Simple French cuisine to the rescue: Braised Chicken with Scallion Purée

This rustic French dish with a base of coarsely puréed scallions and potatoes is perfect for when April isn’t playing nice—as it wasn’t in April 2009, when we first shared this recipe.

The kitchen in our new old house is still half-assembled, but functional. The meals we’re cooking are still mostly functional as well—good, filling, but not necessarily post-worthy. So while we’re still getting things under control, culinarily and otherwise, please enjoy this recipe inspired by a lovely Amanda Hesser cookbook we haven’t managed to unpack yet. [Read more here…]

Moving, cheats and getting food on the table

Unlike many things, moving doesn’t get easier the more you do it. If anything, it gets harder. As much as we love waking up every day in our new old house, life is still makeshift on a daily basis. Besides living among not always well-labeled boxes here, we’re still vacating our apartment of nine years. We’re working around the contractor finishing up things. We’re dealing with disappearing cats when the contractor leaves doors open (the cat was found—in a closed vanity drawer, of course). And we’re getting up and going to work every day. So instead of a fresh recipe this week, you’ll be getting a confessional post of sorts. Continue reading “Moving, cheats and getting food on the table” →

Yes, it’s Matzoh Crack season again

Marion’s addictive Passover dessert, made with white and semi-sweet chocolates, and spicy rose sugar, makes a delicious return. Recipe and variations below.

We moved last Saturday, probably more of an evacuation than an actual move. We love our new old home, but both it and our lives are a little too chaotic right now to sensibly cook and post something new. With Passover a little more than a week away, sharing Marion’s popular Matzoh Crack seemed like the perfect idea. [Read more here…]

Fridge (and pantry) raid: Chicken Lentil Soup

Chicken, lentils and things you probably already have on hand turn into a quick, hearty, healthy soup. Recipe below.

So, we’re moving. Not to another city or anything, and we’ve certainly moved plenty of times in our lives. But what has turned this into a huge monster of a time- and life-consuming project is that we’re moving into a house that needed everything when we found it. Plumbing. Electric. HVAC. Walls built, moved or removed. And most important, perhaps, work to make sure the house will continue to stand as it has since probably the 1880s. Continue reading “Fridge (and pantry) raid: Chicken Lentil Soup” →