Bold Holiday Flavors in a Vegetable Driven Dish!

Vegan, vegetarian, omnivore (and anywhere in between), we are all looking for memorable, flavorful dishes especially at holiday time. Plant-based dishes can be especially welcome, their fresh ingredients, vibrant flavors, and interesting textures are a welcome break from dinners laden with butter, meat and cream. This sunny combo of golden polenta with toasty-roasty cauliflower, snappy … Continued

Holiday Hacks!

  Go from hassled to happy this season with a few of these Holiday Hacks. Most important tip: Don’t do in two steps what can be done in one, and don’t do EVERYTHING yourself!   General Tips Stock up on great crackers, cheeses, meats, and condiments. They keep beautifully, ready to serve for last minute … Continued

Chestnuts… roasting!

  Chestnuts are the key to my grandmother’s Thanksgiving stuffing. How happy she would be if she knew that the chestnuts she once gathered from her back yard tree as a young bride, are what I’m roasting for her special dish. Our local chestnuts are deliciously creamy and sweet, and make the simple combination of … Continued

Halloween Magic – Turn Jack O’ Lanterns into Soup

To so many of us, pumpkins are for carving and lighting, or turning into pie. That’s a pretty limited role for this big, delicious vegetable that’s available through the Holidays.  Of all the uses for pumpkins, my favorite is soup, any and every kind of soup —  a creamy bisque sweetened with cider, spiked with … Continued

Back to the Grindstone

The toasty, yeasty scent of bread baking catapults me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen. There, as a child, I’d stand on a step and help her twist dough into a braided loaf or shape fist sized dinner rolls.  These days I find baking bread, actually, baking anything, to be as relaxing as it is … Continued

Local Tomato Season – It Doesn’t Have to End

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of sun-ripe, local tomatoes, but as the light begins to slant, I am looking beyond bruschetta for ways to enjoy every last bite. In this shoulder season, I’m looking for easy, quick recipes that celebrate the tomato’s unique flavors in pasta, on pizzas and gratins. Come January, I know … Continued