I look forward to the New England sugar snap pea harvest eleven months a year. These green dandies are perfect for dip and for crispy salads, especially with mint and lemon. This dinner is a riff on classic chicken and rice, made with sugar snap peas and leeks instead of peas and onions. The dish […]
Greens, peas and strawberries, Oh My! 'Tis the season for farm bounty and beauty in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. For the next two days, I will feature two of my favorite summer recipes. Today, I offer up Classic Strawberry Jam and tomorrow's post will be for Summery Chicken and Rice, a fab one pot […]
I love my steam canner. I find it so much easier to use then submerging Mason jars into large pots of boiling water. While searching the web for information on steam canning, I was surprised to find that there are some groups that suggest it isn’t adequate for preserving high acid foods. I find this […]
After reading about how much Elana loves her julienne slicer, I decided that I should give one a try. I have a mandolin slicer that I use for uniform, thin sliced potatoes but I don’t love the mandolin and I am generally fearful that one of the kiddos is going to cut themselves with it. […]
To say I am pragmatic about kitchen purchases is an understatement. My working kitchen has limited space so when it comes to new equipment and gadgets, I ponder, ponder and ponder just a bit more before I finally commit to a purchase. I had been secretly lusting after a Le Creuset pot for years – […]
This week on the Food Network, Giada DeLaurentis, Ina Garten and Rachel Ray all demonstrated different ways to squeeze a lemon. Giada squeezes it into her hand to catch the seeds; Rachel squeezes them as pictured below so that the seeds don’t fall out and Ina just takes her chances and pulls the seeds out. I love […]
I cannot remember when I got this ice cream maker, but goodness do I remember life before we had it; very dull let me tell you, very dull. Homemade ice cream makes the world a better place. Maverick was swooning just the other day “about that homemade ice cream you make, it is soooooooo good!” There […]
The winter months are a great time to start incorporating more legumes into your diet. I think the best way to cook dried beans is with a pressure cooker. It takes under 30 minutes to cook pre-soaked beans and the results are always great. They are even better in the warm months as you don’t […]
Here is a gadget I love, as it was invented by a woman who could not take another bad zester. She marched into her husband’s woodworking shop and "borrowed" his micro-plane wood shaver so that she could get extra fine lemon and orange zest for her baking. This zester also makes lighter than air grated Parmesan cheese. I don’t use it […]
A few good pairs of cooking tongs are as essential in the kitchen as wooden spoons. Most commercial kitchens would not operate without tongs. Line cooks always keep their tongs close by for flipping steaks on the grill and for transferring hot food to plates. I have three pairs of 12 inch tongs and they are […]
