Certainly when the girls and Jon gifted me with a greenhouse for Mother’s Day last year, this is not what I was hoping for when I walked to the back of the house one recent blustery day! The winds blow so hard on our property that securing this house to the ground somehow becomes a [...]
My sewing machine whirred away for a while this Christmas season in an attempt to give small, meaningful gifts from the heart rather than the pocket book. These coasters were one such gift and I’ll be posting about others over the next few months. For those who have sailed on the Riggin already, the striped [...]
Ahh, the sounds, sights and smells of spring – Maine windjammer style. The constant drone of a sander, the bustle of crew trekking into the house on a cloud of sanding dust and the pungent odor of paint thinner wafting through the air. Blowing paint dust buggers, chapped and hardened hands, Carharts so dotted with [...]
My first pair of socks – that are actually both the same size – knit this summer on the Riggin in between stirring stew and rolling pie dough. The bamboo yarn is yummy on my toesies and was really easy to work with. My only question is should I have used thread to reinforce the [...]
Cranberry-Almond Biscotti A passenger of ours, Lauren Hubbell, gave this recipe to me. To dress them up a bit, dip one end of the biscotti into melted semi-sweet chocolate and place on waxed paper to cool. Biscotti are crunchy and store well. They’re excellent for dipping into coffee, hot cocoa, or whatever you’d like. 2 [...]
Focaccia We usually have focaccia at some point during the week on the boat. I make it with several of the toppings, below, for lunch, or as an accompaniment to an entrée. 1 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast 1 tablespoon salt 5 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons olive oil Cornmeal for dusting [...]
Sigh. The sails are now in the barn after a m0rning that graced us with sunshine and breeze – perfect for drying sails that had just been soaked by a big front that flew through a few days ago. A little too much breeze for the boat at the dock, but hey, things are dry [...]
Summer Vegetable Strata 12 slices of day old or dry French or Italian Bread, cut in 1/2-inch slices 1 clove garlic, slightly crushed 5 large eggs 2 cups milk 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 cup loosely packed fresh chopped basil leaves 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 [...]
Pot roast has to be one of my all time favorite meals. From the simplest cuts of meat, comes the tenderest, melt-in-your-mouth meal. Yankee Pot Roast with a Rich, Healthy Gravy 1/2 cup flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3-4 pound chuck roast or [...]
Squash and pumpkins come in a myriad of shapes and sizes some endearing and some impressive. Some pretty or cute and some, well, just downright ugly. No matter about what they look like on the outside though, because it’s the flavorful inside that counts. The seeds and the flesh. I find that many squashes can [...]
