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…
Category: Comfort food classics
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Mushroom and Vegetable Jambalaya
It’s spicy, it’s hearty, and it makes you want to dance down the street flinging Mardi Gras beads! Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the Good Times Roll! I’m always happy to see the good times of Mardi Gras roll around. Winter hangs on, and we’re hungry for spring and something different to eat, and…
Savory Vegetable Crisp
We all love apple crisp, but this creamy and crispy savory version uses potatoes, carrots, an apple, onions, garlic, and rosemary. There’s a vegan option too! Apple crisp is a delicious Autumn dessert that causes many a heart to flutter. If I had an event to cater at that time of year, apple crisp was…
Quick Miso Soup
When you are craving miso soup, nothing else will do! The closest Japanese restaurant to us is a half hour away, so we usually plan ahead of time to make the trek, cravings for sushi or miso soup aside. But miso soup is really simple to make, and in less time than it takes to…
Green Curry with Scallops and Peas
A flavorful curry will always wake up dinner. This one is almost as quick as opening a can of curry paste, and much fresher in taste! Swap in tempeh, and you have a delicious vegan version. One of the downfalls of living in Vermont in the winter is that we don’t always have every ingredient…
Smoky Yellow-Eyed Beans and Swiss Chard
In the South, black-eyed peas and greens are the New Years good-luck staple dish. In the New England, we lean toward stocking yellow-eyed beans and Swiss chard in our kitchens. In the instant multi-cooker, this is a snap! They look a lot alike –– black-eyed peas and yellow-eyed beans, but they have a much different…
Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes
Shh, don’t tell the kids they are good for them… Of all the dishes I served up at the inn for 18 years, the most frequently requested meal from repeat guests was blueberry pancakes. People remember them, think about them, desire them, and will eat them with gusto when served. Not only a favorite of…
Mom’s Best Mashed Potatoes with a Potato Peeling Twist
What’s better than mashed potatoes? How about a crispy potato peeling topping? If we forgot mashed potatoes at the Thanksgiving table, there would be a revolt. But since we need to please all eaters with this important dish, making it vegan friendly is as simple as it is important! I think I would definitely rate […]
Homemade Lemon Pasta with Lemon Garlic Sauce
Homemade pasta is fun to make (or quick if you do it in a food processor) and with just the simple addition of lemon, you are already on your way to a flavorful dinner. I’ve made homemade pasta with my my kids and grandkids since they were able to form a ball of play dough….
Smoked Salmon Wiggle over Roasted Vegetables
It sounds silly, I know. But, if you grew up in New England, your mom probably made a “wiggle.” It was usually made with salmon or tuna, and silly name or not, it was the favorite of many. This New England classic was a a delicious and cheap meal when I was a kid, and…
