It is a happy day the first time we see local spring-dug parsnips for sale! Sometimes you find them at the co-ops, a neighbor might bring you a few, but more often you’ll see a pick-up truck at a parking area on the side of the road. Usually, the same person year after year, and he…
Category: Comfort food classics
Mushroom and Miso Ramen Bowl of Delights!
Fresh and dried mushrooms make this soup flavorful and packed with nutrients. Mushroom soup is earthy and satisfying. Miso soup is also filled with great flavor and comfort. Combined, I think they are delightful together, really complex in flavor, and satisfying to the bone! Bunapi shimeji mushrooms are also called beech mushrooms because they live…
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A Celebration of Maple Sugar Season
It’s our state tree, our state flavor, and this time of year is it also our first crop. The sap is running! We love hearing those words. Our first crop of the year in Vermont is maple! It is also our first real evidence of spring in this cold climate. When I hear that the…
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Refrigerator Vegetable Stew
With just a little hint of the warmth of Provence, this simple vegetarian stew is quick to put together and will make your house warm and inviting while it simmers. This has been a winter of cold and grey, with frequent snows and rains or sleets. Lots of time to stay in the house, light…
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Beyond Shepherd’s Pie (shh..no meat)
I strived for a little lighter shepherd’s pie with less fat and carbs. This was still quite hearty, and Saturday night satisfying even for the meat eaters in the family! When I was a kid, if we were having shepherd’s pie for dinner, it was a good night indeed! It was one of my favorites,…
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Corn and Horseradish Stuffed Baby Potatoes
Little bites of big flavor, these potatoes are always a crowd pleaser, even if this year the party is a little smaller! The big game is Sunday and since this year Tom Brady will not be leading the New England Patriots to victory, it’s just another game in our area. Who did you say was…
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Polenta Pizza with Sautéed Fennel and Leeks
If somehow you accidentally end up with a five-pound bag of cornmeal, dust off an old recipe or two! A few years ago, I clipped Mark Bittman’s recipe for polenta pizza from the New York Times. His version used pancetta and spinach and involved making the polenta, letting it set in the refrigerator until firm….
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Almost Mom’s Salmon Loaf
A twist from 100 years ago, and my Mom’s salmon loaf was transformed! When I was growing up, included in our family’s weeknight supper rotation was the humble salmon loaf, often served on Friday fish nights. A simple recipe that used bread crumbs to stretch an inexpensive can of salmon to make eight servings. I…
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Quick Simmered Sushi and Sashimi Soup
Bountiful leftovers from a sushi and sashimi platter? Use every scrap for a left-overs soup that warms the body and soul.
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Sylvia’s Sour Cream Coconut Coffee Cake
There is good news and bad news. The good news is that the cake is absolutely delicious! The crumb was tender and smooth, the cake moist and flavorful. The bad news, for me at least, is that it tastes nothing like mother’s!
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Lentil and Mushroom Balls
They are hearty and delicious, perfect for supper by the fire. And this recipe makes enough to tuck some in the freezer for another day. I’ve made a million meat-free meatballs, and usually I’m disappointed. Often they get mushy. Sometimes the flavor is way off, and other times they are just hard little balls sitting…
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Carrot Salad with Caper and Herb Dressing
This is not quite your mother’s carrot salad! Every holiday, mom made a little side salad of carrots. Sometimes, all it included was carrots, mayonnaise, a bit of sugar, salt, and pepper. Often, she would add dried cranberries or raisins, and sometimes cabbage as well. A change here and there I’ve changed her salad many…
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Mushroom Croquettes with Saffron Lemon Sauce
We need to please a wide range of dietary needs in our family and friends circle, so I thought a special redux of the traditional croquettes recipe was in order. I swapped out lightly cooked shiitake mushrooms for the cooked turkey in this recipe, and bumped up some of the seasoning.
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New England Haddock (or tofu) in Curry Sauce served with Autumn Delights!
A little spicy, a little sweet, and a lot of the flavor of New England, and you can easily swap out the fish for tofu! October! This year most of the fall foliage turned a little early, but here, by the Connecticut River, we’re just catching up. What a vibrant, colorful year it has been!…
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Vermont Cranberry Shell Beans with Shiitake Mushrooms
This is the time of year when you’ll find fresh shelling beans at the farm stands. A quicker cook than dried beans, makes comfort food fast! New Englanders love their beans! Baked beans were the traditional Saturday night supper for decades, still are in many households, and most cooks had their own special recipe. I…
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Fall Farm Market Finds
So many wonderful vegetables! I tried three new (to me) winter squashes this season, two modern and one really ancient. You never know what you’ll find at the farmers market these days. Our farmers are stretching the limits of what one would expect to find in a cold northern climate. But we now have reliable…
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Savory Rice Pudding with Corn and Coconut
It’s savory, but also sweet, and bursting with corn flavor. For a while, I’ve been thinking about making a savory rice pudding, something that could serve as a side dish or base for a stir fry or other veggies. Since it is Corn Season in Vermont, the idea of combining rice pudding with corn pudding…
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A slice of homemade bread with some fresh blackberry jam?
Both of these recipes are quicker than the vintage versions, but just as delicious! It’s berry season and that means time to make some jam. I usually make strawberry jam, sometimes blueberry, raspberry if there are enough to be found, but always blackberry! It is one of my favorite kitchen gifts, and on the rare…
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Sweet Pea and Leek Risotto
It’s pea season! Make something fresh and lively, but don’t throw away those pea pods, turn them into stock for your risotto! I love that old-fashioned term “mess of peas.” It reminds me of grandmothers on porches with children at their feet shelling peas (or shucking, depending on region) while talking about everything wild and…
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Mom’s Mayonnaise Cake, with a Twist
It’s a simple cake, no fuss and no frills. Quick to put together, and filled with memories. Once in a while, after school, if we were lucky, we found a chocolate mayonnaise cake waiting for us. We needed a treat this week, so I revisited this old recipe, which I’m sure was a standard in…
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Smashed Potatoes with Tomato Sauce and Olives
I’ve rarely met a potato I didn’t like! This time around, the potato is the center of the dish and not just a lonely little side. The star Have you had enough dinners lately with pasta the center of the plate? I love it when potatoes can be the star of a meal. A stuffed…
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Ginger Shrimp Fried Rice
We stocked up the freezer, now it’s time to use those treasures! What could be better than a savory bowl of fried rice? I try to avoid going to the store for at least 7 to 10 days between trips. Last week, I managed to find much of what I was looking for, timed it…
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Black Bean, Poblano, and Red Pepper Enchiladas
A comforting enchilada recipe to make when you have lots of time to putter around in the kitchen (like now?). So, this is not a recipe you make on a hurried weeknight. It’s a recipe you make when you will be home all day and can make the components as your will or energy dictates during […]
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A Dressed Up Bowl of Sesame Noodles
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…
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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…
