Is it possible to make scalloped potatoes taste better? Making a good pan of scalloped potatoes takes some patience, but not a lot of hands-on work. It takes a good hour and a half, plus maybe longer, to bake, and more time to rest and set up. But there’s lots to be done while playing…
Grilled Corn & Black Bean Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
‘Tis the season of abundance! Don’t you love a salad that’s a whole meal? In summer, the fewer times I put on the stove, the better. We love to barbeque, even if it is just tossing a veggie burger on the grill for a few minutes. Vegetables can star in many meals, even as a…
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Summer Cantaloupe Soup, or is that a Muskmelon?
We wait for them all year, and they are well worth the patience. It’s a pleasure indeed when we pick up that first heavy cantaloupe of the season! They always feel twice as heavy as they should be, and a little whiff at the stem end gives you a preview of what is to come….
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Phyllo Nests with Blueberries and Lemon-Lavender Cream
Light, refreshing, and guilt-free. Did I say tasty? It’s blueberry season, and we’re having a really good year here! The surplus of these gems always gets me excited, and although my absolute favorite way to eat them is right out of hand, it’s fun to dress them up. Lots of blue memories Blueberries have a…
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The taste of the Sea, with a little curry to flavor it up!
This curry can be made with whatever seafood you find locally! Here, we’ve used wild caught sustainable New England fish and shellfish from the cold northern waters of the Gulf of Maine. When I make a seafood curry, you know company is coming. Let’s get together! We’ll cook. Recently, we were delighted to have a…
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Everyone Wins: Grilled Summer Vegetables with Two Sauces!
It’s a feast in itself, and everyone gets to choose their favorite veggies and sauce. Happy Days! So, there was a break in the weather. It has rained here in Vermont for over three weeks, and everyone has seen the terrible consequences of that with flooding throughout our beautiful little state. There are still road…
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Did you say Snickerdoodles?
New Englanders love to give silly names to simple dishes, just for the sake of saying them! My granddaughter asked to make snickerdoodles the other day. She asked me multiple times, using the word as much as possible because it is really lots of fun to say. “It should be a grandmother to make snickerdoodles…
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Hot Soup in Summer? Of course, especially if it’s rained for two solid weeks.
Lentil Soup with Kohlrabi and Swiss Chard The weather has been brutal in Vermont. The devastating flooding in our dear little state this week has left most of us is dismay at the massive property and land damage, destroyed buildings and roads, a landscape changed by towers of rushing waters. Anyone who has watched the…
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Ginger Spiced Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
It’s that wonderful time in Vermont when we feel like we have everything at our fingertips. The tables at the farmers markets are filled with color and texture. The little farm stands, often self-serve, that are dotted around the back roads hold just about everything one might need from raw milk to locally raised honey,…
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For those of you who love Goat Cheese, and especially for those who don’t.
This nibble is lunch, or supper, or a very quick first-course for a casual dinner party. Or slip into goat cheese quietly with a flavorful retro-inspired cheese ball, perfect for the Fourth of July celebrations. Half of our family loves goat cheese, and half do not. In fact, a couple put it on their terrible,…
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Baked Tofu with Ginger & Orange over Scented Jasmine Rice
Ginger and orange are lovely flavor companions. They are also quite a pretty color! Tofu usually appears on our table once a week, in some form. I might marinate it, fry it, add it to smoothies or sauces, accent miso soup, or even dress it up for dessert. I have a couple of favorite week-night…
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Baked Sockeye Salmon with French Mustard and Yoghurt
Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is in season right now with its dark red flesh and full flavor. In fact, sockeye salmon is considered to be the most flavorful of wild salmon. In season from mid-June through July, it is a popular summer barbeque fish, and frequent star of wedding feasts. The harvest of these fish…
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Summer Solstice Strawberry Crunch Cake
Strawberries. Sweet, luscious, red through and through strawberries. They herald the summer season of fruits, and do so delightfully as we move to the longest day of the year. Happy Summer Solstice! Here we are at the longest daylight of the year, which means twilight here until nearly 9:30 p.m., tons of fireflies, and I’m…
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Chicken (or Mushroom) Medallions in White Wine with Wild Mushrooms
We have three options here, including two vegan: local chicken but more heart healthy than my mom’s original, mushrooms replacing the chicken, or tofu replacing the chicken. All delicious, so take your pick. My mother’s version of this dish used a whole cut-up chicken or thighs, all parts skin on and bone in, lots of…
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Cookbook Confidential: “Nothing Fancy,” by Alison Roman
My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them, and review them. Then, you decide if the book is worth you…
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Snow Peas with Brown Butter and Miso
This is a 10-minute side dish from start to finish that tastes and looks like you fussed! Peas are precious in Vermont, the growing season being quite short. But, during those fast and furious weeks of harvest, we have more than we know what to do with! We eat them raw, we turn them into…
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Brown Rice Risotto with Peas and Potatoes
A celebration of the beautiful spring pea, with a healthful twist on my regular recipe, and full of flavor! When the peas start coming fast and furious, we’re all happy. Few vegetables are more perfect and versatile as the pea, and none more fleeting in its season, all the more reason to cherish. The sugar…
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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
The Spring Song in Vermont! When the rhubarb hits the farm stands, you know the first strawberries will be close behind. The two spring treasures are a perfect balancing act – the berries sweet and vibrant, the rhubarb tart and sour. The good news is that both the strawberries and the rhubarb freeze beautifully, so…
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Light and Lively Grilled Oysters
Once you get them shucked, this is as simple as it gets, and memorable for any gathering! May is the month of my mother’s birth, her death, Mother’s Day, and, of course, here we are in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend, my thoughts turning to all of those who are no longer here: my…
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Grilled Shrimp with Ginger, Lime, and Garlic, and Sesame Baby Pak Choi
Quick, delicious, healthful! Our farm stand had some lovely new baby pak choi (bok choy, Chinese cabbage) this week, and I knew I had to build a meal around it. It is extremely nutritious, delicious, and easy to grow, especially in cold climates. A great source of fiber, antioxidants, Vitamins C and K, zinc, and…
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Maine Crab Fritters with Potato Chip Crust and Horseradish Sauce
Had you at the potato chip crust, right? These could be a lovely little starter, or a fun addition to a party buffet. Not quite as fussy as a crab cake, easier to cook, but still filled with crab flavor. A cup of good crab is better than gallons of preservatives I’ve used the meat…
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Cookbook Confidential: “Oh She Glows for Dinner”
My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them, and review them. Then, you decide if the book is worth you…
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New England “Featherbeds,” an old fashioned Potato Roll with a New Attitude
Light and fluffy, full of flavor, and the secret is the potato boiling water! When I was a kid, my mom made bread most weekends. The rest of the week, we survived on the grocery store loaves. But her breads were always delightful, the stuff of memories, and the smell of loaves baking always takes…
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Those Funny Little Fiddlehead Ferns Play Nicely with other Spring Treasures
Fiddlehead ferns are a ritual in the northeast, and with a fleeting season, you have to be quick. From my youngest childhood, I remember foraging fiddlehead ferns with my Uncle Leonard. The appear only for a few weeks, and then become the beautiful fronds of the ostrich fern that greens our woodlands. They are delicious,…
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Finally, we have asparagus! Now, let’s make some mayonnaise.
They’re here, and what a glorious season it is in the north! That first bite of fresh local asparagus is like a gift from the heavens. There are certain vegetables I only eat when they are in season. I’ve learned disappointment is likely to follow if I’m tempted to buy corn on the cob or…
