A little over a year ago, Shawn, the kids and several of our friends were on the Cape (Cape Cod, that is) for a wedding. One evening, we got takeout from a little place in Orleans, Massachusetts called Sir Crickets. We all ordered something different — fried clams, fried oysters (mmm!), clam chowder, fish and chips … there was just an array. We all shared a bit, which I love to do. It allows you to try so much more without going crazy. Total bliss.

The fried oysters — the first ones I’ve ever had — were amazing: tender, meaty and beautifully cooked. But as delicious as the fried oysters were, the standout dish was the New England clam chowder, which was ridiculously creamy, well-seasoned, a little smoky and loaded with clams and potatoes. It had taken some convincing to get me to try it, but when I did it totally reawakened a long dormant love of chowders in me.

Unfortunately, my friends and I skipped our annual fall trip to the Cape this past year, so I didn’t get to indulge in my favorites again. Maybe that’s why I have become a little obsessed with New England-style cooking. Why should it take a trip to the Cape for me to enjoy things like New England Clam Chowder?

This recipe for New England Clam Chowder comes from my family cookbook, which was created about 30 years ago with personal recipes from my grandmother, her sister and cousins. It also has journal entries from my great-great grandmother. The first time I saw the cookbook, I read through from cover to cover soaking in every word. It was almost like eavesdropping, but better. There’s such a special connection to my family’s past in that book. Read the rest of this entry…

When you plan your meals ahead of time, the evening goes much smoother. It becomes simpler to just finish up whatever you need to (work, laundry, whatever) and then move into a speedy dinner prep. Unfortunately, I fell back into bad habits recently and wasn’t planning dinners. Heck, I wasn’t even thinking about dinner … until it was time to make it. We consumed a lot of pasta. It was really chaotic, and I hate chaos.

But I am working on it (we’re on day five of planning success!). Honestly, the stress of having dinner roll around without a plan is something I don’t need. No one needs it. And it’s just too easy to skirt the issue with a little bit of planning.

The slow cooker really comes in handy. It’s just so simple. You toss the ingredients in early in the morning and then when dinnertime rolls around, you have a hot, ready to go dinner. If you are struggling with dinners, you should totally get your slow cooker out and give it a shot. Having this stew bubbling away the other afternoon provided such sweet peace of mind so that I could focus on what I needed to without stressing over what I would toss together for dinner.

Oh, and this Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew is a great dish to re-start your slow cooking adventures with.

This stew has a faint French onion-ness to the broth, but not so much that onion haters will balk (and the onion pieces are big so they can pick ‘em out anyway). And the roasted garlic adds dimension to the broth. The slow cooking blends the flavors as it renders the stew meat completely fall-apart tender. The vegetables – carrots, broccoli stems, potatoes and sweet potatoes – give the stew bulk so that it fills you up.

Did you catch that it has broccoli stems. Stems! The part that no one loves to eat. I keep stems in my freezer for using in recipes like this. And honestly, after slow cooking the stems for so long, the kids and I really enjoyed them in this stew. It was an unexpected but welcome element.

Eat this with a slice of buttered bread. Just divine.

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Last weekend, I was thinking up new recipes to work on when this idea for a veggie-filled chili came to mind. I’d almost call it a girl’s chili, but I truly hate when people refer to certain dishes as “man food,” so I surely shouldn’t be hypocritical and call this “girl food.”

It’s anyone who loves veggies food.

Really, this chili is all about fall produce. It begins with peppers, eggplant, leeks and kale — all from the farm where I get my CSA box … but you could easily find these in the grocery store or at the farmers market. The veggies, which are plentiful, bulk up the chili and make it feel substantial as you eat it. Once the veggies are all softened, you add in the (antioxidant-rich) tomatoes and beans … oh and the seasonings too. Then it just has to simmer.

You’ll notice that in the recipe, I am decidedly vague about the seasoning amount. Seasoning chili is a hard thing for me. While I love knock-your-socks-off hot chili, my husband and kids don’t. Not even close. So I always have to go mild for them. For myself, I and then doctor mine so that it has that bite that I crave.

Maybe someday we can be on the same page about the heat? Maybe? Eh, who am I kidding …

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Ok. Maybe Split Pea Soup isn’t just for spring, but I do associate it with it, especially because I make it using a leftover ham bone (did you save one from Easter? I did … and I have one in the freezer too). But really it’s perfect for any time of year, especially if you remember to save your ham bones for later.It’s not the prettiest thing to come out of the kitchen, but I love it anyway.

The first time I remember having Split Pea Soup was in the springtime with my grandparents. We ate it outside in the backyard from little paper bowls with plastic spoons. I remember sitting at the black metal table, my feet swinging from the chair and being surprised at how good the sweet, smoky soup was.

Whenever I taste it, I think of that day. Amazing how flavors can become so intertwined with memory, isn’t it?

My recipe for Split Pea Soup is simple and easy, just the way I like it. It only takes a few ingredients to combine and create just the right flavor. Making it does take a little while though — close to two hours, plus soaking time for the peas. But much of that time is hands off, so it’s not that bad. Nonetheless, this isn’t for a busy weeknight — save it for the weekend instead.

And speaking of the weekend, I hope you really enjoy yours.

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Earlier this week, a farm in our town started their preliminary work for the growing season. They begin by readying their greenhouse and planting seeds for their crops (and they sell some of the started plants too). In a month or so, the first crops will be planted in the fields, and their garden center will be hopping with hopeful people with fanciful dreams of amazing gardens.

As I look outside at our disheveled gardens, I am struck with how much work will have to happen before we can grow anything this year. Rocks from our gravel driveway were pushed far onto our lawn this winter. They need to be moved back again. Leaves, long forgotten under the snow, wait to be raked up and moved to our compost pile. My fenced garden of raised beds for growing veggies needs to be cleaned up, fertilized and planned. And will this be the year that I turn the grassy paths in it to gravel ones? I’m not sure.

And all this has to happen fast — between rainy days and chilly winds — so that it’s all picked up before the first blades of grass and rapidly growing weeds start appearing. It’s a race against Mother Nature, and I’m cold and sore just thinking of it.

I never really thought much about growing seasons and yard prep and all that until I had kids. It’s amazing how those sweet little people can make you so much more mindful about everything — where your food comes from, how you eat and living kindly with nature.

While I am in the beginning stages of planning for spring, it’s still soup season. And heck, when it’s cold like it still is (even on lovely sunny days like today), soup is just about the best thing ever — warm, comforting and belly-filling.

This Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a perfect late winter soup. It’s creamy, though it contains no cream, and flavorful, though the ingredients list is relatively short and simple. One of the greatest discoveries I ever made about soup making was that pureeing potatoes in a soup can give it that lovely creamy texture without the added fat of stirring in heavy cream.

The flavor reminds me of a broccoli and cheddar baked potato (which is especially good if you love broccoli … and broccoli and cheddar baked potatoes … like I do), except it’s in a comforting, warm soup.

Here I’ve topped it with some chopped roasted red peppers and Westminster Oyster Crackers. The cool, sweet peppers and crunchy, almost buttery crackers are a fabulous compliment to the soup.

A few months back, I received a box of these crackers in the mail, and was instantly smitten. Oyster crackers and I have a long relationship, dating back to my days in Catholic elementary school. I used to sneak them during band practice (I played the clarinet. Poorly. Um, yea. Might have helped if I didn’t eat during practice, I suppose).

So, these Westminster Oyster Crackers. They impressed me. First, there was the flavor and texture — an almost buttery flavor, and a satisfying puffy crunch. Then there was the ingredients list, which is simple and 100 percent pronounceable. They contain ingredients I have not only heard of, but own! So, we’ve been munching on these for a few months now — as snacks, in soups, etc. The kids love taking them for snack time at school.

It’s still chilly here, so this soup is perfect. With the crackers and roasted red peppers, of course.

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Once upon a time, what feels like a bazillion years ago, I interviewed for a job at Taunton Press, publishers of Fine Cooking. But the job wasn’t for that fabulous magazine, it was for another of their great enthusiast titles – Fine Woodworking.

I’ll pause for a second while those that know me personally snicker a bit. It’s okay. I totally understand.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Fine Woodworking is a wonderful magazine for woodworking enthusiasts. But I am not one of them. I walked into the interview knowing very little about woodworking. Fortunately, I was plenty qualified for the position, which was working in editorial/web development — so they could look past the fact that “dove-tailed corners” was about the only woodworking phrase I could think of.

In the end, it came down to me and one other applicant and I didn’t get the job. That was okay too. I ended up working at an awesome children’s publisher instead. Ironically, I was later interviewed for a grad school project on blogging by the woman who beat me out for the job.

Anyway, I digress. While interviewing for Fine Woodworking, I fell head over heels in love with Fine Cooking. I had seen the magazine before and enjoyed it, but that was when I really embraced the title and its amazing recipes. From homemade tortillas to fabulous cookies, they’ve never disappointed me. (And I harbor a not-so-secret dream of working there some day. Just sayin’.)

So, when I saw the recipe for Tomato Bisque in their Soups & Sandwiches special issue, I knew I would love it. Moreover, I knew it would be perfect for the big Sunday family dinner that I hosted this week. I couldn’t have been more right … everyone adored the soup, and the leftovers made a fabulous lunch yesterday. And when I was digging up the links for this post, I discovered that Abby Dodge, who actually founded the Fine Cooking test kitchen, wrote the recipe. I’ve admired her work for a long time, as someone to look up to in the food writing and recipe development field.

The Tomato Bisque starts with caramelized onions — the original recipe calls for a small white onion, but I used a large Vidalia one, since I turned the soup for two into soup for 12 and wanted the inherent sweetness of the Vidalia. Paige, of course, was quick to mosey up with her little pink stool to watch the progress as I made the soup.

Anyway, once the onions are caramelized, you add the thyme and garlic and stir it for just about a minute. Then the remainder of the ingredients, except for the cream are added. It boils, reduces and then you finally mix in the cream and serve.

All in all, it was really easy to make too. The recipe instructs to make cheese toasts with it. But I decided to serve this with my Gorgonzola Bison Sliders, and that was an awesome combination.

Try this Tomato Bisque. It’s amazing.

What’s your favorite cooking magazine?
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When Will came home from school today, my house smelled incredible. The the lingering scent of slow-cooking beef mixed with red wine, garlic and more was mouthwatering and hit me as soon as we stepped through the door. I couldn’t wait until dinnertime.

The stew, which the kids both ate a lot of, was hearty and well cooked. After hours of cooking, the potatoes with silky soft and the meat was fork tender — just as it should be. When I asked Shawn what he thought, he said, “Very good.” That’s a sentiment that I haven’t heard about a stew in a long, long, long time.

I’ve really fallen for this slow cooking lately. The whole idea of tossing ingredients in a pot and letting it take care of itself is so incredibly helpful at the conclusion of a busy day when the last thing I want to do is create a fabulous meal. Are you a slow cooking fan? What’s your favorite slow cooker recipe? Share! I am dying to try more!

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Whenever anyone asks what my favorite recipe is, my recipe Potato Leek Soup is one of the first to come to mind. It’s ridiculously easy — just a few ingredients — and it can be made pretty swiftly with minimal hands-on work. And while simple, this unassuming soup is flavorful and warm — perfect for a chilly New England winter day.

Also, this soup is super waist friendly — it’s under 300 calories per serving, and they are generous servings. Nothing to feel guilty about here. (NOTE: I use SparkRecipes.com to calculate calories, and according to that one serving is 260.9 calories.)

To make this a meal, make a big green salad with veggies to serve with it. Crusty bread is a good side too.

Have a great weekend. Read the rest of this entry…

There’s a picture of Will on my desk from his first year in preschool. He’s got this infectious smile, like he was laughing at the time. And he looks so dapper in his striped Oxford shirt. That’s the little boy who’s now a kindergartner. He’s five now, and learning to read and write. Where does the time go?

Today, he came home from school, excited about the book fair and sad that a little girl called him a name. He loves school, and is making friends. But I worry about name calling — could it progress? Will other kids do the same? Is this a precursor of bullying? I’m a mother, and I cannot help but worry.

As a mother, I don’t know how much I can do. Sure, I can speak to his teacher and ask questions. I can educate him on dealing with people who aren’t being so kind. I can demonstrate kindness and compassion, so that my kids learn to do as I do. But I can’t hold him forever, or shield him from hurt. The fact is that life is filled with good and bad things … and you need to deal with both.

Shawn and I can raise our children well, and keep their bellies well-fed too. And really, at the end of the day, does being called Potatohead really matter that much? No. Because he’s still a happy, unjaded, smart little boy. That’s what matters.

Tonight, I whipped up a batch of Turkey Chili, a perfect dish for chilly days — or when you need something warm and comforting in your belly. This is a particularly mild chili, perfect for little kids. Add more spice, if you like.

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Pretty much everyone who knows my family knows that my husband Shawn hates onions … or at least he says he does. The truth? He doesn’t like the texture of onions, but he does appreciate the flavor that a sweet onion can add to a dish. Don’t tell him I told you though, he’s very sensitive about it. (I jest. He reads my blog. I am sure to hear about this paragraph very soon).

Beef stew? It’s one of those dishes that absolutely needs to have onions in it. I love big bits of onion, personally, but everyone knows that life and marriage is about compromise, so over the years, I have tried different methods of incorporating onions: dried onions (from the spice aisle), finely chopped onion, even onion free … but I finely found the method that works for us.

My stew starts with a puree of onion, carrot and potato, fresh from the food processor. What I love about this is that it adds the flavors while also thickening the stew a bit (you can thicken it more, if you want, but you totally don’t have to). It’s important that the onion is a sweet onion though. The flavor of yellow onions just isn’t as good for this. Oh, and beware, the puree is known to make your eyes water a bit. Small price, I say.

Next comes the beef. I buy natural grass-fed stew meat, usually from a local farm because it’s fresh and very tender. One of my local grocery stores also sells a decent version of this. However, use whatever type of stew beef you prefer. As for amount, I usually add about 1 1/3 lbs, but if you want a meatier stew, make it 2 lbs. Once the meat is browned and mixed up with the puree, I deglaze the pan with red wine. Choose a good red wine that you enjoy. Also, know that different varieties will add different sub-flavors … for instance, merlot adds a slight peppery flavor while a cabernet can add a warm richness. Use one that you like (and avoid cooking wines!).

Finally, water, seasonings and veggies are added. The stew cooks for about an hour total, from beginning to end, and then it’s ready to thicken or serve. The rich stew is a family favorite here. Paige could (or rather does) drink the stew liquid. Will can’t get enough of the veggies. Shawn is sure to go back for seconds … and usually take leftovers for lunch the next day.

Yes, it’s that good. Read the rest of this entry…