While the spring equinox is just around the corner, winter refuses to completely give up its icy grip in this part of the country. Although the weather has managed to creep up above freezing during some of the days, nights are still filled with unseasonably cold temperatures and raging winds. Even as I sit here…
The weather around here has been officially breaking records. This morning my thermometer registered fifteen BELOW zero. The only relief for this nonsense is soup! One of my favorite soup recipes is Martha Stewart’s Mushroom Barley Soup. The original recipe calls for 1lb cremini mushrooms and 3 strips of bacon. I use 8oz of mushrooms…
I have to thank my neighbor for this recipe! This is a SWEET pickle brine, which brings out the wonderful taste of the peppers. I use a mixture of green and red bell peppers from my garden. They’re delicious with Italian hoagies, tuna sandwiches, omelets or just straight out of the jar. Pickled Sweet…
Another winter snowstorm is upon us. Most of us have gone from BRING IT ON to Dear Mother Nature, if I have to be stuck in this house one more day with these kids, I may seriously lose the little bit of sanity that I have left. So, in a salute to warm days of…
With the temperature hovering around zero and the winter wind whipping fiercely enough to take your breath away when you step outside, I decided that there’s nothing better to do than to can some carrots. I stored some carrots in a friend’s root cellar back in the fall which were a mixture of Saint Valery,…
Every Alfredo sauce recipe that I’ve ever made has had heavy cream in it – but heavy cream is just not something that I usually have in the refrigerator. So, out of frustration, I decided to wing it and see if I could make an Alfredo sauce with just milk – 2% milk, no less.…
Bacon makes everything taste good – and this quiche recipe is no exception! Don’t like broccoli? Substitute mushrooms. No mushrooms? Mix in finely diced potatoes. Or get all crazy and just go full on bacon. The great thing about this quiche recipe is that it’s so versatile that you can mix in any combination…
‘Tis the season for homemade Christmas gifts. Combine tart cranberries, sweet strawberries and a splash of orange juice… voila! Holiday Jam. Holiday Jam INGREDIENTS 32 oz frozen whole strawberries 24 oz fresh cranberries 1/4 cup orange juice 5 lb white sugar 6 oz liquid pectin DIRECTIONS In a large sauce pot, cook cranberries, strawberries and…
It’s apple season and there’s nothing better than warm apple cobbler on a crisp autumn evening. You can use any apple that is good for baking like Granny Smith or Cortland, but my favorite apple to use in cobblers and pies is Honey Crisp. Old Fashioned Apple Cobbler INGREDIENTS 10 medium baking apples 2 cups…
One of the best memories I have of my Gramma Josephine was her rice pudding. She was a big Italian woman, permanently ensconced in an apron, who always seemed to have a wooden spoon in her hand and a pot of something boiling on the stove. Although many of her meals I would not even…
Sweet Pickle Relish INGREDIENTS 4 – 5 lbs large cucumbers 1 large sweet onion 1/4 cup pickling salt 3 cups apple cider vinegar 3/4 cup sugar 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp dill seed 2 tsp mustard seed 2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp turmeric DIRECTIONS Wash cucumber and remove ends. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise…
Very simply – I love to can. For some reason I find it therapeutic. I make a total disaster of the kitchen, but there’s nothing better than opening a fresh jar of tomatoes in the dead of winter. Although somewhat time consuming, canning is relatively easy. So hop on the canning band wagon and go…
There is nothing quite like fresh basil. Each year, I grow enough to cover Rhode Island. To help preserve that fresh from the garden taste, I preserve the basil by freezing it in olive oil and packing it into ice cube trays. DIRECTIONS Pick your basil leaves and submerge them in a large bowl filled…
Tomato season is upon us and it’s putting up time. Wheee! The key ingredient in this recipe is FRESH, RIPE tomatoes, whether from your garden or farmer’s market. Six months from now, when the snow is piling up outside, you can have a taste of summer by using the stewed tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce,…
I had a couple zucchinis go rouge and I can now anchor a battleship with them. It’s time to bust out the zucchini bread recipe! Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread INGREDIENTS 3 eggs 2 c white sugar 1 c vegetable oil 2 c grated zucchini 2 tsp vanilla 3 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1 tsp…
