Nantucket Pie (or cake or cobbler or…)

A traditional dessert from Massachusetts, Nantucket Pie combines cranberries, nuts and lots of butter to create a rich, tart, sweet, festive treat. Recipe below.

NANTUCKET PIE IS A VENN DIAGRAM KIND OF DESSERT, occupying the overlap among tart, cobbler and cake. It’s sweet, tart and festive looking. It’s incredibly fast and simple to put together—really, it’s the perfect thing for a beginning baker—and when it comes out of the oven, it smells delightful. What it is not is pie, but that’s fine. Continue reading “Nantucket Pie (or cake or cobbler or…)” →

Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

Butter beans cooked with roasted tomatoes, garlic and a red bell pepper, served over Greek yogurt make a delicious light meal or side. Recipe below.

THE OTHER DAY, I WAS NOODLING AROUND ONLINE, actually hunting for photos of English house interiors, when I stumbled on a recipe from a new book, Ottolenghi Comfort, by Yotam Ottolenghi and his frequent collaborator Helen Goh, along with Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. I am always interested in anything Ottolenghi and his friends create—his first cookbook, Plenty, is a tried-and-true at our house—and this latest collaborative work looks like it will be marvelous too. One recipe that caught my eye was Butter Beans with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Continue reading “Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes” →

Healthy, autumnal, delicious: Cauliflower Potato Soup

Cauliflower (roasted or not), potatoes, miso paste and aromatics create a healthy, satisfying vegetarian soup. Recipe below.

OTHER PEOPLE IMPULSE-BUY SHOES, OR JEWELRY, OR CANDY. Me? Well, just before our Upper Peninsula trip, I bought: a cauliflower. Which I forgot about until a couple of days ago when Terry reminded me of its existence. There it was, that forgotten impulse purchase, lurking in the produce bin, amazingly still white and fresh. Continue reading “Healthy, autumnal, delicious: Cauliflower Potato Soup” →

Two deliciously different red cabbage salads

Two recipes this week: Red Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw, and Korean-inspired Red Cabbage Potsticker Salad.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WE WENT TO A BIG FUN FAMILY BARBECUE in Milwaukee, and our daughter Laurel brought a huge bowl of coleslaw—a recipe that as far as I can tell, she made up the night before. It was wonderful! Crisp, flavorful, fresh, crunchy, and very pretty—just the thing to accompany the many awesome, meaty mains. Continue reading “Two deliciously different red cabbage salads” →

Many inspirations, one delicious bowl—Asian Fish Soup

A mix of Asian cuisines and ingredients creates a flavorful, spicy, satisfying soup. Recipe below.

OUR RECENT WISCONSIN ROAD TRIP ended with a quick swing through Madison, where Laurel and Raffy took us to the amazing, delightful Ahan for lunch. Our takeaway? WOW! Continue reading “Many inspirations, one delicious bowl—Asian Fish Soup” →

Quick, flavorful stir fry: Thai Basil Shrimp with Rice Noodles

Thai basil adds a savory, anise-like, slightly spicy note to this flavorful shrimp stir-fry. Recipe below.

THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE’VE PLANTED THAI BASIL IN THE GARDEN and it is not disappointing. Our Italian basil is still in the ehhhh, whatever mom sullen teenage phase, but the Thai basil is doing just great, thanks—growing taller and branching and just generally being cheerfully, eagerly productive. It wants to flower, so every few days I hack off the buds, to keep the leaves nice and tender. And every few days, we are rewarded with enough basil, plucked from our one plant, to make a vibrant, tasty dish. Continue reading “Quick, flavorful stir fry: Thai Basil Shrimp with Rice Noodles” →

Extra lemony Lemon Thyme Bundt Cake

Lemon juice, zest and extract brighten this light, fragrant, summery cake. Recipe below.

INSPIRATION FOR OUR RECIPES COMES FROM MANY PLACES. THIS ONE STARTED IN OUR GARDEN. The thyme in our garden, which for years has been a charming, compact clump, has all at once gone crazy. It’s surging onto the walk; it’s galumphing up to its neighbors (aster and coneflowers) in an entirely too pushy way; it’s become completely overconfident and obnoxious. Continue reading “Extra lemony Lemon Thyme Bundt Cake” →

Chickpea Salad—a fresh (and healthier) take on a summer favorite

Fiber-rich chickpeas stand in for potatoes in this crunchy, healthy, summery salad. Recipe below.

THIS VERY SIMPLE DISH IS A RIFF on a recent New York Times recipe, that in turn, is a riff on a summer classic, potato salad. It is ridiculously easy to assemble—a few minutes of measuring, chopping and a bit of stirring. You never even need to turn on the stove. Continue reading “Chickpea Salad—a fresh (and healthier) take on a summer favorite” →

Quick Two-ingredient Dinner Rolls, for when you really, really want a little fresh, warm bread

These simple two-ingredient rolls are ready to eat, warm from the oven, in about 30 minutes. Recipe below.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST REALLY, REALLY WANT a little fresh, warm bread. This is a recipe for exactly that. It is the most low-commitment bread recipe I know. Continue reading “Quick Two-ingredient Dinner Rolls, for when you really, really want a little fresh, warm bread” →

Your new go-to snack/starter/condiment… Butter Bean Hummus

Canned butter beans create a fresh new take on hummus. Recipe below.

LATELY, WE’VE BEEN ENJOYING BUTTER BEANS—feed-me-in-a-hurry canned butter beans—and using them in some simple, delicious ways. Continue reading “Your new go-to snack/starter/condiment… Butter Bean Hummus” →