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
Meat
Brussels Sprouts with Peppered Bacon
I know that there are plenty of dedicated Brussels Sprouts haters out there. I can see you, curling your lip and shuddering. But - don't go yet! If you are haunted by childhood memories of slimy little grey-green orbs of mushy sprouts - stay right here, and hear what I say - you have been mistreated by whoever tried to get you to eat them. Those Brussels sprouts? Those were your Mama's Brussels sprouts! Today, we are going to cook fresh Brussels sprouts and there is simply no comparison at all. ... Read More about Brussels Sprouts with Peppered Bacon
Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup
It has been one heck of a summer to be a gardener. To say the weather hasn't cooperated would be an understatement. Cold late, then no rain for weeks, then way too much rain, then cold early, bugs in Biblical sized mobs, and finally, blight on our tomatoes. We are more fortunate than a lot of people though, because we are just now seeing it, and we will get all the tomatoes we need. I have to credit our blight battling strategies for this, because some people started seeing a month ago. But, it ... Read More about Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup
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
Herb Grilled Chicken Thighs
This is my own version of a very popular local treat. A long time ago, a professor in the food science department at Cornell University, which is a stone's throw from my back door, created a recipe for a chicken marinade that remains a staple of chicken BBQ's and that everyone around here makes all summer long. You can find the original recipe just by googling "Cornell Chicken", but my version is brightened up quite a bit with fresher ingredients than Dr. Baker, the original inventor, used. And ... Read More about Herb Grilled Chicken Thighs
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