For everyone with a craft or a skill, there come moments when you view past work and creations with your more learned self and struggle to find acceptance of that work. Those moments come for me when I look at recipes I wrote five years ago. I’m five years more experienced, five years more trained, [...]
Wooden boats have an energy and a spirit that is comprised of the wood from which they are made and the hands that made them. It comes from the careful, skilled hands that shave curls of wood off an edge to make a perfect fit; an eye for sensuous, gentle curves that, when combined, create [...]
Normally I don’t go in for our nation’s fascination with faster is better. I’m as impatient as the next person (or maybe more so depending on who you speak with or the given day) but typically the 20 minute meal craze doesn’t excite me. Mostly because what is gained in speed can be lost in [...]
This was another question that was submitted about sourdough starters – related to a series of posts that happened in the winter of last year. I’ve added some of the original posts if you are looking for more information. I am storing my starter in the frig. I am using it about every 5 days. [...]
The unsettling, warm, gray rain continues to come straight down as our ground turns from fluffy white to matted green and the snow disappears amidst the wet onslaught. Days like this require something robust, creamy and comforting. The little people in our life have decided that rainy days always call for “Cheesey Soup,” as it’s [...]
In honor of the 6th annual Pies on Parade event, a fundraiser to benefit the local food pantry and fuel assistance programs, in Rockland this upcoming Sunday sharing a pie recipe with you seems fitting. This Berry Pie recipe is silky and luscious. Berry Pie Pie Crust 1 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs butter 2 [...]
I love how cookbooks, unlike other books, get written in. It somehow always felt a little naughty to use even a highlighter in my college textbooks, as I’d always been taught to take care of my possessions and definitely not mark up my books. But cookbooks are a different story. They are only enhanced and [...]
Here it comes. It’s that time of year, folks. The time when all gardeners, as much as we love the cozy, white blanket of snow that gives us a rest and protects our gardens from harsh ice, begin to miss the dirt. This year, between Rebecca and I, we did a good job of preparing [...]
On our weekend in Boston, I discovered the bookshelves of Emily, friend and author of Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, 102 New Recipes ~ A Memoir of Tasting, Testing, and Discovery in the Kitchen. She was kind enough to humor me when one book turned to a few and then [...]
Whole Wheat Walnut Bread 3 cups whole wheat flour 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon (1 package) dry yeast 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons molasses 2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter 1 tablespoon salt 1/3 cup dry milk 2¼ cups warm water 1 cup whole walnuts Combine both flours and the yeast in [...]
