What do you do on a Sunday when there is nearly three feet of snow on your front door? Obviously, the meteorologists were right this time ... Is there enough food in my house to keep me a day or two from starvation? Sure, there is. But what would I be in the mood for? Yes, my friends, I had stocked up on produce with what I wanted to cook: three different soups. … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Soup for Snow? Try This Intriguing Sweet Potato-Coconut Soup
Columnists
A la Carte: Lemony Shrimp and Risotto Makes a Luscious Entrée
I used to wonder about people who won’t go out if the weather is crappy, especially if it is snowing. I grew up where there is snow most days from mid-November until the end of March. I don’t remember having any snow days, but maybe we did. In any case, I never saw a school bus and, to this day, I have never been on one. From kindergarten until junior high school (now … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Lemony Shrimp and Risotto Makes a Luscious Entrée
Gardening Tips for February from ‘The English Lady,’ Lift Your Spirits by Thinking Spring … and Beyond
Hello everyone, with all the pain and suffering we are all experiencing right now with the pandemic still upon us, I wanted to lift your spirits and cause you to begin planning for this season in your garden. Mother Nature’s gifts of renewal, growth and nourishment tell us that in this wonderful pastime called ‘gardening,’ we can escape from the trials and tribulations of … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for February from ‘The English Lady,’ Lift Your Spirits by Thinking Spring … and Beyond
A la Carte: Winter Vegetable Soup for a Wintry Day
Over the years, I learned a lot about buying cookbooks. Never mind the first one I ever had: it was a cookbook that was part of the first (and only) encyclopedia we order for our daughter. I bet no one under fifty years old has ever bought one. My second was Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook. It was one hell of a cookbook and still is. I learned to cook from that … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Winter Vegetable Soup for a Wintry Day
A la Carte: Count on Chicken Chili on a Cold Day!
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!
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
Gardening Tips for Early December from ‘The English Lady’
We have been fortunate here in New England to have had the pleasure of a lovely summer not too hot with adequate rain. Followed by a warm fall with more than enough rain into November to encourage healthy root growth for a vibrant spring next year. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this weather foretells a mild winter – we can only hope, but yet again this is New … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for Early December from ‘The English Lady’
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
Letter From Paris: Antony Blinken Has Major Advantage Being Bilingual at Helm of US Foreign Policy
Never before has a US Secretary of State been as utterly bilingual as Antony Blinken. Granted, two of the Founding Fathers of America also had special relationships with France. But Benjamin Franklin was 70 when he was appointed ambassador to Paris in 1776. For nine years, he resided in Passy and became a real Parisian. Thomas Jefferson was 41 when he planted his roots … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Antony Blinken Has Major Advantage Being Bilingual at Helm of US Foreign Policy
A View From My Porch: A Primer on the American Rescue Plan, What’s Happening to the Money in Old Lyme
Over the past several months, the regional media have covered American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding decisions made in several Southeast Connecticut communities. On July 26, the New London Day carried the headline, “American Rescue Plan Funding Floods Southeastern Connecticut.” Even before that, on June 15, Old Lyme’s First Selectman Timothy Griswold reported, “The American … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: A Primer on the American Rescue Plan, What’s Happening to the Money in Old Lyme
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