment with a vegetarian…
Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Pie with Herbed Crust
The crust makes memorable this simple pie of tomatoes and cheese. The surplus of cherry tomatoes has finally dwindled at our home to the last few treasures ripening inside. Thursday, we had a 65-degree day, and I let myself think perhaps my struggling cherry tomato plants might offer up something new. This morning? A frost,…
Autumn Turnip and Carrot Cakes
Stay with me please, I know the word turnip does not inspire a lot of sexy vegetable glamor, but they are good! Turnips and root vegetables are the star of this little fritter, and we’re using the lovely tops as well. We have definitely moved into root vegetable world! The markets are filled with carrots and…
Vermont Cheddar, Beer, and Mushroom Soup
Follow the trails for Cheddar cheese and craft beer, and you’ll be treated to some of the best flavors of Vermont (yes, we have maps!). In this soup, we throw in a few wild mushrooms for good measure. Any where you land in Vermont, there are several things you will never be far from – maple…
Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Sweet fall kale and Brussels sprouts are delightful in a salad surrounded by colorful autumn vegetables, and topped with a Creamy Lemon Parmesan Dressing. I raided the kale from my garden today and had lots of it to use. In the fall and winter, the kale is much sweeter than in the summer, and right…
Grilled or Oven Roasted Oysters
My mother was an oyster fanatic. Oysters were her favorite food in any form from raw to stewed, baked or broiled, and even nestled in casseroles. Her sister, my Aunt Elda, was also a crazy oyster lady, and she lived on the seashore in Connecticut, which was probably why her obsession was so easily fed….
Pears Roasted with Blue Cheese & Pecans
This roasted pear dish is sweet, salty, savory, and seasonal! A dessert that is equally at home as a starter to a special meal. This is a simple dish to make, using one of my favorite flavor combinations: pears, blue cheese, and nuts, especially butternuts or pecans. I think it is a combination made in…
Butternut Squash, Apple, & Ginger Soup
The apples are beautiful! The squash is beautiful. And we have locally grown exotic ginger just waiting to enhance just about everything, so it’s soup tonight! With a side of Apple Bread… I got lost in the apple orchard today, intentionally of course! The morning was crisp and bright the sky blue, and the car…
End-of-Summer Salad with Marinated Delicata Squash
Summer is hanging on by a mere thread as Autumn breathes gently in the wings. But for a brief window of time, we enjoy all the best produce from both seasons, and that means dishes packed with color, texture, and flavor. I love a composed salad! Groups of vegetables arranged on a large platter create…
Crab and Corn Salad on Corn Fritters
Make this salad and fritters, any number of ways, the star is always the corn. It’s corn season! That means corn on the cobb, corn chowder, cornbread, succotash, corn pudding, and corn fritters. At this time of year, it is not unknown in our house to have a supper that consists solely of corn on the…
New England jonnycakes: traditional, yet ready for the party!
In New England, these little flatbreads have a long history from the indigenous population to today’s dressed-up tables. In New England, these little cornmeal pancakes are called jonnycakes (no “h”), sometimes jonny cakes, two words; in the south, they may be referred to as journey cakes or hoe cakes. They are also known as ashcake,…
Grilled Fish Tacos with Cherry & Radish Salsa
The cherries are in season, so why not use them rather than an imported fruit? Cherry salsa? Why not? We often serve fish tacos with the popular mango salsa, and when I was thinking about making fish tacos recently, I knew I needed to come up with an alternate fruit because of an allergy ––…
Shrimp Stuffed Avocados
Serving this salad in little avocado boats adds a little bit of festive to a summer dinner. When I was growing up, I doubt I ever saw an avocado. Now, there’s hardly a day when I don’t find one on my plate in some form from breakfast to party appetizer. They are everywhere! My mother-in-law…
Update your picnic with a modern twist on a three-bean salad and other treats
It’s picnic time, if the weather holds… It has been a rainy spring, and while we haven’t thought much about going on picnics, the warmth is returning, and the bonus from all that moisture is a green landscape that begs for a blanket and a basket of treats. The easiest picnic food is eaten with the…
Heavenly Baked Blooming Onions
The smell of baking onions drives the hungry wild! One of my favorite commentators on Vermont Public Radio for many years was the late Janet Green, whose homespun reflections were often memorable in some way. In one of her programs, she talked about what to do when dinner is going to be a bit late,…
