Friends, hello. Last week I mentioned I had been working on a soft sandwich bread recipe and hoped to be able to share it soon... here it is! It's a no-knead, 6-ingredient recipe that takes about 5 minutes to stir together. Thanks especially to my oldest daughter, who brings a turkey sandwich to school for lunch nearly every day and who has no reservations sharing her opinions, the recipe has gone through many iterations these past few months. It started with the basic bread ingredients:...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Friends, hello. I was hoping to have something more exciting to share with you this weekend, namely a recipe for a very simple soft sandwich bread, which I've been making in various ways — sometimes with honey, sometimes with olive oil, sometimes with more or less water and different flours, etc. — since this past summer. The recipe is almost there... ... and I will share it as soon as it is. I have a simple sourdough sandwich bread recipe on the blog, and I've long wanted to include a...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Friends, hello, how are you? Tired of winter? Same. Tired of roasted vegetables? Same. Tired of being cold? Same. Alas. This time of the year has to arrive at some point, and it seems to be now. This week, after mistakenly buying blood oranges at the market, I made a vinaigrette, which immediately inspired me to make a favorite, classic salad — beets with goat cheese and walnuts — which takes so nicely to a citrusy dressing. I used golden beets, which looked better than the red ones on that...
24 days ago • 2 min read
Hello, Friends. About this time last year, I went on a quest to make shiny-topped brownies. Many of you offered your tips and tricks, all of which I shared in the post, but in sum I learned that the mixing method really matters as does the material of the pan. These various experiments also led me down a rabbit hole regarding lead levels in various cocoa powders, which led many of you to share your favorite brands. Here are a few you shared: Cacao Barry Extra Brute Navitas Viva Naturals...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello, Friends. Earlier this week, perhaps with Super Bowl menu planning on the brain, I made the Greek yogurt ranch dressing from Pizza Night, which I love on a wedge salad and which my children love for dipping their veggies in. I have plenty left over for Sunday evening, which is nice because I'll be spending the weekend in the North Country for hockey and won't return until the Super Bowl is just kicking off. Being away for the bulk of the weekend unfortunately doesn't get me off the hook...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I'm still making them! To refresh, last summer, upon seeing a recipe for Oprah's favorite turkey burgers made by Mindy Kaling in Katie Couric's newsletter, I had to give them a try. The recipe was like no other turkey burger I had ever made, calling for blending together an apple, cilantro, scallions, mango chutney, soy sauce, and a few other seasonings in a food processor, mixing the herby spiced purée with the ground turkey, then forming and grilling the patties. The recipe did not call for...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
... forgot how much I loved it! Friends, last Sunday evening, wanting to make a dent in a large bag of pizza flour* I had purchased a few months ago, I mixed up a batch of Jim Lahey's no-knead bread dough. The following day, after an 18-hour rise, I proceeded with the recipe, turning the dough out onto a floured work surface, folding it into a rough ball, then letting it rise again in a cornmeal-dusted towel. Two hours later I turned it out, seam side up, into my screaming hot Dutch oven and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Friends, I have been wanting to share this simple baked pasta recipe since the fall, when I made five of them for my daughter’s school soccer team’s pasta party, and which gave me such an appreciation for the baked pasta genre. Hours before the party, the pans of pasta were assembled and ready to go. Thirty minutes before the girls were due to arrive, into the oven they went. Just as the girls stepped into the house, shin guards and cleats flying everywhere, out came the piping hot...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
... to serve polenta under everything 🎉 (And to never leave the house without your fleece-lined leggings!) Friends, it's cold out there. Last Sunday, I made a pot of this simple black bean soup with those slow cooker black beans I mentioned in last week's newsletter, and it was so nice to have on hand for the first half of this week when I couldn't fill my body with enough hot foods and liquids to keep warm. When we finished the soup, I turned to Paula Wolfert's oven-baked polenta. Many of...
2 months ago • 2 min read