One of the positive changes the pandemic has brought to us is how we handle Friday night dinner. We are not natural fish eaters. We both grew up in the Midwest and fish was not common in the supermarkets (other than frozen ‘fish sticks’.) In restaurants one would normally find walleye, shrimp, scallops, and lobster – all expensive. I didn’t learn to cook fresh fish until I was an adult … Continue reading →
I have decided to break my own, self-imposed rule about using instructional photos. There is the old adage: ‘A picture is worth ten thousand words’. I will, however, not post my few how-to photos before the recipe. The reason I get so irritated with bloggers who post step-by-step-by-step photos on every recipe is that they post them before the recipe. If I look at the recipe and decide I need … Continue reading →
Having a vegetable garden (potager) is one of the most rewarding endeavors one can undertake. It’s a lot of work for six or seven months, depending on your growing season, but being able to grow and eat your own vegetables all summer, fresh from the garden, is wonderful. Having the freezer full of soups and the cellar full of winter squashes and onions as the cold weather starts is very … Continue reading →
Spring is green. Artichokes, asparagus, snow peas, spinach, green garlic, fresh herbs….. All green. We love green. I once worked with a woman who would not eat anything green…. I felt so sorry for her. For those of you who don’t know (and I feel sorry for you, too) green garlic is immature garlic, picked before the cloves form. It looks like a green onion, sometimes with a hint of … Continue reading →
We don’t actually have Cornish Game Hens here in France. But we have little chickens or poussin. They are under a pound in weight, usually about 14oz (420gr) and are a perfect single serving size – with maybe a bit leftover for a snack. In summer we do them on the barbecue; in winter I roast them in the oven. If you’re looking for something special for a dinner party … Continue reading →
Remember the Two Fat Ladies? Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson were gregarious, joyful cooks that rode around the the UK on a motorcycle (with a sidecar), taking over kitchens and cooking feasts. They only used fresh, local ingredients but, with a liberal use of lard, butter and heavy cream, their dishes rarely qualified as healthy. The Two Fat Ladies cooking show started the year we lived in Ireland and … Continue reading →
I’m from the Midwest. The potato salad I grew up with was made with boiled potatoes and mayonnaise (traditional American Potato Salad). Occasionally, we would have one at the neighbor’s house that was made with a hot bacon dressing and pickles (German Potato Salad). Then I got my own kitchen and got to play outside the rules. This one uses grill rather than boiled potatoes, Greek yogurt rather than mayonnaise, … Continue reading →
