With the river roaring and bridges failing in Vermont, it was a treat to get a letter from my friend Char Gardner. Years ago we cooked together, taught nursery school together and owned a weaving and spinning shop together. She and her husband live in Baltimore and although we haven’t seen each other in years we have reconnected with the help of technology. Char has a wonderful story to tell about the technology in her kitchen – an Aga cooker that I am delighted to be able to share with each of you. From Char:

My Improv Partner in the Kitchen

I was well over fifty with a lifetime of cooking under my belt before I ever had the opportunity to choose a cooker from scratch. All those years accepting whatever stoves came my way, in sixteen moves to apartments and houses, city to country and back again, not counting temporary quarters in makeshift kitchens from the Middle East to the Baltic, I was never conscious of pining for any particular brand or model. But when finally faced with an irreparable stove, I surprised even myself by declaring that all I wanted was an Aga.

Had I been influenced by a constant diet of British novels? … read more

What is it about chicken soup? There is a series of inspirational books titled Chicken Soup for the Soul, John Steinbeck mentioned it in East of Eden, Moshe ben Mainmon, a twelfth century Egyptian physician and philosopher, recognized it as a remedy for cold symptoms and his advice has been supported by evidence from a scientific study done at the University of Nebraska.

My resolution to cook simple food that tastes even better the next day and the first verse of Chicken Soup with Rice, written by Maurice Sendak and set to music by Carole King, inspired me to make my favorite chicken soup.

In January it’s so nice
While slipping on the sliding ice
To sip hot chicken soup with rice
Sipping once, sipping twice
Sipping chicken soup with rice.

Cooking chicken soup can be an all day affair but by beginning with chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken from the market, I had a full flavored, body-and-soul warming soup ready in less than an hour.  Here’s how I did it: … read more

Today is the thirty-fourth consecutive day with a rain shower, I spent the morning at the farmers’ market, setting things up, hiding from the rain, setting things up, drying things off, setting things up, running from a thunder storm and heading home.

The plan was to celebrate the Fourth at a potluck picnic with friends. Having run out of time, I decided to ‘cheat ‘ by doctoring canned baked beans. At the grocery store, I picked up a rack of spare ribs and and small head of cabbage along with the beans in case the picnic was the victim of yet another downpour. I got ready while the beans where baking, (heating) in the oven. You don’t need a recipe to doctor canned beans but here’s how I did it: … read more