And here we are. 2026! The beginning of January is a time to look forward, with a glance or two back in the rear-view mirror, but only just long enough to see if we need any course corrections. Do you make resolutions? I gave that up long ago, at least fastening my resolve to a…
Category: Breakfasts
How to make quinoa taste delicious!
Yes, it can be done! I wouldn’t steer you wrong. The first time I made quinoa, I remember not liking it very much. It tasted bitter to me, with a funny off taste. It’s such a nutritious seed, a complete protein with all the essential amino acids present, so for the vegetarians in the family,…
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We’ve waited for blueberry season all year, and we’re not disappointed now. Scones?
Blueberry Season. It’s a happy day indeed when our local blueberries come in. Nothing better than eating a half pint in the car on the way back from the farm stand, making a mental note that next time we’ll buy more. One should always remember not to go food shopping when hungry, but even if…
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It’s time for a snack, how about some Homemade Pita Bread and Muhammara Sauce, but no nuts please!
Nuts are delicious and nutritious, but sometimes we need to make modifications. We dined out recently with two of our beautiful nieces at a local restaurant, and for a shared appetizer we ordered the meze (mezze) plate. It was beautiful and bountiful, loaded with treats – tasty stuffed grape leaves, marinated feta, mixed olives, cucumber…
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A Bloody Plate even a Vegan will Love!
Blood Oranges are in season, let’s have fun with them! This is definitely a mid-February recipe, using beautiful root vegetables from our local farms, as well as the delightful citrus from the south that brightens up wintertime in all parts of the country. We need all the color we can get right now. Wake up…
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Corn meal mush you ask? It sounds funny, but you can spell it ‘polenta’ if you like.
When it all catches up with you, a plate of comfort is just what the doctor ordered! Perhaps Pearl Onions and Mushrooms over Corn Meal Mush? Sometimes we had it for breakfast when I was growing up. Corn meal mush. It is really delightful, especially if drizzled with a bit of real maple syrup or…
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Scrap Happy Planet: Stale Bread for the Banquet?
Once a month, we’re going to look at ways to reduce food waste and keep our planet happier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, over a third of everything we produce is tossed out, but we’ve rolled up our…
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Scrap Happy Planet: Frittatas and Omelets to the rescue!
Once a month, we’re going to look at ways to reduce food waste and keep our planet happier by using all those scraps that often end up in landfills and contribute to our environmental problems. The worldwide statistics are sobering, but we’ve rolled up our sleeves before to save these resources, and now’s the time…
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A week in the life of a dozen ear of corn!
Fresh corn on the cob is a ritual of summer and into fall in New England. From the first ear to the last, we are hooked whether eating it slathered in butter right off the cob, simmered in a chowder, creamed in a casserole, corn pudding, or soufflé, fried as a fritter, stuffed in a…
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Blueberry Season, finally. Let’s make some pancakes!
They have arrived, luscious blueberries in abundance, and we can’t wait for all the delights of the season. There will most likely be some jam for the pantry, a pie, muffins of course, and blueberry pancakes first off. Of all the dishes I served up for breakfast at the inn, the most frequently requested meal…
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Apple Rum Butter
Apple butter. A wonderful slow-cooked spread with a depth of apple flavor like nothing else. No, there’s no butter in apple butter, but the process of boiling down applesauce until the sugars in the fruit caramelize creates a smooth and creamy texture perfect for spreading on a hearty whole-grain piece of toast, or perhaps a…
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Whole Wheat Scones with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil
When you’ve been away, even just for a few days, it’s always nice to get back in the kitchen and make something healthful! When winter holds on, even a mild one like this year, we can get in a rut and realize we are staying in the house way too much. Even when the days…
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Welcome the New Year’s first light with a scrumptious Wild Mushroom Frittata
Flavorful, craveable, and yes, of course there’s a vegan alternative as well! The festive platters have been washed and put away. The last of the Christmas cookies tucked in the freezer for safe keeping. We’ve feasted and indulged, but now we want to start the year off on a more healthful note. But, of course,…
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Smoked Haddock Cakes with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
You can use any smoked fish here, they are all delightful. Pan- or oven-fried cakes of any sort are an economical way to stretch a pound of smoked fish, which can be on the pricy side these days. When I was growing up, smoked and salted fish of any type was cheap food to feed…
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Rosemary and Goat Cheese Scones
The weather has turned, and with a chill in the air and a fire in the hearth there might be the urge to take a bit more time cooking, or bake something tasty. Bread baking is always satisfying, whether yeasted or a quick bread. Sometimes as we prepare a meal there’s a feeling a little…
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Sunday Brunch Potato Crusted Quiche: Shhh, it’s Gluten and Dairy Free, too.
Don’t we love a traditional quiche? The flaky pastry filled with a creamy baked custard, cheese, and whatever little additions one might want. I first fell in love with this dish when my mom made Julia Child’s classic from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We probably watched Julia bake it on one of her…
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Roasted Ratatouille with Red Lentil Pasta
All of a sudden, you have too much of everything! This time of year, when the peppers, squash, eggplant, and tomatoes are staging their grand finale, and we feel like we have more than we can deal with, the urge to mix them all together is strong. Thoughts often turn to ratatouille. A humble peasant…
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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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Because sometimes we all need to be coddled.
Coddled eggs may have gone out of fashion, but they are always a delight. One of the last gifts my mom gave me was a set of egg coddler cups from Williams Sanoma. They were beautiful little treasures in Delft white with blue, which she knew I loved, with shiny stainless-steel tops. She thought my…
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Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread with Anise
Slightly sweet, beautifully textured, with the subtle fragrance of anise It is a frigid day, so a perfect time to bake bread and make soup. I needed to feed “Ginny Junior,” my sourdough starter, so bread making was definitely in the cards. Sweet and sturdy I wanted a sturdy loaf, whole wheat with a lot…
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My favorite leftovers!
We try hard to reduce waste in the kitchen, and planning for use of “leftovers” goes a long way to help! It can be a challenge to repurpose those leftovers hiding in the refrigerator. One can toss the remnants of yesterday’s casserole in soups, vegetables and grains in frittatas and omelets, and lots of leftovers…
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A Really Good Cup of Hot Chocolate!
December is here! In the north, that means you’ll need a good cup of hot chocolate, and I’m ready. After making snowmen and forts with my brothers on cold, blustery days, Mom would have steaming hot chocolate waiting for us! Nothing tasted better, and nothing warmed us more, beginning with our frozen…
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How to make an egg-white omelet that won’t send them sneaking off to the local diner…
We’ve all seen them, a pale white floppy omelet with little appeal and no flavor. But it is easy to remake a classic omelet that is satisfying and still heart healthy. Since my husband’s heart attack last year, we’ve been cautious about saturated fat and cholesterol in our diet. Cautious is probably not the right…
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Jan’s Parsley and Cheese Bread
This was one of my sister’s favorite bread recipes. Dear friends, I have been absent here for a while. Sadly, I lost my beloved sister Jan on the morning of Halloween after a brief and unexpected one-month battle with lung cancer. It still doesn’t seem possible she won’t walk through my door, and my heart…
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Scallion and Patty Pancakes
Right about now, you’ve probably got a lot of summer squash to use! Did you plant too many summer squash? Did your neighbor? At this time of year, summer squashes are bountiful so we’re digging out our recipes for ratatouille, roasted vegetables, zucchini bread and cakes, and any number of other dishes to use up…
