“-31 DEGREE WIND CHILL!!!……-31 DEGREE WIND CHILL!!!…..-31 DEGREE WIND CHILL!!!” –Recent post from my son’s Facebook page My son, Robb, moved to Brattleboro, Vt. in November. He’s been living and working in Boston for the last several years, so New England winters aren’t exactly a new experience for him. But folks in Vermont – which was […]
Julianne Glatz
Posted inFood & Drink
Hearty, not heavy
Leeks, onions, shallots and scallions make up the core of Creamy five lilies soup. PHOTO BY NICK KOON/MCT It’s that time of year again. Whether or not there’s a specific diet in your immediate future, if you’re like me, you’re ready for some lighter fare after holiday indulgences. There’s just one problem. When cold winds […]
Posted inFood & Drink
What to eat for a lucky New Year
“Ushers hurriedly passed tiny baskets of yellow grapes. A loud solemn gong began booming. Each head bent, gobbling their grapes. All around me I heard sputtering and choking. [Edmundo] was frantically consumed in the effort, swallowing even pits and stems. [He] turned to me, planting a damp kiss on both my cheeks. ‘Feliz año Nuevo, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Cookie traditions
Linzer cookies are easy to make and delicious. PHOTO BY RICARDO DEARATANHA//MCT Cookies and Christmas. Is there any more universally traditional food of the holiday season? Sure, there’s fruitcake, though many people regard it as something best avoided rather than embraced – but everybody loves cookies. Even folks like my dentist husband, Peter, who doesn’t […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Gifts for cooks
Looking for gifts for the cooks on your list? Here are four recommendations. All are in constant use in my kitchen, and implements I frequently give as gifts. Immersion blenders“I never thought I’d use one,” the woman told me. On a vegetable-heavy diet –“2 cups a day!” – she wanted alternatives to stir-frying. My suggestions […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Getting ready for Christmas
Finely grating the rinds of two lemons for lemon pecan pound cake. PHOTO BY TOM WALLACE/MCT “God invented Christmas as a trial for women,” a friend said to me many years ago. I laughed – it was funny – but I also felt a little sad that she was so cynical. But every year since […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Turkey tales
“The heavenly aroma still hung in the house. But it was gone, all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey hash! Turkey à la king! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, all gone!” – Ralphie Parker in the movie A Christmas Story When the Bumpuses’ dogs sneaked in and […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Roasting turkey
Since I first wrote about them in 2009, I’ve had several requests for two techniques I use when preparing roast turkey and dressing: brining and an unusual method of cutting up the turkey prior to roasting. By popular request here they are again. For many home cooks, preparing roast turkey and dressing is the most […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Warming way to start the day
PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA I am not a lover of hot weather. Others may mourn the passing of summer, but I’m always happy to welcome autumn’s crisp cool temperatures. There’s one exception, though: the frigid mornings in late fall when the last glorious leaves have fallen from the trees, skies are overcast and chill winds blow. […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Families that eat together are more together
Until recently, families that routinely sat down together for meals were the norm. But for several decades family meals have become increasingly rare as life’s pace and pressures have become increasingly frenetic. Two-career households, kids with a bewildering array of activities and distractions, plus the ease and availability of fast food, seemed poised to plunge […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Trick-or-treating country style
PHOTO BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Trick-or-treating is different when you’re a country kid. But when I was very young, I wasn’t aware of any difference. After supper, I’d put on my costume and head out with my mom in the car. These days, North Cotton Hill Road is a different scene, with subdivisions galore, but […]
Posted inFood & Drink
France meets Italy
Fish soup and honey-dashed, wine-glazed fruits intermingle French and Italian cuisine. PHOTO BY JOE COPLEY Two weeks ago, I wrote about banh mi, the wonderful sandwich that resulted from France’s colonization of Southeast Asia, and the outstanding banh mi served at Springfield’s new Jujobee Café. But the comingling of France and Vietnamese cuisines is not […]
