This all started because it was cold out. It was not supposed to be cold. Spring in Asheville usually comes on with a rush. You move from sweaters to sundresses in a day and never look back. But not this Spring. Oh no. It’s been nothing but going back. I bounce from Spring clothes to Winter and back again like the ping pong ball my cat plays with. Anyway, cold. Cold means comfort food. It calls for cheese and starch and carbs. It calls for potatoes. A jacket potato is what they call a baked potato in England. The classic British jacket potato is baked then topped with ...
COOKING WITH FRIENDS: OLD-SCHOOL CHEESE STRAWS
This is the first in a new series: Cooking with Friends. So much of cooking is about sharing the love. Travel with me to the kitchens of my friends and explore the food they love and love to share. Today I am in the spacious, sunlit kitchen of Rick Bell and Tom Watson, owners of Engadine Inn and Cabins, located just north of Asheville in the mountains near Candler, NC. The ingredients are lined up on the counter and the ovens are pre-heated. But before we start, Rick takes a moment to show me one of his prized possessions. It doesn’t look like much. Just a pile of clippings, ...
COCONUT CAKE FOR GRETCHEN
They called me on Thursday to tell me that my friend, Gretchen Huffsmith, was leaving the hospital and going into hospice care. Gretchen had been fighting pancreatic cancer for almost two years so we all knew what that meant. I thought of Gretchen on and off all weekend long. I remember the first time I saw her coming out of the kitchen at Honey Hill, the bed & breakfast she operated with her wife, Cheryl. Gretchen was tall with a wide smile and a gentle manner. Her short hair lay in wispy blonde curls on top of her head. I don’t know of anyone who didn’t love Gretchen from the ...
THINGS TO BE HAPPY FOR IN ASHEVILLE IN APRIL
Last Friday night I sat down with a glass of wine, my cat snuggled at my side, as I watched the news on TV. While this is usually a happy thing, this particular time it was not. Next door, my youthful neighbors had friends coming and going with loud clatters of door slamming and bursts of laughter and I thought, “What a sad stereotype I am: the older, single woman, her cat and her wine, alone on a Friday night”. But before I could sink too far down into self-imagined misery, my phone lit up with a question from a friend. Would I like to go to the theater the next night? I believe my ...
OVEN ROASTED ZUCCHINI WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE: HOMAGE TO THOMAS KELLER
“ZUCCHINI IS JUST A MAGNIFICENT VEGETABLE”—CHEF THOMAS KELLER I love Thomas Keller. Seriously, he may be my secret celebrity crush. I am taking an online course of his on MasterClass and his passion for the most simple of vegetables and the purest methods of preparation is just riveting. Mastery of a profession combined with sincere appreciation of its tools may be one of the sexiest things ever. So, I love Thomas Keller. Zucchini, on the other hand, I have mixed feelings about. It’s hard to rave about zucchini. We grow it (or at least some people successfully grow it). We cook it ...
Almond Croissants and More: The Easy Way!
It all started with Easter and Hot Cross buns. I was in Chicago with my daughter, Emily, and we spotted some sweet looking little Hot Cross Buns in a bakery shop window. We both said, “Awww” and then “Nah.” Because is there anything more disappointing than a Hot Cross Bun? They sound like they should be neat and special and, like everything else Easter, they should be worth the once-a-year effort. But in essence, Hot Cross Buns are just bread rolls with a little candied fruit and a dab of insipid icing. Re-imagining Hot Cross Buns has been a yearly quest of mine for ...
Last Days, First Days: Spicy Pickled Radish Crostini
Honestly, I didn’t think this day would ever really get here. Our inn in Asheville, The Carolina Bed & Breakfast has been my 24/7 job for almost 9 years. As if it was our child, food had to be put on the table at specified times and we had be on-call day and night to help if needed. No being late, no being absent. Finally in September of 2016 we put it on the market. After some initial slow going, we finally accepted an offer in November 2017. Selling a bed & breakfast is never simple and this one was a rollercoaster of a ride but here it is March 24, 2018 and I will be cooking my ...
Outrageous Cookies: White Cheddar Popcorn, Peanuts and Toffee!
Hey! Did you march with the women in January? I did. This year I was in Asheville. The march was a lot smaller than the one last year in DC but no less meaningful or heartfelt. And it meant a lot to me. 2017 was a difficult year for so many reasons. There was a pocket of true and unforgettable joy when my daughter got married but otherwise the year seemed and felt like an unending series of hard moments both on the national stage and in my personal life. Returning to march again with the women, children and men of Asheville renewed me and gave me energy to work towards a more ...
