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Spring is incurably fickle. She teases us into believing she's really arrived, with a few days of sunshine, a pop or two of daffodils and tulips, then, WHAM! A blast of cold air, a cloudburst, and gloomy, gray skies. But my silver lining in a rainy spring day is that it begs for soup to be made. I never need an excuse for sou
Yep, I did it. I said I was going to and I did. And making challah wasn't as difficult as I imagined. I read and re-read the recipe. I never hardly left the kitchen. After I got the three ropes ready (I was just going for the basic three rope braid. We can save the six rope braid for another, bolder day.) and made my braid, it looked so pretty.I have to admit that, all in all, it was ju
There has to be a first time for everything and I just made my first focaccia. Buoyed by my conquest of pizza dough, I was even more determined to overcome my fear of yeast and move on to bread. If there was a Scoville scale for bread, I'm thinking focaccia would be on the next rung up.When I pulled my first focaccia out of the oven, it looked like the surface of Mars. Oh, but the aroma! The piney
I read a blog a few weeks ago about naming foods and it really struck a chord with me. The writer (forgive me, please, that I really can't remember whose blog it was) went on a minor rant about how we -- that would be bloggers and anyone else who writes about food, creates recipes, writes menus, etc., etc. -- have a tendency to assign a dish a nationality just because of one ingredient,
If you've never taken a cooking class, you really should. I'm not talking about the department store demo. I mean the put-on-your-apron, get-your-knife-chopping cooking class. Just a lot of fun. And even if you're a veteran in the kitchen, you're bound to learn something.I recently visited my daughter who lives in Tampa. It had been months since I'd seen her and it was a very sunny bre
I've been keeping a secret for a few months . . . . not a really big secret (Like my book is coming out next month! -- I wish!)It's just a little secret . . . . I've been teaching a neighbor boy how to cook. He just turned 8, but he was 7 when we started last summer. Every two weeks, he comes to my house after school and we cook together for a couple hours in my little kitch
I go through food phases once in a while. Or maybe they're kicks. I don't know. I just know that every once in a while, I latch onto one particular food and cook the death out of it. There was the bean phase -- cannelini, black, pintos, garbanzos. And then peppers: jalapenos, poblanos, serranos, up and down the Scoville scale. And we can't forget the squash phase.Now it's fennel's turn
I'd say these pops were kid pleasers, but -- frankly -- I don't know many kids who are cheesecake lovers. In fact, I've learned that there really are -- I shudder to think! -- people in the world who don't like cheesecake! And I've met quite a few people who don't like peanut butter.I have, however, met very few people who don't like love chocolate. Milk, dark, Dutch, semi-swe
Over Christmas, my sister, who never seems to visit without bearing gifts, whatever the time of year, brought me some great little -- literally little -- bananas. Two bunches. One regular yellow colored; the other bunch, red. They were about half the size of
If you had any notion of losing weight as one of your New Year resolutions, maybe you should stop reading. On the other hand, you probably have great will power and can read on, bookmark the recipe and save it for a later day. (Valentine’s Day dinner, perhaps?)Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese has to be one of the most decadent comfort foods any chef ever dreamed about. I have to admit, when I first hea
I'm childishly in awe of spaghetti squash. It's almost magical how the squash so easily shreds into pasta-like strings. I can imagine an infomercial with a very loud and aggressive host displaying the wonders of the squash and me, all wide-eyed and open-mouthed, gasping, "Wow! That really works! Looks just like spaghetti! I'm really amazed"!Like substituting mashed cauliflower for pota
I never imagined that I'd be making soup from nuts -- I always thought of nuts as an additive, a very nice additive, but not the main part of anything, except for snacking. (And maybe my favorite pistachio ice cream.) But I've learned that chestnut soup is a very traditional fall soup, and a staple at many a Thanksgiving table.It's a great soup. It's rich, smooth and creamy, without cream. I
Cabbage gets a pretty bad rap, in my humble opinion. It's often relegated to a back seat or it's dressed in a some kind of soupy disguise. Sometimes it's just filler. I admit it doesn't smell great when it's cooking, but its healthy attributes overshadow that one minor flaw.But it's the star in a couple of my favorite comfort foods, stuffed cabbage and New England boiled dinner. And I love c
A local radio station says, "Summer ain't over till we say it's over!" Same goes for my garden.The leaves are turning, the days are shorter, the air is brisker, but the garden was still churning out a few tomatoes and peppers.But all the tomatoes and peppers have been sauced, pureed, chopped, jarred, jellied, frozen or consumed. Just a few stragglers were left. These last few
I've been keeping a secret: All summer long I've been making ice cream, almost once a week. (And, believe me, I have the extra poundage to prove it.)For Mother's Day, my daughter Amy gave me the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and I've had a ball experimenting. I think of all the desserts in the whole wide world, ice cream -- well, well-made ice cream -- has to be the best
We'll be leaving for a Maine vacation shortly and I'm very excited about it. I've never been there and it's a trip that's been on my bucket list. (So is Italy -- Tuscany, Naples, Amalfi, Palermo, I don't care. Soon.)And is it just coincidental that in recent weeks a couple blogs I frequent wrote about their trips to Maine? Joy the Baker enjoyed a schooner trip (and lobster) and
Who leaves just one cookie on the plate? What difference is that little bitty piece of sweetness going to make to your waistline when you've already had more than your share? Who leaves just one cookie!?!Mr. Rosemary does.An incurable late night snacker with a sweet tooth, he is. He's mindful of what he eats all the rest of the day, but late at night, catching up on whatever golf, tennis
It seems that everywhere I've looked this past week or two I found yet another version of a tomato pie -- with corn, with bacon, with ricotta, with spinach, with cheddar, with mozzarella. They all sound wonderful.I'm up to my earballs in tomatoes and I've canned many a pint (perfect for a twosome) of a roasted tomato sauce and eaten many a tomato sandwich. (Or "sammich" as my friend insists on say
Dear Julia,So sorry I missed the big party. Looked like quite the celebration! I meant to come, but life got in the way, Blogger has been giving me fits, and, well, I just couldn't make it. There were so many lovely tributes I read, though, I knew you wouldn't miss my not being there.Still, your 100th birthday! That sure is something. I was remiss in not returning my RS
There are few things that scream "August!" more loudly than corn and tomatoes. They're ripe and plentiful and at their absolute best at this time of year. Is there anyone who doesn't love biting into a freshly cooked ear of corn? (Excluding those wearing braces on their teeth.)For me, the same goes for tomatoes. While I was picking the first of my new tomatoes in the garden
These elegant appetizers are in the "impress the boss" league. The fact that they're so easy to prepare puts them in the "no brainer" category, too. A double whammy.It was hard to resist eating them as I was assembling them, and it is much more an assembly job than a bona fide recipe. Smoked salmon is a rare treat for me and something I usually reserve just for company. I have to admit,
One of my secret indulgences -- and one I know I share with better than half the world! -- is chocolate chip cookie dough. Any cookie dough. It's a childhood affliction I've never outgrown. So I was a very easy mark when it came to falling in love with "The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook" by Lindsay Landis. Imagine -- an egg-free cookie dough that you can eat raw (practically) guilt-free
There's nothing like a good healthy competition. (Ask my online Scrabble buddies.) But I know for sure I'm losing the battle for the blueberries with the birds. They're definitely winning. And no strategy I can think of -- not even Mr. Rosemary's BB gun -- is keeping them away. It's a race and the early bird is beating me to the berries.We've tried netting, but we didn't do it the "right" wa
When I first had this salad a few years ago, I was so intrigued. "Combining watermelon and feta and olives and onions and mint!! Wow! That's different," I said to myself. Or maybe I said it out loud. Either way, I found it unique.It was my stepdaughter who brought the fixings for this salad for a visit one weekend. She had just got a new cookbook by&nbs
Some people love to make bread as a great stress reliever. They wax poetic about the feel of the dough, the smell of the yeast, the rhythm of the kneading. It's not that I don't believe them but I'm not a very successful bread baker. Just ask Mr. Rosemary. But cook I can. And I get what I imagine is that kind of bread-making nirvana (is it like a runner's high?)
I can't take credit for the title of this post; that flash of creativity comes from Parsley Sage of The Deep Dish and her comment on my last post when I announced we were headed for a week of fishing in Canada, catching, cooking and eating walleye every day, for seven days in a row.She christened it Fishapalooza and I loved it. And so it shall now be.Fishapalooza 2012 was unli
When I return from our annual fishing trip in northern Ontario, I'll be sharing some more pictures like this. The big difference is that I'll be taking them with my new Canon Rebel, (I'll add a recipe or two for walleye, too.)Nothing like fresh catch of the day, every day. For seven days in a row.
What do you get when you cross bread pudding with french toast and throw in a cheese blintz? If you add some blueberries, you get this Blueberry Breakfast Strata. She wasn't the prettiest girl at the prom, but she had a good time.An overload of both bread in the pantry and a freezer full of blueberries from last summer's bounty inspired me to find something to do with them.
Although I don't think I've ever met a soup I didn't like -- at least, not yet! -- my two all-time favorites are wedding soup and this soup, pasta e fagioli. When I learned that Mr. Rosemary also loved pasta e fagioli, I was in heaven. I think part of my affection for it is that it just sounds so very authentically Italian!He told me that it was his favorite lunch at a restaurant he often we
Have you looked at The Food List Challenge? Just a fun little game to see how adventurous a food enthusiast you really are. I thought I was, and I guess I am, if you compare my "stats" to the average joe. I've eaten 64 out of the 100, but I sure never would have put some of them on my personal food bucket list! Some of my answers were borderline
Mr. Rosemary is and always will be my biggest fan and best critic. He is the litmus test for everything I make. He tolerates well my constant experimentation and insistence that we need a varied repertoire of food, that we need to try new things, instead of only his perennial favorites. Which brings us to rice.Although rice is a staple in three quarters of the world,
Is tempting fate the same as changing destiny? Sometimes, I get the feeling I've just got to change something that seems to be destined. Guess I better explain. . .When I was interviewing for one of my first jobs (way back) I had to complete a psychological profile/aptitude test. I was applying for a mid-level management position (and I think they didn't even administe
I first shared this a year ago -- to celebrate St. Joseph Day. I had fully intended to post a new recipe, a variation on this same theme, but . . . .* * * * * Poor St. Joseph! His feast day gets totally eclipsed by St. Patrick. Two days after green beer and corned beef and people still must need to recover!St. Joseph’s feast day is March 19 and I have such fond childhood memories o
A salad is a salad is a salad, right? Wrong. There are so many possibilities beyond the ubiquitous mixture of greens and veggies topped too often with a bland dressing of some sort! Salads really deserve more of a chance at center stage or at least a great supporting role, instead of a mere walk-on part.I nominate this orange and onion salad for an award for best
What do you get when you let brown sugar and orange marmalade mingle with Cajun spices and cuddle up to salmon? A perfect blend of sweet and spicy. And a perfect weeknight meal after a full day, a full week, I should say.I "survived" my first week of teaching full-time. I have to admit, I'm a bit out of practice, both the full-time thing and the teaching thing. But by the end of the week, I w
These "little ears" don't do any listening at all . . . they just sit quietly and lap up all the spice of the sausage and the gentle bite of the broccoli rabe in this dish. The way that Italians named pasta is so intriguing, isn't it? Orecchiettte is such a pretty sounding word. (One of these days, I'm going to buy Rosetta Stone and learn Italian; I'll have to if I'm ever going t
Photo by Leigh BeischI fell in love today, of all days, with marshmallows, of all things. To be quite honest, I was never a fan of marshmallows. No s'more fan here. But then I got this book -- Marshmallow Madness, by Shauna Sever, from Quirk Books and I'm a believer. Even though my fear of confection-making ranks right up there with all things yeast, the book quickly reeled me in, with
I'm really impressed with the PR firm Brussels sprouts hired. Once upon a time, Brussels sprouts were on the very lowest rung of veggies to celebrate From little kids to wizened curmudgeons, all noses were turned up against them. Now they've earned their rightful place as a star ingredient in the cook's repertoire. Look at all the places they're
Several weeks ago, Susan @ The Spice Garden, invited me to participate in "Food Bloggers Unplugged," where bloggers share a bit about themselves and their food (and blogging) inspiration. I've been delighted to get to know Susan and her blog. I imagine Susan's life is much like mine -- living in a rural part of the country and, after working a lifetime, having the time and freedom to d
Although I haven't given up on making good bread -- that is, real bread, not quick bread, not bread machine bread, not no-knead bread -- I needed to shore up my confidence a bit with a couple little successes before I tackle it the real deal again. And that's where this beer bread comes in.My stepdaughter introduced me to beer bread and, I have to admit, that although it's no
"Instant Karma" was playing on the car radio and I asked Mr. Rosemary what he thought "instant karma" meant. His first response: "Love at first sight."Now that's not the real definition of instant karma, John Lennon's version or not, but that's what I thought of today as I made this chowder: It was meant to be, especially on a frigid day like today.As we were headed out the door
I'm sure it was just subliminal brainwashing that I love spinach because of watching Popeye cartoons as a kid because it certainly wasn't because of the first way I learned to eat it. My mother used to serve very well cooked leaf spinach from a frozen block. It was sprinkled with vinegar and garnished with hard-cooked eggs. I liked it okay, but that was the only way I knew i
It worked! I'm six pounds lighter after starting the Four-Day Wonder Diet Monday. YAY! It's just the jump start I need; now, if I just stay mindful I can keep myself on track and feel svelte enough to don a bathing suit when I head to Florida at the end of the month.I can see that there's plenty of encouragement out there . . . every magazine I pick up and every website I visit ha
I know the right way to keep my weight in check, really I do. You can't read about, and write about, food as much as I do, as all food bloggers do, and not learn a thing or three about nutrition and healthy eating.Every once in a while, though, like after the holidays or before a special event, I need a swift kick to get me back on the right track. And so I've become a big fan of the The Fou
When people are asked "Who would you most like to invite to a dinner party?" they typically answer that they'd enjoy the company and conversation of famous figures from history or politics or entertainment. I guess I might, too. I know I'd enjoy an evening enjoying the company of people like Ruth Reichl or Anthony Hopkins or Sean Connery or Helen Mirren.But since I've been bloggi
It’s not that I didn’t want to go visit my mother-in-law that day. I love to visit her. She’s a delightful woman and has always been generous and loving to me. But when Mr. Rosemary said he wanted to go visit his mother that day, I was grateful he couldn’t see my face because I’m sure it looked pretty sour (and he can always read exactly what I’m thinking.) And what I was t
I didn’t start out to set a record. It was just that it was late, we had been out all day and we were hungry. This is the time of year when the luxury of a leisurely cooked meal just isn’t always possible. You need something and you need it now. And we were both tired of frittatas.I know some people can call for take out. But we live too deep in the boonies for that t
There are morning people. And there are not. I am firmly convinced of this. And I am not a morning person.When people say they are morning people, do they mean that they wake up with a spring in their step, a song in their heart, and a smile on their face? Nope, not me. I can function, mind you. I might even start a load of laundry before 6 a.m., sort through mail, ma
If you got right on it this weekend, you could easily be giving away beautiful bottles of your own homemade limoncello for Christmas. It’s really very simple and only takes about a half-hour or so hands-on time. It's just the steeping that takes time. The only hard part is planning far enough ahead to allow that steeping. And, like I said, if you start this weekend . . . .I made
If you're still undecided about what to make for Thanksgiving dinner, then shame on you! Whether you're just looking for the very best way to make your family's tried-and-true or you want a brand new dish to spice up tradition a little, there is absolutely no shortage of ideas and possibilities out there, be it from magazines, television, cookbooks or the thousands of food blogs and
