Early summer is probably the busiest time of year for us. This year is no exception. We both have to work every day of course, but in addition to that, there is a ton of stuff to do to get the gardens in shape. Larry moved the entire vegetable garden last fall, to rest the old space for a couple years with cover crops. So he is even busier than normal making sure it is ready to plant. In addition, he had to throw together a brood house because one of our hens decided she wanted to hatch some ... Read More about Chipotle Maple Chicken
Main Dish
Cheesy Quinoa Veggie Bake
Comfort food. What that means to us is probably dictated by where we grew up, what our families enjoyed and what we have come to love over the years. It's different for every person. I think that for those of us here in the States, and likely in other countries as well, macaroni and cheese is pretty universally considered to fall into the comfort food category. I know it does for me, anyway. But mac & cheese is carby and as we get older, carbs have an annoying habit of wanting to stick ... Read More about Cheesy Quinoa Veggie Bake
Chicken Stroganoff
This Chicken Stroganoff reminds me of being back in college, living in a big house with a bunch of other people, where we all took turns cooking for each other. Though the results were sometimes on the dubious side, it was always interesting. Dishes that featured wine and sour cream were highly featured on the menu rotation for some reason, a trend that was not at all a bad thing in my opinion. And while Greek yogurt is a trendier ingredient these days, I still prefer sour cream in recipes like ... Read More about Chicken Stroganoff
Chuck Steak Chili
Did you know that today is National Chili Day? I am not sure who decides these things, but as was the case with National Margarita Day last Saturday, I am a pretty big fan of this one. Chili is one of the reasons that I can and freeze as many stewed tomatoes as possible every fall. The work seems lighter when I concentrate on pots of bubbling tomato-ey goodness to come, instead of the fact that Larry just brought in yet another 5 gallon pail of ripe tomatoes. I make a lot of different kinds of ... Read More about Chuck Steak Chili
Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
Ah, January! Cold, windy, snowy, bitter. You make me want to hunker down and pull a pile of warm blankets over my head for a few weeks. Unfortunately such behavior is frowned upon in our modern world - even if you do claim to be a hermit. That is where meals like Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust come in - it makes even the coldest person want to climb out of their blankets and come to the table and enjoy a warming meal. You can, of course, top a pot pie with a normal pastry type ... Read More about Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
Orzo Stuffed Zucchini
Orzo Stuffed Zucchini I think in a good growing year, every gardener experiences "the zucchini that ate Manhattan" syndrome. You know - you go out there and pick your squash every day, because you know, to get more nice little squashes, you have to make sure you don't have any gargantuan squashes. Letting summer squash get too big signals to the plant that it's time to make sure that the squashes they have are all that they can be - they put their energy into growing canoe hulls instead of ... Read More about Orzo Stuffed Zucchini
Kale & Spicy Sausage Soup
Finally! We have some nice warm, spring weather. Time to get out in the yard and garden and really get to work. As my grandmother used to say, we've been so busy that "our shirt tails haven't touched us all day!" There's no happier busy in the world, but it still leaves me feeling kind of lazy about cooking at the end of the day. Which is why I love making soup - especially a lively one like this Kale & Spicy Sausage Soup. I like getting everything in the pan, and then both of us getting to ... Read More about Kale & Spicy Sausage Soup
Turkey and Pesto Stuffed Sweet Peppers
During high school, and for a few years after, I worked on and off at a local Italian restaurant. I was mainly a scullery maid and pizza maker, but I also did stints as a waitress and bar tender - it was a small family place, and they made sure to get their money's worth out of the help. It was also a fairly fun and relaxed atmosphere, with one of the perks being that the owners fed us at no charge, often sending me home with a free pizza at the end of the night. They also ran specials certain ... Read More about Turkey and Pesto Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Chorizo Macaroni and Cheese
This time of year, I starting shifting how I cook. Cocktail hour on the porch requires a jacket and shoes, and something delectable baking in the oven is nice when we finally wander back into the house. We go from grilling and salads to something along the lines of comforting cheesy casseroles with combos of pasta, veggies and whatever protein is close to hand. This past weekend, the protein was chorizo. Chorizo is sausage, Spanish, Portuguese and Mexican in origin. There are different ... Read More about Chorizo Macaroni and Cheese
Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
The stream of ripe tomatoes that ends in my kitchen is starting slow down now. I always have mixed feelings about that happening. On one hand, I'm heartily and truly tired of doing up tomatoes for this coming winter. I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 65 quarts of various forms of tomatoes, from sauce and stewed, to diced, to concentrated tomato paste and various soup bases. The nightmares of being chased by 5 gallon pails of tomatoes have just about ended, and my hand that was frozen ... Read More about Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil