Cookery Maven Blog

Beltane Blessings

Poem by Muriel Rukesyer

New Sass At The Sassy Nanny Ranch

The Sassy Nanny ranch has a few new faces (and feathers, and hooves) in the yard. Not only are there roughly 78 new young'uns, there is a very large (and sweet) horse named Cash and a trio of waddling, inquisitive geese.

Lovely Hunks Of Pork, Dijon Marinade & Expired Tabs

It was the best trade we've made in a long time— the use of the Rover for a grocery bag of kick-ass beef and pork from a butcher in Hudson.

Fishing Tugs In Ice & Snow Irons

It snowed on Friday, enough to close school and add one more day to the end of the school year. We've had quite a few snow storms this winter and even the kids are getting sick of snow days.

Hard Cider & Calvados Cheese Fondue

Cheese fondue. Those two words conjure up memories of being a Holly Hobby bell-bottomed wearing kid in the 70's, scooping 'fancy' swiss cheese out of my Mom's fondue pot and feeling pretty fancy myself.

Houghton Falls Magic, Part Two

I'm in the very beginning stages of attempting to organize my 22,000 pictures into some semblance of order. And by beginning stages, I mean looking through the pictures and taking one big fat trip down memory lane— not deleting, moving or organizing a damn thing.

Houghton Falls Magic

It was the perfect day for a photo safari but we were fresh out of ideas. There's still at least three feet of snow on the ground and while I'm all for an adventure, slogging through thigh deep snow was a little ambitious for us.

Asiago & Pear Ravioli

I'm on a pasta bender. It just keeps snowing and snowing up here so I'm still in winter, carbo- loading mode. Plus, I love, and I mean absolutely love, working with pasta dough.

Grapefruit & Juniper Gravlax

Salmon cured in salt, sugar, citrus zest and spices— my idea of a very good idea. Maybe it was the name, gravlax, or the idea of safely eating raw fish but I assumed making gravlax was best left to the professionals and my job was to make a tangy sauce and slice the rye bread.

Maple Meringue Cookies- A Spring Superfood

Maple sugar— one of the many gifts of Spring and a good substitute for white sugar. Its subtle maple flavor is a great addition to quick breads and cookies (plus it's loaded with antioxidants).

A Grant's Point Sunset & The Madeline Island Ice Road

We've sprung forward and that means spring can't be far behind, right? I know there's one or two big, gnarly snow storms in my future but that's okay— it's only 50 days or 1,200 hours (depending on how you want to look at things) until May 1st.

And Then There Were Three

Henry died Tuesday in the early hours of the morning, on his bed with Gus and Seamus tucked in next to him. He woke me up at about 4 am, we went outside, I spent a few minutes petting him and then carried him to his bed.

Long Island On Skis & Through Snowflakes

We booked across the bay last year but this year, we decided to book it LICC-style and headed out to Long Island for a winter version of Long Island Cocktail Club. Charly, the LICC czar, decreed the ice was safe, the island was accessible and we were bad-ass enough to get ourselves, some tequila, hot dogs, brats, 5 kids and 2 dogs over to Long for an afternoon adventure.

Bananas & Chocolate- Always A Good Idea

If I've noticed two consistent issues with grocery shopping, it's this: avocados and bananas are never, and I mean never, at the peak of perfect ripeness when you need them.

A Midwinter's Adventure

The first time we hiked out to the Sioux River with Julie and Charly, I knew it was my kind of place. Lots of red and white pines, a spring fed river and plenty of faces in the trees to keep my occupied for hours.

Alabama BBQ Chicken

When Ted's parents moved to Alabama ten years ago, I was a little skeptical but curious. My Southern knowledge base consisted of an appreciation for monograms, Lilly Pulitzer and a Florida beach vacation every couple of years— I wasn't sure where Alabama figured into the equation.

Roasted Garlic Squash Soup With Apples & Boursin

I have to admit, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned snow storm to make me happy. And a pot of soup on the stove during a snow storm seals the deal, as far as I'm concerned.

Water, Interrupted

Ted and I bought cross-country skies for Christmas in an effort to bolster our flagging fitness levels and spend time in the great outdoors in the middle of winter. So far, so good.

Beefy Pies With Stilton & Stout

Ice caves, ice roads, cross-country skiing, quinzee huts and dog sledding— all by-products of our fantastically cold and snowy winter. With the right amount of layering and warm boots, winter has secured a place in my heart with its abbreviated daylight and crystal clear, star strewn night sky.

Here's To The Middle

Terry Tempest Williams and the middle path.