"Polenta? Oh you mean Italian grits." ~Unknown My niece and I got to spend a little quiet time together last weekend before she traveled back to NYC after the Thanksgiving holiday. Before she headed to Logan we stopped into a little Italian joint to enjoy a couple of small plates, salads and some vino. I chose the roasted vegetable dish (which was amazing) and she chose the baked polenta, something I had never tasted. We ate, drank and were merry...and after a couple of hours she left for the city that never sleeps and auntie managed to score the leftovers. I mixed those roasted vegetables …
"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins." - Laurie Colwin I would like to take a moment to talk about tomatoes. Fresh, ripe, delicious tomatoes. Whether they are from your garden, the grocery store or the farmer's market, now is the perfect time to enjoy that fruit-in-veggie's clothing. Our overflow of summer squash has finally ended and now we are in the midst of a tomato deluge; A glorious tomato deluge. I mean, there is nothing quite like a fresh tomato from the garden. The cherry and Roma tomatoes are the two we are getting a lot of and my favorite thing to do …
"A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it." ~Anonymous We are still overloaded with summer squash over here in Duggan Valley. Looking for new ways to cook it, I decided to alter a Thanksgiving favorite of mine, the broccoli casserole. I have to say that the broccoli version is better than the squash one, but both are really good. Since it's been so hot I waited to cook this until the sun went down and then reheated it for dinner the next night. I think giving the flavors time to meld makes it even better. Summer Squash Casserole …
"Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority." ~Vince Lombardi Well here we find ourselves looking back on another Super Bowl Sunday. Sure, it was a letdown for New England to watch the Patriots fall to the New York Giants for the second time in five years, but hopefully you had some great food to temper the bitter taste of defeat. Delicious dips and inventive apps almost always go over well when entertaining or heading out to watch the big game, awards show or event with friends and family. Here are two dips that …
"A 'traditional' male might enjoy egg-and-bacon pie if his wife served it to him; a quiche-eater, or Sensitive New Age Guy would make the dish himself, call it by its French name quiche, and serve it to his female life partner to demonstrate his empathy with the Women's Movement. He would also wash up afterwards." ~Bruce Feirstein (author of "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche") I live with two males, aged 35 and 7. These two love to eat but give me zilch when it comes to suggestions of what to make for dinner. (I hear this is a very common situation in households all over the world.) So, tired of …
"When someone asks if you'd like cake or pie, why not say you want cake and pie?" ~Lisa Loeb For Christmas, my sister-in-law gave me a cookbook devoted solely to pies. Now I love a freshly baked pie as much as the next gal, but I avoid actually making them due my subpar baking skills. A chocolate cream pie is about the best I can manage. Thumbing through the beautiful photographs in this book, though, was definitely inspiring. It inspired me to ask my husband to make one. Luckily, he was up for it and made the most delicious-looking pie in the book. Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Pie. Just typing …
As we head into the third week of January we've started to grow accustomed to our new, healthier routines. Right? Well, hopefully anyway. Having a salad for lunch every day can get boring so it's about time to mix things up a bit. How about some soup? Soup makes for a warm and satisfying lunch but unfortunately can be high in fat and calories. With just a few substitutions you can make soups that are good for you and still have great flavor. This is a revamp of my Shrimp and Corn Chowdah recipe. Switch to buttery spread, low fat milk and low fat broth, omit the bacon and cream of corn. Then …
"Fondue sets, martini shakers and juicing machines: three things the world could live completely without." ~Douglas Coupland My in-laws gave my husband and I a juicer over the holidays. This was after I saw it unopened on a shelf in their basement and asked a few times if they were ever going to use it. Subtlety may not be my strong suit but who cares? I got a juicer! My boy, E, was anxious to give it a try so we threw some pineapple and baby carrots we had in the fridge together and hoped for the best. End result? Delicious! After doing some research I found out that carrots are the liason …
"If only one could tell true love from false love as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools." ~Katherine MansfieldOne of my best girls, Miss T, came for a visit the other day and offered to make stuffed mushrooms. I was thrilled, since that is one of my favorite appetizers (that I very seldom make since my boys hate 'em.) As she unloaded the arsenal of supplies from her Market Basket bag I took pause. Crabmeat, shrimp, celery...these are not the makings for typical stuffed 'shrooms. As she sauteed, stuffed and baked she told me the story of how this great recipe came to be. It was handed down…
