May 18th, 2011 / comments 6
My placid, morning routine of brewing a pot of tea, enjoying a cup of yogurt and a fresh scone while reading the newspaper changed last Thursday when Gracie came to live with us.
Busy, busy.
Gracie, a nine-week old golden retriever puppy, is many things, but placid in the morning is not one of them. … read more
August 9th, 2010 / comments 2
April 29th, 2010 / Comments 0
With Julia’s method, I was able to sauté mushrooms to add to omelets, soups, pastas, pizzas and more.
I made a mushroom soufflé for lunch to thank a friend who took care of my mail while I was away. We chatted about my adventures in Italy and her experiences with late winter in Vermont while the soufflé baked. A soufflé sounds complicated but it is just a seasoned white sauce lightened with egg whites that is baked. Here’s how I made it: … read more
January 28th, 2010 / comments 19
After I had decided to make egg salad to serve with tomato soup for a simple dinner, I discovered that there was no mayo in the fridge. Rather than hopping in the car and driving to the market, I decided that I had what I needed to make both mayonnaise and egg salad.
I had a dozen eggs from Thymless Herbs, a nearby farm in Bridgewater, Vermont. I could use one to make mayo and four to make egg salad. The egg shells ranged in color from creamy white to warm brown and shades of pale blue and soft gray green, more beautiful than eggs dyed for an Easter basket. Aracauna hens laid the blue and green eggs. It had never occurred to me that chickens had ears until Suzy Krawczyk, the farmer, explained that the color of each hen’s eggs matched the color of that hen’s ears. I find it nearly impossible to put the empty shells on the compost pile.
Mayo is an emulsion of oil suspended in the liquid of an egg, stabilized by lecithin in both mustard and egg yolks, and flavored with vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper.
With all of the ingredients in place, all I needed was a fork and a dinner plate to make mayonnaise.
Here’s how I made it:
August 23rd, 2009 / comments 3
When friends come for a visit and spend the night breakfast often goes on for an hour or two. We start with cups of tea and coffee, sharing the paper and considering how to spend the day. Breakfast is a cooperative affair, I cook, volunteers set the table and pour the juice, and conversation begins in earnest.
When making breakfast for more than two people, I’d don’t make a traditional breakfast like pancakes, French toast, or individually cooked eggs. Often I make a frittata, a savory Italian omelet, in a cast iron skillet. For breakfast when there are berries in the market, a Sweet Yorkshire Pudding is perfect.
A combination of eggs, milk, and flour, the batter is made in a blender or with an electric mixer and can wait until everyone is awake, showered, coffee’d and ready to eat before it is put into the oven to bake. Half an hour later – Breakfast is served.
Here’s how I made Sweet Yorkshire Pudding. … read more
August 14th, 2009 / comments 2
It has been a busy, busy week for me. We picked blueberries, I sold an oil painting, friends came for a short visit, the tree man came and took care of our huge sugar maple, I saw and loved Julie & Julia, I submitted my first newspaper article and am working on my first food magazine article.
All good things – some stressful. I’m trying to figure out how to balance the write, paint, cook, play, parts of my life.
My garden is lovely, (I’m not looking at the weeds), and was the source of potatoes, parsley, patty pan squash and squash blossoms, for a breakfast frittata before our friends, Annie and Andy, headed home.
The goat cheese, eggs, tomato and onion came from the farmers’ market – everything else I needed was in my pantry.
This is not a recipe with exact amounts or ingredients. Here’s how I made it: … read more
