A friend in Norway sent me this recipe. I sent it to Hunton who made it for his roommates, he pronounced it a winner. On his recommendation, I made it for a group of friends, definitely a winner. It is incredibly easy. No crust to make and roll out, no need to peel the apples, […]
Browsing Posts tagged Recipe
The heat this summer seems more oppressive than usual. It is hard to find the energy to do much more than the bare essentials. All spring I looked forward to summer bounty from the orchard and gardens and now it seems a bit overwhelming. Peaches still cluster on tree branches despite the bushels that have […]
The first week of July I spent a few days on the island of Vieques just off the coast of Puerto Rico. The rustic lodge was in the rain forest with the sound of frogs peeping lulled me to sleep and the chirping of birds wakened me. There I feasted on tropical fruits. Every morning […]
The annual Polish Picnic occurred in Ipswich a few weeks ago. My friend Ann Fessenden told me that she’d bought some galumpkis at the picnic. “What are galumpkis?” I asked. It turns out they’re Polish stuffed cabbage. I’ve actually made them a few times but not in many years and I just called them “stuffed […]
When I leave the office every day, I make a detour through the veggie room picking up some corn or tomatoes or berries. Whatever looks good. Thursday I found purslane bundles in the refrigerated case. I’d never heard of it. A brief research told me that it is a weed often used as a vegetable. […]
“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” Anonymous The planning and anticipation of travel is a pleasant and important part of a trip. This summer we will be spending a few weeks in Ireland. I’ve spent hours on the internet, have several books including the AA Ireland Road Atlas showing the […]
One of the difficult things about getting older is the number of friends and family that we begin to lose. Last week our dear cousin Marlene died after a brief illness. She was a stunningly beautiful blonde of a certain age (as the French say) who was a talented artist, fabulous cook, devoted wife and […]
The calendar says it is April, the lilacs are beginning to leaf out, the apple buds are swelling and our daffodils are in bloom. There are other signs of spring; Down River Ice Cream is has reopened, Periwinkle in Essex is open again and we’re getting flyers and emails telling us what shows are coming […]
A few weeks ago my sister visited from Michigan. Our usual breakfast is cereal but I thought I’d like to do something a bit nicer for one morning. I made a German Apple Pancake, a family favorite that I had put in the Grammy’s Kitchen cookbook. Unfortunately, I forgot to add the flour. We had […]
One of the best food discoveries from our trip to Stockholm was the dessert, Pannacotta. It is apparently an Italian dessert that is quite common but I’d never eaten it. It was so smooth and light and delicious that I kept trying it in different restaurants. Once home I was determined to replicate it. I […]
Once upon a time, say from the time I was born until my children left home, dessert was a necessary part of every dinner. It could be simple, cookies or some fresh fruit but more often it was pie or cake or some other confection and if it was buried in whipped cream, so much […]
In a few short weeks the orchard has been transformed. From rabbits standing on snow drifts nibbling treetops to trees loaded with tiny apples. Unfortunately full bloom occurred while we were visiting my sister in Michigan so we missed it this year. The orchard in bloom is a stunning sight. One day there are little […]
It’s a long time since I’ve made New Years resolutions. I never seemed to get past the first couple of weeks without breaking them. The past few years I’ve tried to spend some time on New Years Day thinking of the highlights and lowlights of the year. I’ve been so lucky that the highlights always […]
I learned to make pies by watching my mother and grandmothers. The pastry was a pretty straightforward affair, a three to one ratio of flour to shortening (ex: 1½ cups flour to ½ cup shortening) with just enough water to hold it all together, 2½ to3 tablespoons per cup of flour. Don’t work it too […]
“Did I ever tell you I like fish,” Max would say whenever we passed the fish counter in the supermarket. His way of suggesting we buy fish. I like fish but cooking it can be pretty monotonous. I can bake it or fry it but feel like it’s a bit boring. I have developed some […]
I’m embarrassed to say that I have lived in Massachusetts for 54 years and never eaten oysters— until the weekend before last. I was invited to celebrate my friend Sadie’s birthday in East Dennis on Cape Cod. Gail, another friend came up from Rhode Island where her son-in-law is an oyster farmer. She brought a […]
My desk at home sits in front of a big window where I can watch the orchard through the seasons. Now that it is November the trees in the front yard have a few brown leaves clinging to their branches while the apple trees beyond are still thick with leaves but they have turned yellow […]
One of the tasks my mother insisted every woman should know was how to cut up a chicken. Our Sunday dinner was frequently chicken that had been bought from a farmer on Saturday. Often it still had pin feathers to be plucked out and then it would be singed over the open flame of the […]
The sudden drop in temperature makes it perfect soup weather. Yesterday I made Creamy Cauliflower Soup from a recent Cooks Illustrated. It is good but the white color reminds me of the Cream of Wheat breakfast cereal that I used to make for the children. Not that appetizing. Most often I make soup with leftover […]
What I did on My Summer Vacation was often the first assignment of the school year when my children returned to their classes in September. I thought I’d make it the first blog of the school year even though I don’t go to school anymore. I just returned from eight days in Michigan visiting my […]
Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays and one that families of all faiths can embrace. Food is a major component and at this time every year I’m happy to stay in and cook. I don’t actually make the dinner anymore but I contribute something to the meal and even more, it starts me thinking […]
Julia Child probably had the greatest influence on my culinary aspirations and accomplishment. Last week was the 100th anniversary of her birth. Television and newspapers have been celebrating her life with a series interviews with people who knew her and reruns of her early French Chef shows. I’ve been thinking of how she changed my […]
After the frantic pace of September and October, I always think that November will be quiet. When it finally rolls around and I turn the page of my calendar, I see that it is not going to be such a laid back month after all. There was the Wine and Apple Festival the first weekend, […]
Hunton’s twelfth birthday was Sunday. Ten year old Cecelia and I were entrusted with baking his birthday cake. As is the custom in our family, the birthday honoree chooses the menu and the cake for the celebration. Hunton requested a three layer cake. He wanted the bottom layer to be a banana pecan cake, like […]
The abundance of fruit and the July heat is doing me in. I can’t keep up with all the recipes I had sworn to try this summer. I bought a freezer a few months ago and have been trying to freeze some of the bounty since it’s too hot for baking. I’m looking forward to […]
All Spring we anticipate the first strawberries. The season is so short that we feel like we need to eat them daily. This year, we had our first taste the day before we left for Maine. That meant we missed a week of the very short season. Once home I was determined to try all […]
We just returned from a week on Monhegan Island. I’d always wanted to visit the island so when Max joined a week’s painting workshop, it seemed like the ideal time. We had three days of rain and fog before the sun finally appeared. Once sun came out we could appreciate the wild flowers. They were […]
The winter has sped by. I managed to escape the apparently endless snow during my time in Portugal. I had mixed feelings about that, I like snow but I don’t like the cold gray days so Portugal was a great place to spend the winter months. Three months is a long time though and it’s […]
I seldom make pies anymore. I’m only cooking for two and if I have guests there are such wonderful pies available at the orchard bakery that it doesn’t make sense. Just before Thanksgiving I suddenly had the urge. I made cousin Marlene’s pastry recipe instead of my usual. It makes enough for seven crusts. I […]
Last weekend was the annual Apple and Wine Festival at the orchard with lots of special activities in addition to the wine tasting. I was asked to be one of the “celebrity chefs” and give a cooking demonstration. I chose to make miniature crepes filled with caramelized apples. They were fun to do and a […]
This hot weather has made cooking a challenge. Last night we celebrated our son Aaron’s birthday with dinner on the terrace. Steaks on the grill were no problem but I wanted to have everything else ready. The pea pods seem to be finished but there were some beautiful green beans from the vegetable garden, what […]
I don’t know where sugar snap peas have been all my life but now discovered I can’t get enough of them. I know that I’ve eaten them occasionally in Chinese food but had never cooked them. I’ve mentioned before the paucity of vegetables in my early life. Nearly every vegetable we ate came from a […]
Eating well and good nutrition have been a major focus for most of my life. Well, maybe I should amend that, eating well has been my focus and I’ve tried for good nutrition. Once upon a time, if it tasted good, it was okay. Over the years, as we are reminded continually by the media, […]
We had the first asparagus of the season last night. I’m afraid I broke my “strawberry” rule and didn’t wait until it came from our own garden. It was still delicious. Before moving to Massachusetts in 1960 the only asparagus I had ever eaten had come from a can. A mush green unpleasant vegetable. My […]
