When I was young and first living on my own I decided I wanted to be a proper adult host. I couldn’t afford to stock a bar but I wanted more than a few beers in the fridge. I bought a cut crystal ship’s decanter and glasses. I filled the decanter with dry sherry. I have absolutely no recollection as to why I decided on sherry, but I’m guessing the … Continue reading →
We love sage leaves and use them often, both as a garnish and as a major flavor component. My mother, on the other hand, barely tolerated the taste…. possibly because all she ever had was an old Durkee’s tin of ‘crumbled sage’ that was resurrected every year at this time to add to the stuffing for the turkey. She was always careful not to add too much. Anything over 1/2 … Continue reading →
Cream of Mushroom Soup with Sherry. It’s the sherry that is the finishing touch for me. It adds that interesting flavor that makes it just a bit better. The problem, for me, is the sherry. Our good friend, who lived in Spain, died 2 years ago. We miss him…. We miss the long discussions, the long walks with all the dogs, the fun cooking together in his kitchen….. And now … Continue reading →
Use either fresh or canned chestnuts for this seasonal winter soup. The chestnuts will cook down and break apart as the soup simmers. If, like me, you bought chestnuts to have with the Brussels sprouts for Christmas, this is a great way to use up the rest. We have guests at the moment and I made this the other night for our first course. Since it’s my own recipe I … Continue reading →
I may have mentioned that we’ve been eating a bit of asparagus lately. I started feeling ever-so-slightly guilty about tossing away the stem ends of the green asparagus. For those who don’t know, white asparagus is treated differently – it’s peeled and just a tiny bit of the stem end is trimmed. The green is snapped and sometimes there are 2 or even 3 inches not used. Surely there’s something that … Continue reading →
This is an easy pantry soup – my favorite kind. It goes together quickly with ingredients I always have on hand, either in the freezer or the pantry. I think having a well-stocked pantry is a hold-over from living in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota where one could be house-bound for days in the winter. Or maybe from living in the mountains in Andorra, for the same reason. Actually, … Continue reading →
Simple Butternut Squash Soup is a lovely, creamy soup with no cream and very little fat. It’s nice to have something a bit lighter this time of year….. For a casual holiday party (if you live in the frozen north) greet guests with a big mug of piping hot soup, with or without a spoon. For a more formal holiday dinner serve it at the table in pretty bowls and garnish … Continue reading →
