Memorial Day, the official start of summer here in New England, demands a backyard barbecue. It’s time to drag the Weber out of the cellar and get your fire on! While burgers and hot dogs usually kick off the summer grilling season, I have been known to get a little crazy and skewer up some shrimp. […]
I’m used to finicky kids. Mellie, 5, doesn’t like tomato sauce or chocolate, but she and her 3-year-old sister, Paige, can devour a plate of fried calamari (sans hot pepper rings) in record time. Ren, also 3, and Elias, 5, like Nonni‘s turkey soup one day, then push it away the next, saying they prefer the […]
make an angel cake! I said I would only take one dozen off his hands when our friend, Fred, called to say one of his paddle tennis partners — who owns a farm in Dover with 300 chickens — off-loaded three dozen on his bachelor buddy. “I already bought eggs this week,” I told him. […]
Years ago, treating Mom at a restaurant on Mother’s Day was a way to get her out of the kitchen. We’d get dressed up in our Easter clothes and sip Shirley Temples while Mom ordered her baked stuffed shrimp or prime rib. But now that the novelty of restaurant dining has gone the way of […]
I’ve had a few kitchen mentors, but Nana has always topped the list. Because not only could she whip up a fabulous meal, Nan also had a knack for arranging flowers and setting a simple, yet beautiful table. She was fussy, but not fussy because, after all, she didn’t have the time. Nana, whom we lost […]
And don’t we know it? After this horrific week in Boston, it seemed fitting to end the week with something sweet and comforting, something to eat s l o w l y, savoring every spoonful. So I made Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. I suppose I could have made a cake. Or a pie. But fruit crisps, […]
for great containers! Last night, after spending the afternoon at Babson College at a culinary entrepreneurship seminar, I was treated to dinner at The Farmhouse in Needham. A beet salad with fresh greens, pistachios and a goat cheese croquette followed by Nantucket Scallops with exotic mushrooms on a cauliflower/purple potato puree were divine. And then […]