vegetarian

I know, I know, the nineties called. They want their recipe back. Stay with me. We all remember–at least, those of us old enough to recall such things–the classic cheese/butter/sour cream/bacon versions of the stuffed baked potato. Delicious they are. But the world, to quote Stephen King out of context,…

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It is difficult to read a recipe title like “skirt steak with tequila, peppers, onion, and lime” and not think “fajitas.” It’s also not hard to think “this is one loong recipe title.” Let’s get the obvious out of the way, shall we? Skirt steak with tequila and friends is…

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Summer Squash Gratin

August 27, 2024

This morning a friend emailed. So, she said, you haven’t updated the blog for a while. Um, yeah. I know. Believe me when I say it wasn’t for lack of effort. Anyway, here we are. And here is a post. — Okay, so summer squash, which for today’s purposes encompasses…

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Hot weather foods

June 25, 2024

As I write, much of the Eastern United States is smothering beneath what climate experts call a “heat dome.” Rather than go into technicalities, know that heat dome basically means it’s extremely hot, with little relief in sight. Atop this, wildfires are burning in New Mexico and parts of California….

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Spinach and Potato Tian

March 16, 2024

Elizabeth David, writing in Is There A Nutmeg In The House, describes a tian as “an open earthenware casserole or gratin dish called in the Provencal language a tian….” David goes on to say there is no fixed recipe for a tian beyond using “a certain proportion of freshly cooked…

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Apologies for not posting. Acute tendinitis has limited my ability to work on the computer. — I love feta cheese, but I forget about it. I’ll buy some, wonder why I don’t use it more in my cooking, then forget it for another six months. Here, then, is my latest…

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Macaroni and Cheese–or Macaroni Cheese, if you’re a Brit–is a dish of infinite variety. A popular local restaurant menu offers Macaroni and Cheese with Enchilada Sauce, Mac n’Cheese “pizza style,” and, in perhaps the ultimate fusion dish, mac n’ cheese with Korean Short Ribs. Then there’s Nigella’s rightfully famed Mac…

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Warm Farro Salad

October 12, 2023

Today’s post, as the world burns, is about warm farro salad. Farro, otherwise known as emmer wheat, has yet to experience the ruinous fame that has struck tahini, quinoa, and miso. Instead of picturing ruinous fame, I give you this funnel on my kitchen windowsill. By “ruinous fame,” think foodie…

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Canned Tomatoes

August 22, 2023

  This is a long post.  I know some people dislike reading long posts, but this one discusses how to safely can tomatoes. If you will never can a tomato in your lifetime, feel free to look at the photographs. If you want to can tomatoes but find my blow-by-blow…

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Pesto

June 27, 2023

Pesto may have become more popular than is good for it. Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking A few years ago my husband offered to plant some kitchen herbs for me. “What would you like?” he asked. “Basil?” I responded tentatively. Three years later, the basil plants are merrily…

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