It’s here. November. Affectionately called “stick season” by some here in the northeast, at least once all the leaves have dropped, the trees look barren, and all the tourists have returned home. We’re close. I prefer to call it the Season of Thankfulness, culminating with our feast on the fourth Thursday. One thing I am…
Category: Vegetarian main dish
Let’s see, a little Vermont maple, a little French brandy, did I forget the tofu?
We finally had a hard frost this past week, three crisp and clear nights in a row actually. We woke up each morning with the fields as white as snow, shimmering in the morning light. I have to say, it was quite beautiful. The hardier flowers such as calendula and petunias are still hanging in…
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‘Tis the season of lasts! But don’t worry, there’s more to come!
The foliage is brilliant this year! Maybe I always say that. But we’ve had no driving rains here to knock the fragile leaves off the trees, nor fierce winds. Of course it depends on where you are in New England with the higher elevations showing a lot more color right now, and many areas were…
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Autumn has arrived, let’s clean the garden and make soup!
And here we are – 8:05 p.m. on September 22. Astrological autumn. Of course, if you are a meteorologist, autumn began on Sept. 1 and will run through to November 30. They like to keep things tidy. We are at the time of roughly equal day and night, with long nights creeping in faster now,…
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Our pasta bowl is a little boring, perhaps some new shapes?
This week, we enjoyed a little rain, a little sun, and definite hints of autumn in the air, including one quite chilly night where it dipped into the 50s. My crabapples are falling, and there is the lightest touch of color coming on the leaves around here. Colder areas and the hills and mountains of…
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It’s the Season of Way Too Much, but we’re ready!
After a muggy, hazy day yesterday, there was a distinct chill in the air last night. We fell asleep with the window wide open and crickets serenading us, quite loudly. There’s one poor fellow who is stuck in the garage and we can’t seem to find him, three days he’s been calling out and yesterday…
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Please, don’t worry if your lion is a bit crabby.
I spied them at the farmers market this week. One glance and I knew our brilliant hot summer days might really have an end. Delicata squash. Yes, belonging to the classification of winter squash. Long keepers that signal fall is not far off, even though officially it is still around six weeks away on the…
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You might have to close your eyes to see the pretty in this soup, or add a little flair.
Just around bedtime last night, we had one of the most intense electrical storms ever. The rain came down so fast I had two inches of water in minutes on my stone patio, hail started bombarding the house, and the lightning flashed unending like strobe lights for over 15 minutes. The dogs jumped on the…
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Once in a while in a big blue moon…
On this day, we are all living under a ‘blue moon,’ which means it is the second full moon in the calendar month. When we speak of a blue moon, we are generally referring to something rare, in this case, an event that happens every two or three years. There won’t be another one until…
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A little sweet, a little sour, life is all about balance.
I can hear my dad’s voice through all these years announcing the first emergence of the tender but terribly hardy little pea shoots in early spring. “The Peas are up!” They were eagerly anticipated every year, nothing more exciting for the northern gardener after a long winter. When we place those little seeds in the…
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How ya’ doing dumpling? Just fine, enjoying the homemade life!
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…
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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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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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Let’s see, what should a food blogger do on her 10-year anniversary with WordPress? Bake chocolate chip cookies, of course, but she’d better make them from the Toll House.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been writing these posts for a decade of my life! How did that happen? It started out simple, a way to share my recipes with family and friends and maybe engage in dialogue with other like-minded folks. Recipes that began life in the hearts and hands of my mother and…
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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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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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Panzanella is fun to say, and even more fun to make and eat, especially if one is in Autumn denial. At least for now.
A large basket of sweet cherry tomatoes from the garden. A massive melon from the farm stand. Some stale bread. Let’s mix them all together and feast. Autumn slipped in quietly this morning, and while there was a distinct chill in the air when I first got up, we hit almost 80 by mid-afternoon and…
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Let’s make this easy: One pan or dish, no recipe. Are you with me?
We could call the The Season of Ease. At this time of year, we have vegetables of every possible type, sometimes in great abundance, and dinner is easy. When my kids were small and I relied heavily on my garden, supper in the summer was often a collection of whatever vegetables were in abundance on…
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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…
