If you don’t like the weather…

In New England, we’re told if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change. This is quite often true! So let’s just cook. In the past week, we’ve gone from temperatures below zero to shirt-sleeve weather. We’ve had snow, rain, sunshine, sleet, mud, and a howling wind storm. Yesterday morning I…

Toasted Jack O’ Lantern Seeds

Pumpkin seeds! We have a ton when we carve a Jack O’ Lantern. Don’t throw them away, we can turn them into a delicious snack!             You don’t want to waste those delicious and nutritious seeds! It’s so much fun to take those guts, separate the seeds, and make a little treat for after Halloween. But…

Corn and Camembert Frittata with Red Pepper Sauce

You can put just about anything in a frittata, from leftovers to carefully planned ingredients. Sometimes the combination turns out just right! After a physically distant (I use that term because we are not really distant socially, just physically!) mini-dinner party for four last weekend, I had a few choice foods leftover: some Camembert, corn…

Buttons and Bows

Button mushrooms and bow-tie pasta combine with fresh from the garden vegetables for a delightful summer salad.  I remember my Mom fussing about in our kitchen and singing a silly little song about Buttons and Bows and telling me that although she liked the song it was stuck in her head and she was singing it…

Lilac Syrup

Let’s eat the flowers! Lilac season is glorious, though fleeting. I look forward to these voluptuous May blossoms with great anticipation each year. With lots of old-fashioned lilacs on my property, I know I will fill my vases every day, and the scent will fill my lungs with spring. After a long winter and cold,…

Fregola Salad with Asparagus and Artichokes

The flavorful dressing in this fregola pasta salad lends itself to the vibrant spring asparagus. Once asparagus season starts, I’m happy! It’s not quite here yet locally, but I couldn’t wait, and used the last of the frozen asparagus in one of my favorite salads to console myself after the appearance of more snow flurries…

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,…

Irish Soda Bread, Dairy-Free

This classic quick bread is a must for St. Patrick’s Day, or any day when you need a little comfort  baking that is also quick. With dairy-challenged folks in my family, a quick bread that has been adapted to use plant-based products is a welcome site, especially if it is pretty to look at! I’ve…

Good Morning Sunshine

Imagine my surprise! I woke up this morning and had a lovely surprise when Angela at Hashtag Retired  https://hashtagretired.com nominated me for a Sunshine Blogger Award! Many thanks to you Angela, it is such a nice feeling to know that others appreciate and follow one’s work! I enjoy your blog, and look forward to your…

321 Quote Me: Food for Thought

Hello All! I have been tagged by Ribana at Popsicle Society for this amazing:  321 Quote Me with the topic Food For Thought! 321 Quote Me was created by Rory at  A Guy Called Bloke Once a week, Rory will pick a random topic, post two quotes on that topic and tag 3 bloggers, who in…

Three Cabbage Carnival Salad

It is kind of a slaw, kind of a cabbage salad, it’s full of color, and it feeds a crowd! It is summer cookout time, and we gather together, bringing food and conversation to the table. If I’m asked to bring a salad, I like to stray from the old standby recipes of potato salad,…

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados

Serving this salad in little avocado boats adds a little bit of festive to a summer dinner. When I was growing up, I doubt I ever saw an avocado. Now, there’s hardly a day when I don’t find one on my plate in some form from breakfast to party appetizer. They are everywhere! My mother-in-law…

Cauliflower & Potato Salad

Less carbs and calories than the classic, but with the traditional summer flavor. I loved my mother’s potato salad. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, and she made it slightly different each time, but she always included potatoes, eggs, onion, mayonnaise, and chives. Sometimes she added peas, fresh parsley, scallions, but usually…

Cabbage and Carrots With Caraway

Under pressure, this nutritional side dish is made quickly (and without the aroma penetrating the entire house all day) Cabbage is a cheap New England staple vegetable. In the autumn, you can find heads larger than your own at the farm stands for little money, and the winter co-ops and CSAs offer these local treasures…

September Corn Fritters

      I always forget how much I love corn fritters, well, until I take that first bite! I usually wait for September corn to make the fritters, simply because most of summer I’m content with eating it straight from the cob or making my ritual vat of chowder. September corn is plump and sweet, and…

My Favorite Cookbooks

At least, my favorite cookbooks, today… I live with many cookbooks, and my favorites change now and then. But there are a few classics I refer to time and time again. Many of these are oldies but goodies, my vintage treasures, but some are new and I think they’ll be around for a while. Of course,…