A little sweet, a little savory, and full of flavor, this sandwich can please a crowd and yes, you can make it vegan quite easily. After this long entertainment drought, I’m certainly looking forward to having family and friends over, and it’s never too early to plan for a party. While a big gathering is…
Refrigerator Vegetable Stew
With just a little hint of the warmth of Provence, this simple vegetarian stew is quick to put together and will make your house warm and inviting while it simmers. This has been a winter of cold and grey, with frequent snows and rains or sleets. Lots of time to stay in the house, light…
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Seared Sesame Tuna and Swiss Chard
A warm salad, starter, or light lunch, this dish is filled with flavor and texture. This dish is really simple and quick, taking just a few minutes in the kitchen from start to finish. It is delicious warm or at room temperature. The dressing makes the dish, and you can use it on any fish…
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Dark Chocolate Truffle Tart
You’ll want to make this one again and again, I have! This is one of my favorite go-to desserts, especially if I’m bringing a dessert to an event or entertaining –– it makes a lot! A simple but decadent chocolate dessert, just give yourself plenty of time and start early in the day. Actual hands-on…
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Winter Radish Fritters
These little winter radish fritters can be an appetizer, party food, a side dish, or lunch! We’re trying to be good and eat as much from the local winter CSA as possible. In mid-February, we still have roots of every kind, lots of roots, our continuing supply of baby greens, lots of eggs and cheese….
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Beyond Shepherd’s Pie (shh..no meat)
I strived for a little lighter shepherd’s pie with less fat and carbs. This was still quite hearty, and Saturday night satisfying even for the meat eaters in the family! When I was a kid, if we were having shepherd’s pie for dinner, it was a good night indeed! It was one of my favorites,…
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Corn and Horseradish Stuffed Baby Potatoes
Little bites of big flavor, these potatoes are always a crowd pleaser, even if this year the party is a little smaller! The big game is Sunday and since this year Tom Brady will not be leading the New England Patriots to victory, it’s just another game in our area. Who did you say was…
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Spelt Anadama Bread
An old New England favorite with a twist or two! This traditional New England yeasted bread was commonly baked throughout the region for at least a couple hundred years. It was even baked and sold commercially in Rockport, Mass. –– where some say it originated –– well into the 20th century. This delightfully flavored bread always…
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Polenta Pizza with Sautéed Fennel and Leeks
If somehow you accidentally end up with a five-pound bag of cornmeal, dust off an old recipe or two! A few years ago, I clipped Mark Bittman’s recipe for polenta pizza from the New York Times. His version used pancetta and spinach and involved making the polenta, letting it set in the refrigerator until firm….
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Zucchini with Garlic, Lemon, and Hazelnuts
The humble zucchini moves from quiet weeknight sidekick, to dinner party pretty, and it’s quick and easy too! My grill has reappeared from the snow, and while I seldom hesitate to fire it up in the middle of winter, it was just been a little too cold this week to stand there for any length…
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Wheat Berry Salad with Oranges, Sprouted Garbanzos, and Baby Artichokes
A hearty salad filled with flavor, texture, and nutrition. When I as at the market recently, I came across two ingredients I’d not seen before. The first, fresh sprouted garbanzo beans, and the second, jarred baby artichokes, really tiny they were! I’ve sprouted many types of seeds and beans, but it never occurred to me…
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New England Bay Scallops with Penne
New England bay scallops are the best in the world, and for a brief period, if you are lucky, you can find them!
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Almost Mom’s Salmon Loaf
A twist from 100 years ago, and my Mom’s salmon loaf was transformed! When I was growing up, included in our family’s weeknight supper rotation was the humble salmon loaf, often served on Friday fish nights. A simple recipe that used bread crumbs to stretch an inexpensive can of salmon to make eight servings. I…
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So I baked bread, and made soup.
Homemade Roasted Broccoli Soup, Whole Wheat Sourdough bread, are comfort foods in unsettling times.
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Grilled Endive Salad with Carrot Dressing
Endive is usually chopped into a salad or filled with a dip of some sort creamy filling as an appetizer. But grilling brings out the best of this vegetable, and topped with a carrot dressing, it is a memorable meal.
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Sunrise Viewing on New Year…
This welcoming of the first sunrise, called Hatsuhinode, is a time to be grateful for what the old year brought, and to look forward to the blessings of the new year ahead. It is good luck to watch that first sunrise.
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Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Avocado and Melon
I love a recipe that I can make early in the day and let sit around in the refrigerator getting better and better as the day goes on. Special little salads fall into this category, and in our family shrimp is always at the top of the list.
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Christmas Clementine Cake
Eat this orange cake plain, or pretty it up, it’s up to you. Added bonus, this is also gluten- and dairy-free.
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Holiday Eggnog (dairy free)
Of course, she always made this eggnog with a more than ample addition of spirits, sometimes dark rum, but usually whiskey, or a combination of both
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Filled Holiday Mincemeat Cookies
Mom’s recipe started in October when we stripped the garden of its green tomatoes and made our own micemeat. I still make this (now and then) when I want the house to smell like my childhood home.
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Snow Day Ginger Spice Cookies
My cookie-baking ritual begins with brewing my little pot of stove-top espresso. I’ll use just a little for my ginger cookie recipe, and the rest is my own little treat. I need a treat too because my confession is that unless I am making them with a kid, I really don’t like baking cookies.
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Quick Simmered Sushi and Sashimi Soup
Bountiful leftovers from a sushi and sashimi platter? Use every scrap for a left-overs soup that warms the body and soul.
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Sylvia’s Sour Cream Coconut Coffee Cake
There is good news and bad news. The good news is that the cake is absolutely delicious! The crumb was tender and smooth, the cake moist and flavorful. The bad news, for me at least, is that it tastes nothing like mother’s!
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A New Season, a New CSA: Winter Salad
Sunset is now at 4:16 p.m. and our days are short. While my grass may still be green, the only thing surviving in my garden is parsley and Swiss chard in the cold frame, and some scraggly thyme, sage, and peppermint in the herb bed. Our local farmers to the rescue!
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Lentil and Mushroom Balls
They are hearty and delicious, perfect for supper by the fire. And this recipe makes enough to tuck some in the freezer for another day. I’ve made a million meat-free meatballs, and usually I’m disappointed. Often they get mushy. Sometimes the flavor is way off, and other times they are just hard little balls sitting…
