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 ...
Main Courses
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 ...
SUPER CHEESY LASAGNA WITH VEGETABLES
Oh, the poor underrated vegetable. Too often seen as an accompaniment to meat and fish, the vegetable is maligned by children (and some adults) who refuse to eat them, or even to take one bite. And to add insult to injury the secondary definition of vegetables is “a person having a dull or merely physical existence”. This is so unfair! Think about the smell of onions caramelizing in butter, imagine pizza without tomatoes, steak and potatoes without potatoes, chili without beans! My family will tell you that, while I am not a vegetarian, I do love all types of vegetables. And I love the ...
SALTIMBOCCA A LA MAISIE!
Just this past week my sister-in-law sent me an article about Grandmothers. Did you know that Human females are among the only animals on the planet who live for an extended period of time after their ability to reproduce has ended? And for this, humanity has reason to be hugely grateful to them. It seems that grandmothers, and their freedom to care for their daughters when their daughters become mothers, are in many ways responsible for the higher evolution of the human species. The gift of holding one’s tiny grandchild and sharing in the love of a family in the making needs to be ...
SALAD: A MANIFESTO
How many times have you heard it said that “women have issues with food”? I am calling baloney on that one. Women do not have issues with food. They have issues with a culture that implies (and sometimes outright states) that you need to be thin to be loved. I am telling you right now, as someone who has maintained her weight within five pounds for her entire adult life, that it’s not how you look in that dress that makes his eyes shine, it’s you in that dress that he is seeing. And if he doesn’t love you, you could be Marilyn Monroe and he won’t notice. Eat well because you like the ...
THE PINK BRUNCH, PART 2: LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE
I’ve never been a big fan of Lobster Mac and Cheese, mostly because I would rather just eat the lobster. On the other hand, I have never understood the absolutism of the “no cheese in a seafood dish” rule. I’ve watch Padma and Tom go nuts about this on Top Chef and it always seems like they have prejudged the dish based on the cheese and seafood combination. I have had many good dishes all around the world which pair the two successfully. So, if you are going to pair seafood with cheese, lobster mac and cheese would seem like a good way to go. When Abby suggested this dish for the baby ...
THE PINK BRUNCH, PART 1: WHOLE POACHED SALMON WITH LIME CILANTRO SAUCE
Emily is having a baby. My first granddaughter! And to celebrate, her sister, Abby, and I threw her a shower. Abby did the décor and I was in charge of the food of course. Emily is not the type to go for an overly “baby girl” themed party so we played down the pink in the décor. Instead we chose a woodland theme and I am so glad we did. Abby created a lovely centerpiece with flowers, birch bark vases and little moss animals. We draped the fireplace with a camellia leaf garland and spread some more flowers around the room. I know I signed on for the food but I couldn’t do ...
