The other day as I was struggling to take a good picture of my homemade pea soup I realized that winter food is a lot like winter: a lot of it is brown and dreary looking. This is not to say that winter does not have its delights. There are warm and cozy evenings indoors by the fire. The first snow. The night sky on a cold and clear evening when the stars shine bright. And of course, the smell of something cooking long and slow on the stovetop with its promise of a delicious meal to come. And thinking about that, I decided not to get too fussed about the fact that pea soup is ...
Main Courses
TOP CHEF DINNER: LAMB BURGER PROVENCAL
All credit for this recipe goes to Chef Hubert Keller. A number of years ago, I went to Las Vegas with my daughters to celebrate Abby’s 21st birthday. Full disclaimer, this was her choice: like many others I know, I was skeptical that Las Vegas could be any fun. I was so wrong! One of the first things we found out when we got there was that it is kind of foodie paradise. In walking around through the malls and hotels we kept tripping over the restaurants of some of our favorite chefs. We had made reservations, of course, for our dinners but it was lunch that was the big ...
FINDING BALANCE IN JANUARY: CRAB CAKES WITH MANGO SALSA
I always called January “The Month of Atonement”. In the past I have viewed the start of the new year as a time to deprive myself as a means of repenting for the excesses of the December holiday season. But this year as the words slipped casually out of my mouth, I found myself wondering what was the sin I was atoning for? Christmas and New Year’s (to a lesser extent) are holidays of joy and celebration. All the feasting and partying with friends and family, the sharing of foods as gifts and offerings, are acts of love and happiness. This not something to atone for. This year I am ...
The End of the Holidays: Turkey Hash
I love the holidays. I love the decorating and shopping, the mess and the clutter and the sheer busyness of it all. And then I love taking it down, putting away the ribbons and bows, the green and red, sweeping up the pine needles and tossing out the faded flowers. Included in all of this, of course, is ridding one's refrigerator of the remnants of the year-end feasting. In our house we always make sure to have a big enough turkey (or goose) to have left overs. Next day turkey sandwiches are required! And after that it might be time for soup or, if there is enough, my real ...
A HOLIDAY DISH FOR WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE TIME (BUT IT NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE YOU DO!) MAPLE BROWN SUGAR BAKED HAM
If you are like me, your holiday shopping is barely finished (or not even), you have 200 presents to wrap, regular work to do and people keep asking you out to fun events. And to top it off, family is arriving and you want them to feel loved and cared about but you don't have time. If you had a recipe that made it look like you took extra time over the meal (even if you didn't) you would use it, wouldn't you? Presenting Maple Brown Sugar Glazed Ham. Key to this recipe is two things, the ham and a gallon of fresh apple cider. I used to search all over for the ...
HOLIDAY PARTY PASTA: ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLI, SAUSAGE AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS
The occasion was my book club’s Christmas party. We would each bring a book for a gift exchange and a dish for dinner. Now I call this “my” book club but it’s barely that. I had only been to two meetings and was not at all sure I would go to the party. But they are such warm and friendly women and so inclusive that I wanted to go, and I wanted to bring something festive. This pasta dish with its bright green broccoli and Christmas-red peppers was perfect. It can be made the day before and eaten hot or cold. Before I get into the food, let me say a little bit about the book ...
TREE TRIMMING DINNER: SPICY BAKED BEANS
This year my oldest daughter, Sarah, came over to help me trim my tree. I am lucky to have her live nearby and to have her help and support. We sorted through the boxes of ornaments, removing those which had been given to her so that she could take them home and laughing over memories of who picked which ornament at our yearly summer outing to the beach-side Christmas store. And I told her the story of this little fairy, who appeared on the tree when Sarah was just a year old. She had a rolled up note in her hand with the gift of a weekend's babysitting from my mother and a trip ...
FRENCH ONION SOUP
It’s cold out there. People are talking about snow, some with delight and some with dread. Here in Asheville we are in the freezing cold rain season. My backyard and driveway are a mud pit big enough to handle a herd of hippos. This calls for something warm, with cheese, and carbs. In short, it calls for French Onion Soup. I got this recipe from a friend of mine almost 50 years ago. It’s been a family favorite for a long time and is our traditional Halloween night dinner, good enough to tempt children away from a bag of goodies and also make tired parents happy. It’s not hard to ...
COOKING WITH FRIENDS: BUFFALO CHICKEN MACARONI AND CHEESE
It’s hard to believe that I am sitting at my desk in the library of my new home! In front of me is a huge window which looks out on the front of my house. It’s 4PM and the sun is pouring in the other window to my left while Peat, my cat, sleeps on the sofa behind me. It is almost a year ago exactly that I started working on the design and layout of the renovation, nine months since we started the demolition and one week since I met the movers at my front door. Three days ago this room was piled high with boxes. My daughter, Abby, and I spent most of Saturday opening, shifting, sorting ...
Butternut Squash and Chicken Chili Because It’s Fall Y’all!
I had lunch the other day with some friends from England and we found ourselves talking about the long days of summer and the equally long nights of winter in that country. While they were all about loving the July and August evenings whose extra daylight hours keep the day alive until late in the night, I prefer the early darkness of fall and winter which gives me permission to sink into the cozy laziness of pajamas, tv and evening relaxation. For someone who enjoys the change of seasons so much, September and October were tinged with sadness for me when I lived in the tropical heat of ...
