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…
Category: Comfort food classics
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…
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…
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…
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 […]
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…
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…
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…
