There are certain sacred dishes in New England, and many of them revolve around Maine lobsters. We try to make several trips to the shore each year, and often vacation in Maine. We find that the holiday is punctuated with various lobsters along the way, always at our favorite stands and restaurants. Planning the meals…
Category: Vintage Update
Strawberry & Rose Fool
Strawberries are best served up without a lot of fuss, but a little rosewater doesn’t hurt! Strawberry season in New England marks the true beginning of the summer. We look forward to the beautiful sweet treats we can now enjoy by the pound and not by just the ounce. Only when they are in season…
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Update your picnic with a modern twist on a three-bean salad and other treats
It’s picnic time, if the weather holds… It has been a rainy spring, and while we haven’t thought much about going on picnics, the warmth is returning, and the bonus from all that moisture is a green landscape that begs for a blanket and a basket of treats. The easiest picnic food is eaten with the…
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Grandmother Neill’s Rhubarb Coffee Cake
This recipe is from the grandmother of a friend of a friend! My friend Carolyn and I have worked a local music festival for many years, and catering the green room for the artists has been one of our pleasures. Since the festival is in early June, Carolyn often brought this cake made from fresh…
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Slow Roasted Duck with Cherry & Fennel Sauce
Roast it slow, and the oven does all the work! Serve with either a long-summered or quick sauce. We don’t cook duck very often. We think of it as a holiday or special occasion dish. But we keep one or two in the freezer that we buy from a local farmer, and once in a…
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Spiced Arborio Rice Pudding
This is Comfort Food with a subtle fragrance of spices! Most of us have memories of rice pudding. If the memory involves something wonderful your mother made, it’s a good one. But if your only memory is that of school cafeteria pudding, well, you might not think as kindly upon this dish. I have only…
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Split Pea and Cauliflower Soup
A little lighter than the original, but packed with flavor and nutrition. In a pressure cooker, this is easily a weeknight dinner. This is my 100th post! Pea soup made from dried legumes is a classic Northern dish with French Canadian roots. On rainy spring nights, this soup warms the bones and adds home comfort…
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The Family Favorite Carrot Cake needs only a few twists to keep things interesting.
An old family recipe, traditional at Spring, topped with less-sugar cream cheese frosting, and made with a twist or two! As we think ahead to planning Easter and Spring gatherings, carrot cake comes to mind as a perfect dessert. The flavors and textures of this cake appeal to many, so it is often requested at…
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Sweet or Savory Buckwheat Crêpes
Naturally gluten-free, these lacy traditional crêpes are perfect for either sweet or savory dishes. Buckwheat crêpes are one of my favorites from the family recipe box. My own family loves them as well. I might make them for a Sunday breakfast, brunch with guests, dessert, or as a well-loved after-school snack for my grandchildren. Everything…
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3-Bean Vegetarian Chili
Sometimes, you just have to have chili! Even if someone’s drawn a line in the sand Now, I know the world of chili has definite camps of connoisseurs – there are those who think it can’t possibly be chili if it contains beans, or even tomato, and there are others who can’t imagine the dish…
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Sautéed Watercress & Asparagus with Miso
Watercress is far more than just a garnish on the side of the plate, it’s a superfood! We crave fresh, new greens in the spring, just-picked treasures that name their own season and make us feel good. Asparagus season is one of our favorites, right along with fiddlehead and ramp seasons. But although it grows…
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Crunchy Oven-Baked Haddock with Herbs
From April to November, New England Haddock is at its most plentiful. Of all the Atlantic whitefish, haddock’s flavor profile is unique and sought after. I know it is a favorite of my family. My mother cooked haddock, cod, and other whitefish simply. On a Friday night when she had more time, she cut up haddock…
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Fennel & Leek Soup with Parmesan Pepper Dumplings
We’ve neglected dumplings! But these little gems are at home on many soups, not just chicken stew. AND, you can make them gluten-free, deliciously! We really have neglected dumplings. No, not the yummy Asian dipping dumplings that we all love, but the little biscuit-like creations simmered on top of a soup or stew. New England…
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Loaded Macaroni & Cheese
Kid approved: A little healthier, and loaded with both vegetables and flavor! Every kid in my life has loved macaroni and cheese. Really, any combination of carb and cheese and they are happy, be it grilled cheese or cheese pizza! In our Vermont home that means macaroni and cheese from scratch using extra-sharp cheddar and…
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Smelts with Lemon & Capers
Yes, these little New England natives have a funny name, and they don’t look like much more than a mouthful, but these mid-winter natives remain popular. Rainbow smelts are a saltwater fish that, like salmon, spawn in fresh water tributaries, particularly on the Maine coast. These little gems are an extremely popular target of ice…
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A “New” New England Boiled Dinner
New England Boiled Dinner is a classic winter dish, although the protein used is a point of disagreement among many. This version avoids the argument completely. Ask a New Englander what is in a New England boiled dinner, and you will get a wide range of replies, and every one is considered to the THE…
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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…
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Black Bean & Rice Stuffed Red Peppers
A little salsa, a little heat, a simple makeover of Mom’s “Stuffed Peppers” Back in the day, not really so long ago, if you followed a vegetarian diet, you were instructed at every turn to combine your foods so that you had “complete protein” in every meal, and that often meant rice and beans. Since…
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Boston Brown Bread
If you have never heard of the New England tradition of Boston Brown Bread, you are in for a treat! When I was growing up, when we had a supper of beans, they were often served with Boston Brown Bread. This was the comfort meal, a bowl of beans and a biscuit or brown bread….
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Mushroom Soup Four Ways!
From Vegan to Full Fat, this Savory Soup Can be Made Exactly How You Like It! On a chilly winter night, hot soup is always welcome, and after the indulgences of the holidays, something healthy is a welcome delight. Whether a hearty stew or light broth, soups warm both the body and soul, often bringing…
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Salmon Cakes Benedict
Recycle 2018 Leftovers into Dishes for the New Year I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions; it is much too discouraging to find myself breaking vows a thousand times. I’d rather count blessings than resolutions, but as I hang the new calendar, I often find myself taking stock and pondering the possibility of little changes….
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Christmas Morning Breakfast Quiche
A Perfect Make Ahead Breakfast using Sugar Snap Peas and Caramelized Onions! I forget about quiche for long periods of time, or perhaps I make them too often and tire of them. If it’s been a while, perhaps it’s time to revisit. When I would serve this to my guests at the inn, I looked…
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No-Apologies Christmas Fruitcake
Some of these cakes are doused in brandy for months before they are ready, and can last years! I don’t require mine to last years, or even months; it’s not a souvenir, it’s a holiday treat and I want people to eat it now! My Aunt Elda had a lovely fruitcake recipe handed down in the…
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Whole Grain Buttermilk Biscuits with Herbs & Parmesan
Mom’s Weeknight Biscuits with a few Twists Biscuits with baked beans. Biscuits with soup. Biscuits with chicken and gravy, and just about everything else. That is how I grew up. My mom made beautiful yeast breads on the weekends, but weeknight supper was all about the quick biscuit. She didn’t need a recipe; she made…
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Sylvia’s Floating Islands with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
And a few simpler techniques for a festive holiday dessert in no time For a treat on cold winter days, our mother would often make us floating islands of luscious meringue in soft, spiced custard; we all thought it was good, and the little islands were fun to play with. My own children loved this…
