In a previous life I went to divinity school. Suffice it to say, at the time it seemed like a good idea. Perhaps because the school I landed at was […]
NEW ORLEANS DISPATCH
A Friday Fish Fry, Hold the Sacrifice
Crisp fillets with a hint of warm spices are a fine fast-food tradition
NEW ORLEANS — After the many indulgences of Mardi Gras, the Archdiocese of New Orleans publishes a list of antidotes in the Times-Picayune — “fish frys” to fill the Fridays […]
FROM THE LARDER
Fondue Baked Into a Winter Pie
On a trip to France, ‘unexpected events’ are met with the comfort of cheese
In the end it will be the cheese that kills me. Not the red meat. Not the gin. Well, maybe the gin, a little, but mostly the cheese: hard or […]
GARDEN PLOT
Seed-Ordering Season: A Beginner’s Guide
Winnowing what’s good for your garden from a pile of plant possibilities
January is the hinge of the garden year. With the garlic long planted and my tools cleaned and sharpened, I look forward to the winter hush as a time of […]
FROM THE LARDER
Congee’s Good for Anything That Ails You
A silky rice porridge is a palette for color, crunch, and heat
As the Outer Cape’s long trek to spring begins, Christopher and I are grateful for the reprieves we’ve had this year from winter’s cold grip. A good number of magically […]
FORAGING
A Restorative Sip for the New Year
White pine needle tea is ‘like drinking the forest in winter’
My friend Ingrid Bratberg knows all the best places to find stinging nettles, wild onions, blackberries, and elderflowers. Ingrid’s a professional baker by day — her shortbread is legendary — […]
FROM THE LARDER
Baking Brings Out the Beauty of a Knobbly Fruit
A dessert-inspired resolve to bring back the homely but fragrant quince
Before we came to Truro, we lived in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, where I grew salad greens and root vegetables in a community garden plot. That’s where I […]
VANCOUVER DISPATCH
A Spicy Curry Soup to Come Home To
A light, aromatic bowl is an antidote for travels and turkey dinners
Now that travel is a thing again, Christopher and I decided to revive our tradition of getting out of town for a bit just before Thanksgiving. We’d been missing the […]
FROM THE LARDER
Conjuring the Coziness of Choucroute Garni
Homemade sauerkraut is Alsace’s counterpoint to smoky braised pork
The change of seasons has been gentle this year, but with Thanksgiving ahead my mind roams to cold weather meals. And especially to ones that overcome loneliness as much as […]
MATERIAL WORLD
Where to Borrow a Mixer, a Ukelele, and a Sewing Machine
Libraries grow a culture of lending that extends beyond books
I hesitated as I stood face to face with an electric sander in the West Roxbury Home Depot. I knew that if I bought it I would probably use it […]
GRENOBLE DISPATCH
Chicken Forestière Brings Home the Pleasure of a Plat du Jour
Booze, cream, and mushrooms sauce a fall supper
Is there a single person on the Outer Cape who doesn’t pine all summer long for September? Friends and neighbors talk about it all year long — it’s mythic. Why […]
D.I.Y.
Sculptures That Sparkle in the Late-Season Garden
Getting creative in good company brightens a gardener’s mood, too
Lucy LaFleche is one of the people who helped get me through the pandemic. And it wasn’t just the big-girl-size Cosmos she was known to pour moments after five o’clock. […]
THE STROLL
Wellfleet, Late August
Seen and heard on the weekly gallery walk
Frying Pan Gallery 250 Commercial St. Friends Heather MacBride of Mashpee and Debbie Ward of Sandwich are dressed up for a night on the town. Having just enjoyed oyster happy […]
FROM THE LARDER
You Say Tomato, I Say Tonnato
An Italian tuna mayo made for late summer lunches
Vitello tonnato is one of my summer specialties. But when I told Teresa about it, she turned me down cold. “That’s such a weird dish,” she said. The version I […]
FROM THE LARDER
Stalking the Elusive Red Currant
A once-forbidden fruit becomes a sparkling jelly
I got this text in mid-July: “Dani says to tell you that she has ripe currants if you’re interested.” Currant cultivation was, I had thought, forbidden in Massachusetts. But legal […]
