'Kind Of' Colcannon ...Just in Time for St Paddy's Day

Weekend fare that seems fitting for a bowl of comfort and a cold beer at the pub ...

Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato

Cooking for one is something I struggle with, when SB leaves for any length of time. This past weekend, he and a group of guys from the family headed north to the mountains to snow shoe and hike in the late winter snow. I stayed home with Mimi, the little Corgi. We puttered around the house and yard, sewing on a quilt top, picking up yard debris, playing with the Frisbee, reading, and stoking the woodstoves.

This warm curried stew was the best I could come up with for my Saturday evening supper. It was super easy to throw together, despite my not having butternut squash or pickled peppers ! It's a Michael Anthony recipe from his cookbook called V is for Vegetables. I have tried several of his recipes from the book and have always been really happy with the results. Thanks, Kate (eldest daughter!) for the Christmas book !

Two Words ...

Chinese Noodles

Blueberry Buckle

Blueberry Buckle. I just love saying it. It calls images to mind of farm life and vintage aprons tied around waists, warm pans cooling on open kitchen window sills, and summer breezes. Of course, it's colder than ever here in the grey cottage. We are in the depths of winter here in New Hampshire - blueberries are a fond memory of summertime.

'Clear the Fridge' Fried Rice

Fried rice. For me, it serves a few purposes. It's my Asian comfort food. It serves as a way for me to use up left over roasted meats and small amounts of fresh vegetables that need using up. It makes a big batch that makes eating easy when I have other projects that are going to butt in on my cooking time. It goes together quickly when I really don't feel like doing a lot of cooking for dinner. I figure it's all in there - meat, veg, carbs, spices. What else do you need, I ask ? Enough said.

This batch used up that duck from my previous post, some bacon that needed to be used up, the last of a bag of carrots that needed to be used, and scallions that I always buy and then strand in the veggie drawer. It was delicious when I put it all together. Easy dinner with a glass of wine. 

Super Easy Roasted Duck

Our belated New Years Day dinner ... we had so many leftovers from Christmas week and News Years Eve that we could NOT in good conscience cook another major meal. That being said, I couldn't wait to try this really easy recipe for roasted duck. My plans are to have slices of the breast with our roasted potatoes and green beans with almonds for dinner this evening and THEN pull the rest of the meat from the carcass and make stir fried rice with duck and bacon at the beginning of the week.

Stormy Day Dinner

It's all about a warm pot of baked beans today, but these aren't the usual New England style baked beans. These have a bit of a spicy twist. Perfect with a pan of cheesy jalapeño cornbread. This dinner took the chill out of our first ice and sleet storm of the season.

NYT's Blonde Puttanesca

Thanksgiving week calls for easy meals that allow time for the baking and shopping and food storage that is required to put on a huge feast. That being said, we are traveling for the Thanksgiving weekend and are loath to have much in the fridge when we take off for a few days. Soooo ...