3 Pizzas and a Calzone

Sure is hard to top live blogging during the steak grill-out recently!  Wow, such a memorable and delicious meal. H’mm, this may erupt into a feverish food fight!  Well, pizza always offers limitless creative opportunities and the easy style fits into camp life at any time of the year.  Everyone gathers and wants to lend a hand layering [...]

Skillet Cooking – Thai sweet potato with tofu curry

Since my early days making corn bread and Dutch Babies in a cast iron skillet, I’ve always been a big fan of skillet cooking.  The idea of one pot and one cutting board resulting in little mess and a hearty dinner really, really appeals to me because it’s easy and fun.  Maybe it’s because I [...]

A few twists on white bean, butternut squash, kale and olive stew

Hearty winter stews and soups…an area of my repertoire that could use some expanding, and snow last night  left  me searching for a recipe to warm us right up.  I made a creation this afternoon using veggies that needed moving along – butternut squash, yet more kale from the garden (via the freezer), cannellini beans, kalamata olives and a few [...]

We give thanks for pies!

How many pies are too many pies?  Well, if you’re running a bakery, you need an endless supply.  But what about the Thanksgiving dessert spread?  Can there be an overabundance when you are entertaining and it’s a special holiday?  That may have been the issue here yesterday – totally by accident of course,  or else it’s [...]

The T’day Menu….a preview

On the menu so far… Apps: Brie with cranberry walnut chutney Shrimp cocktail Soup - the curry corn chowder and tortilla soup Relish tray of Armenian olives, marinated artichokes, pickled cucumbers and beets from the garden The dinner: Turkey – local and humanely coddled…with Henry and Bernice’s Lovin’ Oyster and Chestnut Stuffin’ Ham ( if we can [...]

Perfect Popovers

MC, our best teen bake chef, has been perfecting popovers for years now.  Find details below, but start off with a proper popever pan if  you want to succeed at this endeavor.   Ours is  from Nordic Ware , purchased at Acton’s own excellent cooking emporium, KitchenOutfitters . These are tasty at any meal, but provide an especially decadent [...]

College recommendations

Teachers at our high school who write recommendations for college bound seniors are generally thanked with a surprise gift from the student…usually something baked.  Today MC, our retired semi-professional baker, whipped up some blondies and saltine candy bars for the two teachers who helped her make her early action deadlines. And those deadlines are today! I was only offered [...]

A cold rain!

Not a good day to be in Foxborough watching the Patriots and the Titans, although we know some boys can’t resist! But a great day for some lively bluegrass music (Sierra Hull, on the recommendation of a well known Berklee administrator) and some kitchen fun.  Yes, I am still harvesting kale. I suffered through the [...]

Apple Turnovers – A Fall Treat!

Aromatic apples and cinnamon sauteing in a skillet really connects me to comfort food. Tucking these sweet bites into some light and flaky puff pastry, well – it’s quite delicious and easy.  Okay, maybe if you are making your own puff pastry, not so easy.  I took advantage of the ethnic market nearby to purchase [...]

The Challah that Ate Yom Kippur

How I wish I could claim making this beauty! Our littlest baker gave this recipe from the NY Times a second try. The first rendition was just about perfect too, but she was not satisfied with the quality of her braiding.  This masterpiece is over 18 inches long, took 9 cups of flour and would [...]