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Category Archives: Food

Cooler summer cooking, outside

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Even if cooking on the deck didn’t keep the heat out of the kitchen, cooking on the deck would still be worth doing. Cooking outdoors is as much fun as eating outdoors. I have long used my gas grill for cooking on the deck. But not everything wants to be cooked on a grill. Today […]

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Strawberry preserves

Monday, May 9, 2022

… Or maybe it’s more like strawberry syrup. Though I reduced the sugar a bit, which is probably what made the preserves too thin, I did cook the preserves until they reached 220 degrees. I greatly prefer preserves that are slightly runny, even if this batch is a bit too runny. To my taste, it’s […]

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Agricultural entrepreneurs: Yes!

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Here at my latitude, strawberry season has started. As of last year, acquiring strawberries got a lot easier for me. A new strawberry farm started up last year only a 10-minute drive from here. They pick the berries in the morning, then sell them for $10 a gallon under the porch of an old barn […]

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Julia

Saturday, April 30, 2022

HBO Max Who could have guessed that one of the most unforgettable Americans to come out of the 1960s would be Julia Child? And who could have guessed that we’d be as interested in her life as in her cooking? I’ve watched only the first episode so far of this new series, but clearly it’s […]

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Everything is turning green

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

The lettuce actually was planted by Ken last fall. It wintered over in a cold frame. Yesterday, during a cold rain, I picked it while it was at the peak of perfection. I washed it, chilled it, and ate it 40 minutes after it came in out of the rain. Who knew that lettuce could […]

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The humble onion, good as gold

Saturday, March 12, 2022

There should be a National Onion Month or something. Onions are so always-available and so cheap that we take them for granted. Let’s pretend that March is National Onion Month and imagine how drab life would be without onions. Are there things in your kitchen that you stock a bit ahead as insurance against running […]

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For solidarity with Ukraine: Pierogi !

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Pierogi with roasted Brussels sprouts and Impossible vegan chicken nuggets Yesterday the Washington Post ran an article (with a recipe) on pierogi, written by an American with Ukrainian ancestry. I read the article and could hardly wait to make pierogi. The article is “Making Ukrainian pierogi roots me to my family tree.” I reduced the […]

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Country comfort food

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Biscuits are a misdemeanor. Fried biscuits are a felony. The fact that it’s February is justification enough for comfort food. But the parlous condition of the world at the moment, with Putin (hopefully) knocked back onto his heels in Ukraine, is even more justification. Pinto beans, biscuits, and slaw are a Southern staple. Onions are […]

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Pub food

Monday, January 17, 2022

Scallop pot pie In this publess part of the world, if you want pub food, you have to make it yourself. One of the few compensations of January is the pleasure of running the oven. There’s snow outside. That was my excuse for making comfort food. This is a sea scallop pot pie with potatoes, […]

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Cherry pie

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Maybe pie cherries aren’t as hard to find as I had thought. I usually rush through Whole Foods as quickly as possible, but last week I took my time and did some browsing. I was greatly surprised to see that they have canned cherries. I bought two cans, enough for a nine-inch pie. It’s inevitable […]

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