I have four definites before I give you a recipe: I have made the recipe and it was good Someone I knew had made this recipe and gave me the recipe and I understood the intranets and trusted them The ingredients were available or that a substitute would work for you I tinkered with the recipe and felt the tinkering made the recipe even better. This was not the … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Count on Chicken Chili on a Cold Day!
Nibbles
A la Carte: For Lee, Winter and Widowhood Mean it’s Time for Tourtière
Before the holiday season, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, a wonderful cookbook writer who lives mostly in Maine and visits Italy often, talked about the French-Canadian tourtière. I made it a few times for my husband but he really didn’t like the seasoning. He said the same when I made Cincinnati Five-Way Chili (chili with beans, onions, seasoning, spaghetti and cheese). Doug had … [Read more...] about A la Carte: For Lee, Winter and Widowhood Mean it’s Time for Tourtière
A la Carte: Two New (and Lucky) Soups for the New Year
Luck can be two different sides of a coin. Just a couple of weeks ago, I lost one very good friend, and another very good friend lost his mother. Just three days after that, I went to a birthday party for Jacques Pepin, who is now 86. It was a small party of maybe 14 people. Most of us have known each other for 20 or more years. Jacques’ beautiful wife, Gloria, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Two New (and Lucky) Soups for the New Year
A la Carte: Time to Celebrate, Time for Tiramisu!
Christmas has become a quiet day for me. My own daughter, Darcy, is in California with her husband. Stepchildren are all over the country and their children are, too. My stepson and his wife, whom I adore, are divorced and my daughter-in-law will spend her day with her parents, who are quite old and don’t drive the nearly two hours to get to Newburyport. I won’t be … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Time to Celebrate, Time for Tiramisu!
A la Carte: Terrific (Homemade) Treats to Take to Friends
Column #1 A year ago, a COVID vaccine was my holiday hope to family and friends (and everyone else in the world). I think all we wanted was a vaccine that this once-a-century pandemic could be handled and we wouldn’t have to watch Andrew Cuomo every single morning on television (although we didn’t know then that his final showstopper would be his last ever). By the end of … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Terrific (Homemade) Treats to Take to Friends
A la Carte: A Delicious New Twist on Turkey Left-Overs
If you are reading this on Wednesday with your morning coffee and you are lucky enough to have scored a Thanksgiving dinner at someone else’s house tomorrow, you are like me. I was asked to make two pies (one apple, one pumpkin), green beans and corn bread. In any case, I will be making these things this evening and all I need to do is show up an hour ahead of the dinner … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Delicious New Twist on Turkey Left-Overs
A la Carte: More About Pie, Plus a Tart for Vegetarians
Okay, my friend, Lisa, suggested what I make for Thanksgiving: two pies—one apple and one pumpkin. Easy-peasy. Also green beans and corn bread. I also want to let you know that I am not going away for the holiday, just a short drive down I-95. So, if you have questions, think of me as your own Butterball Hotline. You have my e-mail below the column, so if you have a … [Read more...] about A la Carte: More About Pie, Plus a Tart for Vegetarians
A la Carte: Three Columns Today: Perfect Pie Crust, Shepherd’s Pie & Ginger Chicken Hash
Is it too soon to talk about pie? I do not think so. Thanksgiving is just under three weeks away. For many years I made the crusts from scratch. The best recipe was given to me by Deb Jensen, who lived in Stonington and had a couple of restaurants in the borough. But before that, she had a restaurant in New York City that, if I remember correctly, was called Pie in the … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Three Columns Today: Perfect Pie Crust, Shepherd’s Pie & Ginger Chicken Hash
A la Carte: Lee Offers a New Twist on Vegetables … With a Bit of a Kick!
A few weeks ago, my refrigerator was filled with tomato sauces and chicken. I had made that huge, seven-pound chicken, which I ate for at least five days (sandwiches, tacos, chicken salad.) As for the tomato sauce, Judy Robertson gave me some from her garden and two other condo friends gave me her mother’s recipe for sauce with chicken while another gave me some topped with … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Lee Offers a New Twist on Vegetables … With a Bit of a Kick!
A la Carte: Dinner in Less Than 30 Minutes? Try Sheet-pan Gnocchi
I have always assumed that people use coupons when they go to supermarkets. I am a newspaper and magazine freak, and I always clip coupons (and try to remember to take them with me, too.) In my much younger days, before I knew how to cook at all, I clipped newspapers coupons not only to save money (my ex-husband was a student and I was the full-time … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Dinner in Less Than 30 Minutes? Try Sheet-pan Gnocchi
A la Carte: Roasted Chicken Under Garlic Bread Offers Taste of Autumn, Hint of Winter Meals to Come
Oh, no, it’s chicken again, I thought, as I looked at the last column I wrote weeks before I left to see my daughter in California. But during the many days I spent there, I thought about all she’d cooked for me—tacos on Thursdays and nachos on Friday (both made with a roasted chicken she’s bought at Costco.) I guess the acorn doesn’t fall from the tree. In addition to … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Roasted Chicken Under Garlic Bread Offers Taste of Autumn, Hint of Winter Meals to Come
A la Carte: Two Columns This Week and a ‘Nibbles’ Too! Enjoy Eggplant Parm Panini, Clam Chowder with Corn & Chorizo
A la Carte-1: Creamy Corn and Clam Chowder with Crispy Chorizo It was a really nice week. My oldest Troy childhood friend in the world visited for two days. (Her name is Rosalie. She is about a year older than me and, no, I was not named after her.) We ate lobster rolls at Captain Scott, I grilled steaks on the grill and we had sweet corn and a big salad, and the last … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Two Columns This Week and a ‘Nibbles’ Too! Enjoy Eggplant Parm Panini, Clam Chowder with Corn & Chorizo
A la Carte: Too Many Tomatoes? Lee Has All Sorts of Solutions for You
A couple of weeks ago I went to a small party at Washington Park in Groton. It was held outside in one of a half dozen “cabins,” each of which have concrete floors, a few dark-stained columns, good sturdy roofs and wooden picnic tables with attached “chairs.” It was a very casual party, with pizza, already-barbecued chicken wings and coolers of beer, wine, soft drinks and … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Too Many Tomatoes? Lee Has All Sorts of Solutions for You
A la Carte: Chicken Tikka Masala Makes a Perfect Meal With Friends
The isolation, almost a year, actually, didn’t bother me as much as those who had to fill supermarket shelves, teach children at home or lose a job. Because I live alone, I have always pretty much eaten when I want to eat and pretty much eat what I want to eat. But I sure missed the fun of sharing food with friends. So when friends offered to come to my home and cook in my … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Chicken Tikka Masala Makes a Perfect Meal With Friends
A la Carte: Stone Fruit Caramel Delights the Palate in Both Summer, Winter
I have in my Kindle at least four sample books waiting for me to read. No matter the weather, I probably read four to five hours a day. But at night, in bed, I read recipes. When I find ingredients that sound really good, I tear out the page and, within a day or two, buy the ingredients and make the food. If I like the recipe, I want you to have that recipe, so I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Stone Fruit Caramel Delights the Palate in Both Summer, Winter