Wednesday, January 4, 2012
After holiday feasting, settle in with some soup
Who doesn’t love homemade mashed potatoes and gravy? I also love leftover hot turkey sandwiches drowning in gravy. And my holiday isn’t complete without at least half a dozen iced sugar cookies. But after several days of holiday leftover feasting, I hit the gravy and sugar saturation point. …
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Five safe and sane tips to lose weight in 2012
Do you blame America’s excess weight problem on large portions, video gaming or the automobile? Actually obesity isn’t a new health problem. Archeologists have found evidence of overweight among the upper classes in digs dating back 2,000 to 2,500 years ago. Our “new” obesity epidemic doesn’t discriminate among social classes; …
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A whole Christmas scene made from cookies
I just love clearing off the vintage worktable I have in my kitchen and tinkering with holiday baking. For those history buffs out there, the workbench actually came from an old school. Today, I plan to ice a double batch of sugar cookies I baked last weekend and froze. The …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Brown rice: Friendly companion to hundreds of dishes
If anyone asked me what one food they should add to their diet that would make a big difference nutritionally, I would say without hesitation, brown rice. Brown rice isn’t a “super grain” like quinoa or an ultra-lean source of protein like tofu. It’s just a well-balanced and nutritious seed …
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Looking forward to another delicious year in food
Every December, some snobby, cosmopolitan food writer forecasts ingredients or dishes we’ve never heard of as the hottest gastronomic trend for the upcoming annum. It’s a great gig, particularly since no one ever contradicts them. Who dreams up this stuff? “Swahili cooking will be the in cuisine this year. … …
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Beyond just taste, recipes need color and depth
We don’t just eat with our mouths. We eat with our eyes. There are some excellent recipes that fail miserably, not because they don’t taste good, but because they lack visual appeal. You can have the most amazing raw products, but if the final result lacks color, shape, contrast and …
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Snag some quick protein and carbs with sausage rolls
The venerable sausage roll, a sausage and herb mixture wrapped in bread, is an hors d’oeuvre that has been a favorite around our house for many years. Here, they’re popularly known as Pigs in a Blanket, while Australians, who adopted the recipe in earnest, refer to them as “snags” for …
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tasty Shepherd’s Pie is a relatively new tradition
“The Eastbourne Board of Guardians have ordered a mincing machine … for the use of aged and toothless paupers in their workhouse.” – Pall Mall Gazette, 1885 Maybe I’m just getting old and curmudgeonly, but I find that linguistic inconsistencies aggravate me more and more as time goes on. In …
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Pie will make you thankful for caves of Cheddar
When you amble over to that cheese board during a party and cut yourself a hunk of cheddar, you are indulging in a tradition that goes back thousands of years and involves everything from kings to cannibals. Confused? Well, don’t worry – all will be explained soon. The long and …
Monday, January 10, 2011
Jake’s scoops up sweets – and some science
Deep within the recesses of an unassuming Amherst sweet shop, there’s science afoot. A mint hunk here, a pumpkin there, even some Mexican chocolate – each plays its flavorful part in concocting the unique ice cream flavors ginned up in the back room of Jake’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream and …
Monday, January 10, 2011
Practice makes perfect for Swan’s chocolatiers
Michael Anderson doesn’t like chocolate. He loves it. He craves it. …
Monday, January 10, 2011
Merrimack’s mile-high pies are no tall tale
Just because pie-maker Joe Lannan’s process is mechanized doesn’t mean his pies have lost that homemade feeling. In fact, each of the 5,000 to 6,000 New England Country Pie Mile High Apple Pies that go out a day are still hand-filled by 20 to 35 workers on the factory floor, …
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Turn to tried and true for on again, off again prep
“On again, off again” relationships toy with your emotions and are never good for your sanity. And I’ve been having one for the last few weeks … with a birthday party. Yes, an on again, off again relationship with a birthday party. …
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Food and fun from Fort Fairfield to East Boston
A few “Craves and Raves” ago, I suggested some New England foodie day trips, including Portland, Maine; Wellfleet, Mass.; and Providence, R.I. Now that the warmer weather has arrived and all the road salt is washed off our cars, it’s time to take a spin to even more great locales. …
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Compromise on food for healthy ‘marriage’
Don’t ask me who “they” are, but “they” say marriage is all about compromise. Well, I’ll be honest, my “marriage” with food has been turbulent. Lots of ups and downs. I’ve spent some time lately reflecting on this relationship, and – good or bad – food and I are in …
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Cheers, Nashua – it’s been a tasty ride, Senel signs off
Over the course of the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to take my passion for wine to the next level. From the day I started writing about wine and local wine experiences for The Telegraph, I embraced the opportunities that presented themselves. There are two experiences in the area …
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mass. gives residents the business; NH gets it
Massachusetts has been lovingly or hatefully referred to as “Taxachusetts” for a while, depending on which side of the border you live. Ever since the years of Gov. Michael Dukakis, the state government has levied a humongous tax burden on its people, and most are simply waiting to be taxed …
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Feds looking to deal wine lovers a huge blow
A while back, I wrote on my blog about how nothing good comes of government intervention in wine. At that time, I was merely speaking of how Alabama’s banning of Cycles Gladiator’s awful wines because of the nude lady painted on the label led to a huge spike in their …
