One of our favorite little lunches is a plate of Asian style dumplings, filled with something bursting with flavor, and dunked in a sauce with even more. While rural Vermont does not boast the best selection of dumpling grazing spots, there are a few companies out there who offer some of these homemade delights in…
Category: Main Dishes
Who doesn’t love corn, beets & cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day? You heard right, I did say beets.
My father’s side of the family contributed the Irish genes to my DNA, and I’m sure that’s why I’ve always been drawn to that beautiful island. When I was growing up, all I knew about Irish cuisine was potatoes, soda bread, colcannon, and hearty stews, of course made with potatoes and red meat. Potatoes were…
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Get out of the house, then come home to something good to eat.
We’ve turned the corner and I smell spring in the air, at least some days. There’s still a lot of snow and ice to melt, but our driveway is clear and we’ve had some above-freezing days with blue skies to lighten our hearts. Next week, it’s projected a day or two in the high 60s,…
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A lion, oysters, and some vibrant chestnuts? Voila! Dinner!
I’m easily distracted this time of year. Inside a little more than I would like, outside it is mostly cold with a bitter wind, but we’ve had a break in the weather with above freezing temperatures, blue skies, and lots of sunshine. My solar panels are earning their keep. Staying put, for now But there’s…
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Snowed in! Time for soup and hot chocolate. There’s plenty.
When I was a child and a snow day was called, there wasn’t much better in the school year. A free day of no study! My brothers and I would head out to the sandbank across the road, sleds and flying saucers in tow, and we’d play outside until we nearly froze to death. It…
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Can we really eat locally in the dead of a northern winter. First, get out of the house!
Can you really eat locally in the dead of winter in the frigid climate of northern New England? Or, more accurately, the question is, can you do so and not be bored to tears eating nothing but beets and other roots? Yes you can! That one’s easily answered in the affirmative at least for our…
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Just like mother use to make – kind of, almost!
Deep in winter in the north, we need soup. Lots of soup. And if we can recreate a memory in the process, even better! It’s been bitter cold here the last few weeks, but today, the temperature is predicted to hit 32 F., and that means maybe a little of the ice on the patio…
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And thus, a New Year begins.
And here we are. 2026! The beginning of January is a time to look forward, with a glance or two back in the rear-view mirror, but only just long enough to see if we need any course corrections. Do you make resolutions? I gave that up long ago, at least fastening my resolve to a…
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Monsters under your bed? No, just some friendly winter squash.
When the seasons turn in New England, it happens all at once, and we’ve definitely got winter knocking on our door right now! While I’m still looking at green grass, most of the leaves have fallen, and today they are calling for sleet. Shivers. I just lit the fireplace, and the dogs might not get…
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I’m taking a quick side trip to Morocco for a flavorful stew. Want to join me? We won’t be gone long!
Lovely welcome rain this week, and we’re hoping we get enough to end the drought here in Vermont, but that is probably not likely since we’ve a whole lot of catching up to do. We’ll take whatever we can get at this point, drop by precious drop. The weather has been mild, so foliage season…
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Mamma said “Eat your greens,” be strong. Mamma was right!
From Sunday to Sunday, last week to this, we’ve gone from 80 degrees and tank tops to killing frost and finding out the heater in the car doesn’t work. Such is New England weather at its most unpredictable. The leaves are shedding fast, and while it has not been the most brilliant colors this year…
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Pasta on a rainy night? Perfect! And we’ll add some autumn ‘Squash Sauce’ to keep it interesting.
Nutty whole wheat pasta. A creamy sauce made of sweet delicata squash. Some savories, and greens from the garden. A comforting dish for a rainy night. It finally rained. Not the longest rain ever, and certainly nothing to cause the flood-damaged to worry, but a sweet summer rain that sounded like music of the angels…
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Lobster for the frugal New Englander!
Corn and lobsters are perennial sidekicks. Indulge, if you like, but don’t break the bank! In New England, fresh Maine lobsters star in the summertime, especially when combined with our local harvest of golden corn, our very own amber waves of grain. While both shine beautifully on their own, they go together well! One rarely…
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How to make quinoa taste delicious!
Yes, it can be done! I wouldn’t steer you wrong. The first time I made quinoa, I remember not liking it very much. It tasted bitter to me, with a funny off taste. It’s such a nutritious seed, a complete protein with all the essential amino acids present, so for the vegetarians in the family,…
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Surprise! Thirty-seven pounds of summer squash. Free for the taking. Would you like some?
I made a little mistake when we set out for vacation last week. Although I asked my dear niece, who was kindly house and dog sitting, to water the garden on our absence, I forgot to ask her to pick any summer squash that were ready. They do grow quickly this time of year, and…
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Just a little bump in the road, but good food makes it better.
Life certainly hands us many lemons along the way. Luckily, it’s one of my favorite flavors, sourness and all. My little glitch this week was a mishap in my kitchen that dislocated my shoulder. Don’t ask me how it happened, it is outrageously silly, and I get absolutely no sympathy when I tell the story….
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Anyone care for a little summer sunshine in a bowl?
It was hot and I had a hankering for a chilled gazpacho, one of my favorite summer lunches. I usually make a half gallon of it at a time, and we enjoy it throughout the heat wave. However, the beautiful field tomatoes are not ripe here yet in any abundance, so I decided to give…
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With a little ginger, some sesame, all is right in the world. Toss in scallions, and the trio is complete.
It’s a sauce, a dressing, a topping, and no matter how you use it, you’ll go back for more. Sesame, ginger, scallions. A trio that often travels together around the world. We love the flavor of each separately, but combined their individuality is transformed. Add garlic, and all is right in that world. There isn’t…
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Let’s celebrate the amazing asparagus! We might have a party, or maybe brunch.
There is probably nothing we look forward to more in the spring at our house than asparagus! My mother would not have agreed. Asparagus was one of the few vegetables she did not like, and I give her credit because she tried it every way under the sun. Luckily, I did not inherit that from…
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Don’t run away, it’s only rhubarb! With a little sweet, you’ll might even like it.
May in Vermont has been as fickle this year as it always is, despite our annual dreams of the perfect month. There’s much to look forward to – warm temperatures, but not too hot and no mugginess, trees leafing out and grass greening, spring bulbs and blossoming fruit trees, the return of the song birds…
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How about a ‘make under’ asparagus soup?
Next year, my asparagus soup will be purple! Guess what type of onion I’ll use. We wait for those tempting little spears all year. Fresh from the garden, tender, full of flavor and nutrition, asparagus tells us that the seasons really have turned and it’s time to dig out the sandals and sunblock. They were…
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The calendar says it’s time for spring cleaning, so let’s be done with all those gnarly stored vegetables. I’ve a few tricks in mind.
Spring cleaning. It was a ritual in our house growing up. Mother would choose a perfect weekend in late April or early May, and turn the house inside out, from top to bottom. No surface was spared scrubbing and polishing. Linens on the line The washing machine did not stop all day long. Curtains were…
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Scrap Happy Planet: When you say ‘leftovers tonight’ do they cheer?
Once a month, we’re looking at ways to help reduce food waste and keep our planet happier and healthier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our ever-growing environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, over a third of everything we produce is tossed out, over a billion tons of…
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Welcome spring! Let’s clean up the garden and make something hearty for supper.
Happy official Spring, The Vernal Equinox arrived at 5:01 a.m.! Shh, the snow has gone. I am saying this quietly, lest I tempt the fates and end up with a surprise blizzard. It’s happened in the past if I celebrate the turning of the wheel too early. But the snowbanks finished melting over the weekend,…
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A new Irish Stew? Call them to the table.
When we make it to March, it seems like all possible ‘holidays’ are cause for celebration, and we New Englanders embrace them with glee, anything to ease cabin fever as we slide into mud season. Of course, this week was National Pi Day, March 14 (3.14) which most of us are aware of, but alas,…
