A few weeks ago Grandma Pellegrini sent me an email. Yes, she does email. She also does facebook. It is the dawn of a new era.She said: "I'm just sitting down to enjoy my soup and my latest triumph in the kitchen. I decided this morning to put my various cast iron baking pans to…
This is a sampling of what comes out of the chicken coop at Tulipwood.Very strange indeed.On the left is a "pullet egg," in between are some version of medium and large eggs that you would find in the grocery store, and on the right is a "double yolk" egg.Pullets are chickens that have just started…
One of the great and glorious things about squash from the garden is that it lasts until long after the garden is dormant for the winter. Right now in fact, there are 12 squash lined up along the windowsill.Grandma P. needed something tasty to bring to the church potluck a few weeks ago and since…
I found my version of gold tucked away in an old drawer. It was a tiny black book. And when I read the cover, I had to know more.So I investigated, and guess what I discovered... this was my great-great grandmother's recipe book!Her name was Evelyn Day Bruner. She lived in Brooklyn but was born…
When you have eighteen chickens and thirteen Guinea hens in your life, there are a lot of eggs to contend with. It is definitely a nice problem to have. I went on a quest recently to find eggs in the store with yolks as bright as the ones my chickens produce, and I have yet…
I like fireworks.My brother really likes fireworks. As a six year old he made us go into dark alleys and backrooms in Chinatown stores to buy fireworks from "toy store owners." When we first entered, they "didn't have any" and shrugged us away. But if you lingered in the store a little longer you would…
Tonight I'm going to my favorite dinner of the year. It is at my Godparents' mother's house and it is "The Feast of the Seven Fishes." It is an Italian American tradition and will include baked mussels, steamed mussels, baked clams, minced clams, salt cod, crab and avocado salad, prawns in more forms than you…
But do you really need a holiday as an excuse to make a good punch?My brother has been making this for years. It's quite good. He makes it strong but you can make a mild version.In addition to white wine and rum (not the expensive kind), you'll need citrus.Which you let macerate in the rum…
This is one of my favorite stews. It is perfect for the really cold months and for large gatherings when you have a lot of people to feed. In isn't your everyday beef stew. For one, it has equal parts lamb in it and then it also has a middle eastern flair...a little dried fruit,…