October 19th, 2008

Day 1 Arrive in Ithaca. I love it here. If I could magically wake up a Cornell Professor, I could imagine spending more than just a vacation exploring

Continue reading Hitting the Road to the Finger Lakes

As I write this, my husband is in the backyard, in the evening on a Friday, trying to figure out the best way to humanely put down our Red Star chicken, Mrs. Farquar. I poured him a big glass of bourbon and after much deliberation, decided that I didn’t want to be part of the process.

I knew that this was going to be part of the whole raising animals experience, but this was awfully soon after

Continue reading In Memoriam: Mrs. Farquar

I bought this Black Sea Bass at the Union Square Farmers market for $7.99 a pound. The same fish, already filleted, was twice that much money! A few simple steps and you can create a dramatic dinner presentation that’s cheap, healthy, summery and cooks in minutes. You also get the added bonus of eating the cheeks and the eyeballs…

First, buy a whole fish, or several if you are cooking for a crowd. One black sea bass

Continue reading Whole Fish 101

Who turns on the oven when its 103º in the shade? This chef does! I had my reasons though, and I figured, its already this hot, I won’t even notice that I’m standing over a hot sauté pan in front of a preheating oven! Well, I did notice. Even got a little lightheaded for a moment and took a break with a strawberry lemonade, but the dinner, the finished product, was so deliciously worth it! Here’s

Continue reading Rainbow Chard Quiche

Have a wonderful Independence Day Weekend! Here are three recipes from a rerun of a July 2008 article to enjoy! I’ll be back next week with some fresh ideas for you!

Clams just might be the ocean’s perfect food. Simple, self-contained little animals that don’t put up too much of a fight. They’re luscious and salty, cheap by seafood standards and super versatile in the kitchen. Enter any restaurant with seafood on the menu, and

Continue reading The Happy Clam Reprise

I hate to admit this to you, but I have a minor confession to make. I know I’ve spoken endlessly about cooking your own food and growing whatever you can. I know I’ve been all the way through culinary school and am a culinary instructor myself. I also know, that I am human and as I like the occasional bag of salty, crunchy junk food, I might also occasionally purchase a pre-made spice mix

Continue reading Blackened Fish & Grilled Vegetable Salad

This weekend, we drove out east on Long Island to adopt four hens from my brother’s landlady who wanted to thin out her flock.

After a short ride in my father’s truck, we loaded them up into the backseat of my car and they were off on the most exciting adventure of their lives! They were going to New Jersey!

Also in for an adventure were me, Mark, and my 2-door Chevy Cobalt.

The Chickens Came Home to Roost… Sort Of.

Back when I was a restless, pierced teen, I was fascinated by the cultural flux of the last century. I desperately wanted to have been a flapper. To have lived in the Roaring 20′s, with those hats and dresses and Art Deco broaches! Not to mention the speakeasies and that the homemade films that have one believe that everyone walked in double-time with a brass band giving soundtrack. Maybe it was my inability to

Continue reading How to Make Strawberry Jam

There is a saying about learning to cook that goes something like “you don’t learn how to cook in culinary school. You learn to cook by getting in a kitchen.” I think there is a similar proverb waiting to be coined which would explain how you learn to build a chicken coop: By setting out to build it. I’m now convinced that he lack of free chicken coop plans on the internet isn’t an accident. There

Continue reading How to Build a Chicken Coop – Part 1

Continue reading Nine Ways to Finesse the Farmers Market