Thyme Oregano and Citrus Roasted Poussin - IHCC

There is such satisfaction in taking a beautifully roasted chicken from the oven! Maybe that's why it's the classic Sunday afternoon meal. Just a thought ...

Roasted Hoisin Duck Breasts

I simply must share this simple dish. Silent Bob and I had it with a side of fried rice and almonds and stir-fried broccoli and peppers - fast and easy Asian.

Elizabeth David's Poulet à l'estragon

There's a lady who has been around the bases a few times. Good grief, her bio reads like a racy romance novel, and I'm sure she'd take umbrage at that, but tough. She came from a properous English family that bankrolled her early jaunt through Europe dodging Nazi invasion, drinking and carousing with actors, writers, and libertines. She finally married some Schmo (I say this facetiously) and when things got dicey, she moved back to England and shacked up with some other Schmo. Man, oh man. That seems to have been her mantra. 

There! The racy stuff is out of the way. In between all that libidinous putzing about, she developed a taste  and skill for cooking the French and Mediterranean flavours. In post-war England, she championed a return to flavour - olive oil, garlic, the herbs of southern Europe, simple rustic treatments for vegetables and meats that would bring back to life a beleaguered post-war kitchen. Of course, there was other stuff in there - writing books on cuisine, doing magazine articles, co-owning a kitchen store that marketed pottery, pots and pans, and all manner of gadgetry, developing a kitchen 'lifestyle' look that became stylish during the 60's  ... you know, the usual kitchen diva stuff. For these actions, she has made the Gourmet Live List of 50 Women Game-Changers ... #14 on the list.

Italian Braised Thighs and Peppers

Remember that scene in La Dolce Vita when that wonderfully decadent and daft actress staggers around the fountain that's bubbling away in Rome? I totally flashed on that scene tonight as I watched these naked chicken thighs bubbling away in their bath of Prosecco and fire-roasted tomatoes ... all dosed up with garlic and chili flakes ... talk about heaven and hell! Fellini would have been proud ... er, but he'd probably have cuffed the side of my head for using canned tomatoes. Let's all say it together, "Get over it, Federico!"

Chicken Dijonnaise

I have finally gotten my taste for poultry back after all that Thanksgiving overload ... so tonight, I fell back on an old favorite here at the cottage on the hill. I love pasta and chicken combinations. I also love sauces.
It couldn't get any better than this, then. A bed of plain and spinach fettucine for crispy chicken pieces with a drizzle of added Dijonnaise sauce. Paired with a green vegetable and a nice bottle of Chardonnay ... dinner in less than an hour.

Enjoy!

Holiday Traditions ...

I have packed off left over containers to the kids, had turkey soup, made turkey sandwiches, and all that's left is a plate full of turkey set aside for turkey pot pie. This is the last of the traditional dishes I make with what's left of the Thanksgiving bird and we love it. Today is the perfect day to make pie, too. It's really cold out. There's frost on every blade of grass in the yard, and there might be a touch of snow later tonight to dust things up a bit. Silent Bob and I are going into the woods today to cut our Christmas greens and find some winterberry for arrangements and baskets. After shivering our way home, a good piece of hot pie will surely hit the spot!

Confessions of a Soup-a-holic ...

This was my breakfast ... yes, warmed up from last night's Spice Garden birthday celebration. I mean really ... who else plans a hot bowl of creamy soup for a birthday party menu and then wakes up the next morning craving more?  Me, because there can never be too many wonderful chicken soups and some of them are just so tasty that they lend themselves to a celebration ... and then some. This particular soup is a creamy broth full of chicken flavor and bits of green parsley. I love to make the soup and barely cook the potato cubes, so that they still have a bit of bite to them. Both Silent Bob and I like our soups full of vegetables and with meat bites that are chunky rather than tidbits ... more like a stew than a soup, but that would be mincing the words.

Stuffed Peppers ... Another Way

I was at a dinner party a good while back where we were served stop-light peppers that had been stuffed with a combination of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and orzo pasta - they were so delicious! They lay in a small puddle of spicy tomato sauce and went  well with a green salad, crusty bread for sopping up sauces, and plenty of red wine and conversation.

Mole Sauce ...

I have been wanting to make a mole sauce since I saw the movie Chocolat and watched the mole feast that Vianne prepares for Armande's diabetic 'swan song'.  The romance of that feast and the joy that everyone attending had, when sharing the turkey mole that Vianne prepared, was such a wonderful piece of moviemaking. I can only think of a couple other movies in which gathering at the table is as visually gorgeous and cinematically perfect ... Like Water For Chocolate and Babette's Feast being the two in my mind's eye. But, I digress.

Cashew Chicken ...

Hurray! It's cooler and I'm feeling like firing up the wok. I'm hoping that I'll find some late bok choy and scallions at the Walpole farmer's market. I have some beautiful roasted cashews and a couple boneless chicken breasts that would make a lovely cashew chicken.  I know it's dangerous to go out to the market with a set list on produce, but we haven't had this dish in ages. Guess I'll hope for the best and be ready to adapt ...

Five hours later .... no bok choy to be had, but I did get the scallions, 'butter and sugar' corn, a half gallon of raw milk, and some basil/garlic chevre ... and then I stopped at the 'big box market'  and picked up Chinese 'Napa' cabbage as a substitute for the bok choy.

Roasted Chicken Breasts and Cherry Chutney ...

There comes a time during the latter part of July and into August when the katydids start their chirp, the goldenrod comes into bloom, and the nights begin to cool down and give you a really good night's sleep. Fall is in the air. Silent Bob and I always wait for the katydids' and crickets' chatter ... we call it 'September Song'.  When the wild asters bloom deep purple, then we know we're headed for autumn!

Two Words ...

Beer Can

Happy Ending ... Grill's On! ... Spicy Turkey Cutlets With Couscous

So ... I have a theory about we New Englanders ... we bitch and moan about the weather when it's cold and snowy and frosty and muddy and rainy and dry and hot and humid. The only time we DON'T complain is on those four or so days when Spring is really here. These four or so days are balmy, sunny, soft days that call us out into our yards and fields to contemplate all the wonderful things that we'll 'put in' so that late summer and autumn will yield plenty for the pantry. But wait ... those four days or so? Those are the days that the black flies and mosquitoes emerge and wreak havoc. So ... we bitch and moan about them! It never ends ... and while we're whalin' away, the glory of our flower gardens unfolds.

Turkey Tamale Pie - Really Good Leftovers!

Once in a while, we all look in the fridge and say, "Holy cow! Where did all this stuff come from?" Well, today was my day for that 'what the...' moment! I have been having folks in for eats a lot lately, and when that happens, I tend to pile up stuff. You see, I don't really like to eat leftovers the very next day, which means they get shoved back in the fridge, as I move on to the next meal. If SB doesn't gobble the leftovers fast, they get lost in the shuffle.  So once in a while, I either do a clean sweep of the fridge, make soup, or put together a casserole that 'uses up and makes do'.

Lunch With Friends ...

Lunch with friends is one of my special pleasures these days. All the years that I worked, my lunch was always a rushed process. Food was microwaved leftovers or a sandwich and chips and whatever drink could be had. Conversation was perfunctory, managed around bites and slurps ... and then, it was a rushed clean-up and back to work.

Being retired allows me time to plan a nice light lunch menu, phone around and make plans with other folks who are 'in the same drifting boat' and spend a quiet morning putting together a nice table and cutting a bouquet to add to the atmosphere. Then, friends arrive, there's relaxed talk, a glass of wine or iced tea, and a leisurely lunch. When everyone has moved on after a couple hours, there's still time for me to move on to another activity before the day is gone. It's such a wonderful way to spend a day, now and then. I know ... you want to wretch. But ... if you're retired and reading this and you don't stop to create 'roses' for your friends to smell OR if you're still running the rat race and you begrudge me this simple pleasure ... tough cookies for you. I enjoy puttering and this is how I choose to spend my time ... you can call me a Martha Stewart wannabe. I don't care! So there!

That being ranted on ... and Shakespeare would say the lady protests too much (tough, again!) ... here's the easy lunch I made for Leah and Cathy today. Remember those curried chicken kabobs that I was craving? Done!  They sat in a yogurt and spice slurry all morning and just about an hour before L&C arrived, I washed some basmati rice and steamed it with a generous pinch of caraway seed, chilled some mango chutney to have with the chicken skewers, and made a lovely creamed spinach that was mellower than the traditional Indian Saag Paneer spinach that I'm used to making. A nice dry Reisling and a pot of tea rounded things out ... yummy Indian!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup ... Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Put Away the Wool Sweaters ... Brrr!

'Soup and Self-Portrait'

I am all about being outside and gardening right now, but Mother Nature is pulling some tricks! Last night, we had a hard frost, and I spent some time after dark draping the perennials that have set blossoms with bath towels and bed linens to hold off the frost. Today, there's such a brisk breeze that I am back to making soup when I wanted to make curried chicken kabobs on the grill and slurp strawberry daquiris while they sizzled! What's that all about, Mother Nature?

Well, I stowed the extra chicken thighs for future curried kabobs and made a creamy chicken-y, mushroom-y soup that has a nice combination of wild rice and basmati rice. Good thing I have a nice loaf of garlic bread to 'go with' ! We're back to the wool sweaters, sweatshirts, and woodstove!

Kale and White Bean Soup with White Meat

Hello, Springtime fans! Today, I am suffering the typical Spring head cold ... which means I am never far from the tissue box, have opened the tin of chamomile and red raspberry tea  (and left it open), and ... I made chicken soup. Now, I just made a batch  of chicken and red lentil soup last week, and I know Silent Bob is going to roll his eyes, but I just can't help it. When I'm sick, I crave chicken soup. I  bowed to SB's tender sensibilities and didn't make a terrifically spicy brew. It's just warm enough to get my sinuses clear and heat me from the inside out. I've already been leaning over a steamy bowl to breathe the fumes ... excellent therapy, indeed!

Playing With My Food... Chicken and Red Lentil Soup

When I was a kid, my mother would tell me to clean my plate and not play with my food. Why, I wondered? Of course, after having children of my own, I get it. You're busy, dinner is a pedestrian affair most times when your kids are young, and you have about a million different things on your mind and your schedule... a kid playing with his/her food can send you 'round the bend'. BUT I'm all grown up now and the kids have beat it to their own worlds. Now, I have the time and the inclination... and a new camera. I also have Spring fever and want food with color... so, I give you color and flavor.

Vintage North End ...

Did I tell you that I love Italian food? Did I mention that northern Italian cuisine is the very nearest and dearest to my heart? Well ... as far as Italian grub goes, anyway.

Several years ago, I happened upon a cookbook compiled by a lady from Boston's North End. It started out landing on the 'new offerings of local writers' table at the small bookstore that I frequent. Shortly thereafter, it made it to the local Borders shelves and the tourist stalls at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Who knows if it made it to the national bookstore market. All I know is that I snapped it up because it had a recipe for pignoli cookies and I DO love a good Pignoli cookie! In fact, one of my son's girlfriends brought me Pignoli cookies from a bakery in New York's Little Italy and instantly won my heart, but that's another story. Back to my initial intent here...

Of course, I got said cookbook home and found many more recipes that got me excited. I've been using this unassuming little local cookbook ever since... and one recipe that I L-O-V-E is Chicken Brachiolettini with Mushroom and Wine Sauce. Thank-you, Marguerite DiMino Buonopane!

A Treat For Silent Bob's Birthday!

Do you get sick of making the 'same old, same old' ? I do.  Consequently, I tend to browse periodically through the market looking for food that I've ignored for a long time, am eager to experiment with, or that is so ridiculously inexpensive that I simply can't ignore it. On one of my last browsing forays, I found Cornish game hens. I couldn't pass up a good deal ... two hens for $3 and change! I snagged a couple packets and stuck them in the freezer for a special meal down the line.

Fast forward a month or so...