Boston Baked Beans !

For me, this is the ultimate one-pot meal. I think of all those beanpots over the years simmering away in the coals by the fire, on the warming rack of the wood-fired cookstove, and now, in ovens all across New England (and beyond!). It's a recipe as old as this country ... beans, molasses, pork, and onions ... basics back in the day. The dish is so entrenched in New England's culture that countless church's host Saturday Night Bean Suppers to raise funds for their coffers, an annual 'Beanpot Tournament' has become part of the Boston collegiate hockey scene, restaurants have made their reputation on this staple of New England diet (Boston's Durgin Park, being one of them) and beanpots have become collector items in antique stores and on the Web ...

Carrot and Chickpea Tagine with Greek Yogurt and Caraway Rice

It's such a sunny hot day ... sunny and hot, just like this gorgeous plate of leftover Carrot and Chickpea Tagine that comes from sunny northern Africa!

What a mixed -up, but wonderful dinner we had last evening! This Morrocan tagine paired really well with my favorite take on steamed rice (a favorite from an Indian restaurant we frequented in North Carolina). Dollops of Greek yogurt cooled the heat of the spicy hot and sweet tagine. We also broiled chicken wings that were treated with lemon juice, olive oil and a lemon-pepper spice rub. A cold bottle of  LaBelle's Seyval Blanc gave a light fruity something to sip ... sometimes it all comes together in such a pleasant way!

Letting Go ... A Story of A Ham Bone and Some Books

Today is Saturday, a day when most folk have kids home from school, when teachers are taking a day for family time and home errands, when many from the work-a-day world take a break and maybe curl up with a good book. For me, it's a day of letting go. You see, after guarding the kazillion books that were part of my years in classrooms from grades four through eight, I have finally begun the process of letting go of the dream of returning to a classroom... and hence, the books. So many wonderful titles have passed through so many young hands over time. They've been read aloud for pleasure, used for lessons in reading, writing or science and social studies, shared with younger schoolmates in reading clubs, and loved. Since leaving my last classroom, they've sat on the small study shelves, indeed dominated the shelves, in the grey cottage here in New Hampshire.

Bloggers' Quandry and Colorful Jerked Beans and Chicken

                                                                                     Image - Doring Kindersley @ Getty Images

Choosing what to post is always such an issue with me. Right from the get-go, this blog has been about sharing the foods that we eat, that I'm interested in learning about, and that I want to pass on to my kids. I love cooking and the more I travel, read, and experience, the more I am amazed at all the food variety there is in the world. Given the finite number of food items on this planet, people find the most amazing ways to combine them for fantastic dishes. Brilliant! I want to play around and sample as many as possible!

Lately though, I have been feeling the pressure from all sides to cut the fat, eat more vegetables, eliminate sugars, eat less red meat, only eat seasonal, brown rice vs white rice, watch out for sustainability issues at the markets, nuts, nuts, nuts, substitute yogurt for dairy that is high in fat, eliminate dairy ... the list seems endless. Being a mindful consumer is a lot of work!

Old Sturbridge Village's Beef 'Olives' ...

I have been waiting for a few days to pass before re-visiting this recipe. I made it with my cohorts at last weekend's visit to Old Sturbridge Village. These little two-bite beef roulades reminded me of a German beef and dumpling recipe that I had in Weinheim when Silent Bob and I lived there for a bit. They have the chopped pickle, too,  that is so reminiscent of a German flourish on meat dishes. The center is like a firm bready dumpling - very German. I really wonder what the original source of this 'Beef Olives' recipe is!

Warm Chicken and Andouille Soup

My day started with a peek out the window and a marvelling at the frost feathers that had formed over night on my bedroom window. So beautiful and everchanging!

Clay Pot Venison Chili ...

It is SO cold here today! I have been getting the hint from Silent Bob, my partner in crime, to make a warm something for supper. You see, it's wood cutting season here in the Northeast. Once the snow is on the ground, it's a lot easier to bring the wood out of the woods, if you've a small woodlot to manage. So, Silent Bob has been cutting and stacking wood, but now it's time to load it on a sled and haul it out of the woods and up to the woodpile. This will be next winter's wood ... an investment in more snug winters at the grey cottage. He definitely deserves a big pot of  'warm something', as he puts it!

 After cruising the blogs and touching base with Foodbuzz, I am seeing so many chili posts that I caved to offering another version. We make chili with venison in the winter. After hunting season, the freezer is stocked with tenderloins, steaks, ground sausages, and an occasional roast. Today, I'm using loose sweet venison sausage to make a big pot of chili. I have this nice flameware pot that will keep it warm after I've simmered it a bit. A big bowl of steaming jasmine rice and bottles of beer to cool the palate ... and a Christmas movie. We plan to hang out on the couch with the warm blankets and the Christmas tree lights for dinner and a movie! Tonight it's 'The Polar Express' which seems strangely á propos!

Braised Pork with Apricots and Herbed Dumplings

Here I am, back in my comfy, warm living room after a weekend of galavanting about Duchess County in New York State! Silent Bob and I love visiting our old college friends and touring their region to poke around used book stores (4 new/used cookbooks, count 'em!), peek into antiques stores and junk shops (vintage pie bird, platter, and awesome bread knife!), and dine out in some of the coolest restaurants (Italian bistro and 'wahoo' diner) north of New York City. On this trip, we also saw one of the most beautiful waterfalls ... Bash Bish Falls! I know ... what a name, but look!