Chives and asparagus are among our earliest sprouts here in New England, dancing together nicely at this time of year! This is the season of lilacs in our village, and what a year it is! There isn’t a street where one does not inhale this incredible scent of spring, and their luscious color as well….
Ramp and Spring Radish-Top Pesto of Possibilities
Spring is here with great flourish, and we’re celebrating every minute. It’s been a cold spring, so we’ve had to wait a little longer than we’d like for our early seasonal delights. Wild ramps and fiddleheads are now here in abundance, spring-dug parsnips of course, and the first of the seed-planted radishes and their beautiful…
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A Yankee’s Shrimp and Grits with Asparagus
It may not be a traditional Southern Shrimp and Grits, but this dish is packed with flavor and freshness! Grits were not a part of my childhood cuisine. In fact, I never tasted them until I was an adult and actually lived in the South. I must confess, my first encounter with them was as…
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Fiddlehead Ferns a May Day Delight!
You have to prepare them correctly or you’ll never eat them a second time. But it is easy, and one of the treasurers of our Northern woodlands. May Day. A perfect day! 60 degrees, blue sky, a gentle breeze, and everything is greening and blossoming. My peas and lettuce are up, tulips and violets bloom….
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Mostly Mom’s Angel Food Cake
There are some recipes that are so ingrained in the family history we don’t mess with them at all, well, at least not much… My mom, my daughter, and my niece all list angel food cake as their favorite, a it is often a birthday cake request. My granddaughter’s birthday is two days before my…
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Warm Frisée and Radicchio Salad with Charred Lemon Vinaigrette
Slightly bitter, slightly sweet, a treat for the eyes and palate. My husband came back from the market with a head of radicchio rather than the head of purple cabbage on my list. It was a delightful mistake since I really love that colorful and slightly bitter green (is it still a green if it…
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Spring Sorrel and Parsnip Soup
It’s time to make a spring tonic soup since the ice is out at Joe’s Pond! Ah, April. Just when we thought it was safe to ditch the boots and winter coats, just as the daffodils delight with their beautiful spring show, we had a spring snow storm that left thousands without power. The ice…
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Pineapple Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
My mother always made a ham at Easter. She cut crisscross marks all over, slathered it in mustard and brown sugar, sometimes varying the topping. One of my first jobs was putting the little whole cloves in each intersection of the cuts. Toward the end of baking, she adorned the entire ham with pineapple rings…
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Potato Crusted Sesame Tuna with Spicy Lime Dressing
Lightly seared tuna is a once in a while indulgence, and sesame is always a great partner. My mother-in-law Pat was an accomplished chef and she taught me quite a few little tricks of the trade. One of her favorite ingredients to sneak into a high-end meal was potato flakes! This humble ingredient makes pretty…
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Baked Tofu with Mustard Cream Succotash and Fregula
Heavenly. Creamy. This dish made with veggies tucked in your freezer is good for you too! The garden is offering up a few chives right now, and this weekend I’ll tuck some lettuce in the cold-frame to at least give the illusion of gardening season starting. The squill is blooming, the daffodils are budding, and…
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(Today’s)Yankee Bean and Macaroni Soup
A New England classic that stands the test of time – inexpensive, quick, and really tasty. When I was growing up, Mom often put together a “Yankee Bean Soup” using leftover beans from another meal and a ham bone for flavor. It was a quick meal, tasty, filling, and usually served up with biscuits. There…
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Peekytoe Crab Stuffed Sole
New England seafood favorites, sole and a sweet Maine crab. We finally got out of town! A few days at the sea shore, and we are refreshed and ready for spring. It felt like winter when we left, a driving icy rain that turned to sleet now and then, lots of fog, and winter shoes….
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Spanish Shrimp with Artichokes on Toasted Farro with a Little Saffron Love
A versatile dish you can serve many ways, even vegan! Just don’t forget the saffron. Spanish flavors. The gorgeous smoked paprika, all the tasty peppers, tomatoes, olives, saffron of course. Saffron has a special place in my heart. An expensive spice My brother Floyd was a talented cook, and he adored saffron as much as…
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A Platter of Bitter Delights with a Touch of Sweet Maple
Bitter just needs to be balanced, and since the sap is running, we know what to use! The sap is running! Today, it is supposed to hit 55 with spring rains forecast! Warm days and cold nights in late winter and early spring in Vermont mean the precious gold of our region is flowing through…
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Colcannon Cabbage Wraps with French-Fried Potato Peels
Rustic, tasty, filling, inexpensive, but also worthy of company. Who could ask for anything more? The Irish in me looks forward to St. Patrick’s Day cooking because there is usually a potato involved! One of my favorite country dishes is colcannon, a humble bowl of mashed potatoes mixed with kale or cabbage a few scallions…
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Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Soup with Peas Three Ways
Shiitake mushrooms are the star here, but peas three ways are perfect supporting actors. Growing up, my uncle Leonard and Aunt Mary were neighbors. He was a great forager of many wild delights, especially mushrooms. From a young age, I learned to love the flavor of chanterelles, hen of the woods (maitake), morels, and other…
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Fresh Mandarin Orange Upside Down Cornmeal Cake
What fun, to cook fruit on the bottom of a cake in a light caramel, then invert it to show it off! I accidentally ended up with a large sack of fresh Mandarin oranges recently. The oranges were beautiful! Organically grown in the US, I knew they would have lovely flavor and I was right….
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Heavenly Deviled Eggs
Sometimes, you just have to make things a little healthier, even a classic you don’t really want to mess with! No matter how elegant the party, the first thing to disappear are the humble deviled eggs. I’m not even talking caviar or truffle topped here, just a basic halved egg filled with the yolks and…
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Cajun Seafood Pot Pie
Time to celebrate Spring, Mardi Gras, and perhaps a Birthday! I celebrate the seasons along with the meteorologists. Spring begins on March 1 in my book, and no one usually argues the point. Of course, in Vermont, March, and even April for that matter, often looks more like winter than spring, but some years we…
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Roasted Baby Carrots with Pickled Ginger and Fresh Mint
Everyone in our family likes carrots, and I’ve made them a hundred ways! Here’s 101! This recipe of roasted carrots with a ginger mint topping is one of my favorites. Quick, easy, inexpensive, and you make use of the tops as well as the root, every inch of the healthful vegetable! This recipe was actually…
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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…
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Noodles with Tuna and Peas
Tastier and easier than that retro Tuna Noodle Casserole you may have grown up with (or not!). We have a vegan version too! I did not grow up with Tuna Noodle Casserole in our home. I guess my mother did not like it, or my dad! She loved egg noodles though, and usually served them…
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Love Your Heart Chocolate Pudding
You don’t have to compromise flavor to make a delicious chocolate dessert that is heart healthy and still says “I love you!” It’s fun to make a special treat on Valentine’s Day, but sometimes dietary restrictions can leave you scratching your head to make a dessert that is both delicious and healthful. After my husband’s heart…
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Potato and Carrot Soup garnished with a few memories
It’s still cold and icy, so it’s time for comfort soup. In this house, that probably means potatoes and usually soup. There’s both a shrimp and a vegan version! It’s been cold and icy, and February arrived this week reminding us that even though the sunlight is slowing returning, we are still sitting firmly in…
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Swiss Chard with Potatoes and Yellow-Eyed Beans
These New England staples combine for a memorable winter supper that is packed with flavor and nutrition. Our family’s favorite green in the garden when we were growing up was Swiss chard, and it remains one of my personal favorites to this day. In addition to being tasty, it is easy to grow, you can…
