Your own Spice Blends will save you time and money and ensure your flavors are truly unique to your own kitchen. One of my rituals of the new year is to go through my spice/herb shelf and take inventory. I usually have a lot to replenish after the cooking of the holidays, and this is…
A New Take on Classic New England Stewed Beans
This New England classic can be slow cooked all day on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker. Or, you can make them in a fraction of the time in a pressure cooker, or one of the more modern multi-cookers that everyone seems to be using these days. My mother was…
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….
Potato Crusted Dijon Chicken
A quick and flavorful weeknight meal that uses only three ingredients, plus the sauce, which uses only three more! Although this budget-friendly dish is extremely quick to make and uses few ingredients, it can stand up to the scrutiny of company as well. I cook mine in a cast iron frying pan, my trusty kitchen…
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…
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. But as I hang the new calendar, I often find myself taking stock pondering little changes, things I hope to improve in some way. One of…
New Year’s Shrimp Egg Rolls with Homemade Duck Sauce
A family tradition that is fun for all ages. The kids and I make Homemade Egg Rolls, Fried Rice, and Crab Rangoons every New Years. It is a change from other foods we’ve been feasting on the last couple of weeks, and it is always a lot of fun. It takes only moments for the…
Pat’s Holiday Gravlax
I first received this as a gift from my Mother-in-Law and was amazed that this could be accomplished in a home kitchen I remember getting this gift of home-cured gravlax, salmon, every year at Christmastime from my mother-in-law Pat, my husband’s father’s second wife. The first time she gave it to us, I was truly…
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…
Feast of Seven Fishes – Stew!
You can honor the idea of the Feast of Seven Fishes in a one-dish meal that takes a fraction of the time, but delights with great flavor! I prepared the full Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve just once or twice. This Italian classic meal was lots of fun preparing, everyone adored the…
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…
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…
