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…
Category: Appetizers
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,…
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Thai Baked Tofu with Peanut & Sesame
Flavorful and satisfying, even the meat-lovers will enjoy this! This is one of my favorite lunches or snacks. It is a little spicy, a little sweet, a little sour, and a whole lot savory. I find it addictive as well! Our local food co-op offered a baked thai tofu in its “Grab and Go” section…
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Spicy Guacamole Salad
A refreshing guacamole is not just a dip for corn chips. With just a few additions, you have a lovely spring salad or first course. Add a little shrimp, and you have a light lunch. I love avocados and eat them in some form most days. They are great simply sliced and drizzled with citrus…
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Marinated Spring Vegetables
You can use either fiddleheads or asparagus, ramps or scallions. These spring treasures will add a pleasant freshness to any meal! When local wild spring vegetables are bountiful, we look for every way possible to use them. Fiddleheads make only the briefest of appearances in our Northern woods, but when they start poking their little…
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Chèvre & Cranberry Stuffed Shiitake Mushrooms
Little Peruvian “Beak Peppers,” also known as Sweetie Drops, are making their way to our dinner plates adding a little punch of acid and mild heat. While roaming through the market this week, I came across two unusual ingredients and knew I had to create a dish that would use them both. The first was…
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Smelts with Lemon & Capers
Yes, these little New England natives have a funny name, and they don’t look like much more than a mouthful, but these mid-winter natives remain popular. Rainbow smelts are a saltwater fish that, like salmon, spawn in fresh water tributaries, particularly on the Maine coast. These little gems are an extremely popular target of ice…
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Socca with Garlic and Herbs
Quick and easy, this chickpea flatbread tastes like nothing else! This unique, crunchy chickpea pancake, hails from the south of France, a rustic Niçoise street food. Made simply with chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour, water, and olive oil, there are also versions of this dish in Italy. It is perfect in its simplicity, but that doesn’t…
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Roasted Vegetables Make the Meal
Roasting vegetables enhances the flavor––who doesn’t love those caramelized edges? I love roasted vegetables, and I love the process of prepping and roasting them. From potatoes to Brussels sprouts, it is hard to think of any vegetable that doesn’t benefit from the added flavor and texture when roasting. I grew up in a time when…
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Homemade Hummus with Roasted Chickpeas
If you make it from scratch with dried chickpeas, this dip not only tastes better than what you find in the market, but it is quite economical as well. I love hummus. I always have some in my refrigerator and I use it for dips and as a spread on sandwiches or crackers. As delicious…
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Party Wings and Other Things
Use this Maple, Ginger, and Garlic Marinade on wings, or cauliflower florets, and everyone is pleased! Most of my family loves wings, some love them spicy, some love them mild, and some don’t eat meat at all but love the spicy flavors! Since everyone does not eat meat, there is not a one-shop…
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Boston Brown Bread
If you have never heard of the New England tradition of Boston Brown Bread, you are in for a treat! When I was growing up, when we had a supper of beans, they were often served with Boston Brown Bread. This was the comfort meal, a bowl of beans and a biscuit or brown bread….
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New Year’s Shrimp Egg Rolls with Homemade Duck Sauce
A family tradition that is fun for all ages. The kids and I make Homemade Egg Rolls, Fried Rice, and Crab Rangoons every New Years. It is a change from other foods we’ve been feasting on the last couple of weeks, and it is always a lot of fun. It takes only moments for the…
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Christmas Morning Breakfast Quiche
A Perfect Make Ahead Breakfast using Sugar Snap Peas and Caramelized Onions! I forget about quiche for long periods of time, or perhaps I make them too often and tire of them. If it’s been a while, perhaps it’s time to revisit. When I would serve this to my guests at the inn, I looked…
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Whole Grain Buttermilk Biscuits with Herbs & Parmesan
Mom’s Weeknight Biscuits with a few Twists Biscuits with baked beans. Biscuits with soup. Biscuits with chicken and gravy, and just about everything else. That is how I grew up. My mom made beautiful yeast breads on the weekends, but weeknight supper was all about the quick biscuit. She didn’t need a recipe; she made…
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Baked Camembert with Cranberry, Pecans, & Ginger
A Special Appetizer You can Assemble the Day Before Your Event, and Bake off as your Guests Arrive If you are looking for a special appetizer that is quick, easy, and can be assembled the day before your holiday or event, a wheel of Camembert or Brie, baked in puff pastry, and dressed up with…
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Conjuring Clarified Consommé
It’s Kitchen Magic at its Best! It really seems like magic when you take a pan of murky stock and in just minutes transform it into crystal clear broth! There is no nutritional reason to clarify stock, it is all about the appearance and nothing more. But if you have never done this, it is…
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Nana’s Flakey Lemon Braid
Pre-made Puff Pastry Makes Easy Work of this Dessert If I am going to use a pre-made product, it better not just be easy, it needs to taste good too. Pre-made puff pastry saves tons of times, and has countless sweet and savory uses. Look for one made with real butter; it is harder…
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“Three Sisters” Baked Frittata
Corn, Beans, and Squash Revered by the Native Population, Combine for Delicious Meals When Indigenous Peoples’ Day arrives, I make a meal to honor the Native American population, and if I’m lucky I can even get the last of the local sweet corn to use. If not, I always have some in the freezer tucked…
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Poached Pears with Homemade Crème Fraîche
A special dessert to enjoy when the pears are as beautiful as they are right now! What a good year for pears! Our Vermont pears have been sweet and juicy, with tons of flavor, and I’ve had plenty straight up with no adornment whatsoever. Most mornings, they appear in my breakfast fruit salad, and I…
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Wild Mushrooms Galore!
Now’s the time to find wild treasures at farmers markets and farm stands. From soup to pate, mushrooms are the star! Hen of the woods. Chicken of the Woods. Lobsters. Winecaps. Combstooth and Lion’s Main. Ah, Yellowfoot Chanterelles and Black Trumpets! Some of our favorite mushrooms appear in the fall. Once we finally got some…
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Beets are the Color of Fall
Roast them, sauté them, grill them, pickle them, steam them…from root to stem, it’s all good! Open just about any New England menu in the Autumn and you’ll find beets! These colorful vegetables are especially loved by chefs because they are one of the easiest to use “root to stem” every part of them edible, even…
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Vanilla and Balsamic Peach Butter
A Good Year for Peaches? With a few shortcuts, you can make use of that golden surplus! I got a little carried away at the orchard this past weekend and ended up with a large crate of peaches. They were labeled as “seconds” but I didn’t find a one that was not near perfect. It…
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Grilled Ratatouille and other tricks to Save the Summer!
We have it all right now, But how do we save it? It is the moment you’ve waited for all year. Your garden and local farm stands offer an overflow of tomatoes, squashes, peppers, corn, onions, carrots, and greens. For a short time, it seems every fruit and vegetable is there at your fingertips. You…
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Garlic Scapes: The Silly Serpent of the Garlic World…
Garlic scapes are the crazy little budded flower stems that look like a wayward plant! They have a wide range of uses, from pesto to stir fries.
