easy to make
Blueberry Grunt – a Maritime dessert
This easy and basic dessert is called a grunt because the blueberries make a grunt-like sound while boiling under the dumplings. The grunt was an early adaptation of an English steamed pudding. The New England colonists had limited cooking equipment and a dumpling-like pudding using local fruit was cooked on the stove top. Wild blueberries…
Read MoreGrilled Garlicky-Herbed Shrimp
Grilled, poached, fried, battered, roasted, sautéed, steamed – you name it I’ve tried it. Shrimp are one of my favorite crustaceans, they take little time to cook and there are health benefits, too. Shrimp is a nutritious alternative to meat proteins as it is low in calories and saturated fat. It is an excellent source of…
Read MoreRoasted Red Pepper Salad with White Beans and Anchovy Sauce
I enjoy listening to stories of the past and with my mother in-law visiting, it’s the perfect time to hear more. Aida was born on the tiny island of Gibraltor 89 years ago. She moved to England in 1946 and has what I call a lovely Spanish/English accent. We are never short on conversation, our…
Read MoreRoasted Cauliflower with Linguine
It seems like a such long time since we last had linguine. The cauliflower in the fridge had been carefully selected for another dish but I wasn’t in the mood and decided last minute to make this. I always have a bottle of capers and anchovies in the fridge so all that was needed was…
Read MoreLobster Macaroni and Cheese
Is it possible to improve the flavor of a family classic dish such as macaroni and cheese? I didn’t think it was. I’m a Martimer through and through and love seafood. Boiled lobster dinners were a family tradition where I grew up…fresh lobster boiled, cut opened and gorgeous chunks of heavenly meat dunked in hot…
Read MoreDandelion Cookies
Dandelion…that ubiquitous yellow flowering weed that makes a lawn look unkempt and has gardeners pulling their hair trying to keep it at bay. But if we put their annoyance aside, you’ll find that dandelions are a nutritious food. It is a herb that is believed to have originated in Asia. Nutritionally, dandelions have more calcium…
Read MoreGrilled Broccolini with Garlic Anchoy Sauce
The tail end of Spring is drawing to a close and thankfully the warmer weather has arrived. And because of this, the air in our neighborhood is perfumed with food being cooked on backyard barbeques. If you don’t barbecue you almost feel left out. When I head out to our back deck to fire up…
Read MoreDaylily Petal Salad
How decadent! Daylilies in a salad! Using flowers in a dish isn’t a new thing for me but it has been a long time since I last did so. My grandmother always had a bed of nasturtiums in her flower garden which she used in bouquets around the house and if memory serves me correctly,…
Read MoreColeslaw with Granny Smith Apple and Chili
Warmer weather brings out all our favorite recipes for barbecues, family picnics and when it gets too darn hot to cook in the kitchen! Everyone has their favorite coleslaw recipe that perhaps their mom or grandmother used but this one, for me, takes the blue ribbon at a state fair hands down! Coleslaw gets its…
Read MoreGrilled Romaine Salad with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon Dressing
‘We both love to garden. We love the look of our gardens (most of the time). We talk about what we will do next season differently and what new crop we want to try. But we both garden differently. Karen’s garden mimics the French “potager” (raised-bed in a pattern) style with an emphasis -a BIG…
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