Blanquette de veau is a delicious, classic French dish with a real difference. I’ll admit though, I’d never really considered tackling it, because, at first look, it seems a bit complicated. But I recently hosted a book club at my house to discuss the book Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, a rich, evocative story laced with memories of classic French food. So of … [Read more...] about Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
Meat Poultry Seafood
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Country Ham and Leeks
From the first time I made macaroni and cheese, I’ve used this basic recipe, with the sauce you simply stir up. We were not a big macaroni and cheese family, and never had any version from the box until college, when the hot pot was our main cooking apparatus and I had an ingenious roommate. I think I might have originally found the recipe in a kids’ cookbook, but I don’t … [Read more...] about Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Country Ham and Leeks
Glazed Canadian Bacon
A few years ago, I was in charge of preparing an Easter lunch for my family. We were a small group that year, and decided on classic Southern brunch food – grits, fruit, ham. But a whole ham would have been more than enough food for our group. We would have had leftovers for years. But most of the smaller hams on the market are pressed hams, and I am not into that. And I … [Read more...] about Glazed Canadian Bacon
Creamy Bacon and Spinach Rigatoni
I love a simple dish with a little something special. This is such an easy weeknight dinner, with the smoky flavor of bacon, the bright color and fresh bite of spinach and a creamy sauce that is surprisingly simple. I prefer to use regular spinach, not the baby spinach sold in the salad section, which I find really ticky to cut into pieces and remove stems. I love the big, … [Read more...] about Creamy Bacon and Spinach Rigatoni
Waffles and Hash (Chicken Hash with Cider Gravy)
This is, I suppose, a treasured family recipe. For my entire life, both my mother and my aunt often waxed poetic about the favored meal of their childhood. Waffles and Hash. We were regaled at family meals about the tradition of having Waffles and Hash for Sunday night dinner. Any mention of family food traditions with these two always includes waffles and hash dinners. … [Read more...] about Waffles and Hash (Chicken Hash with Cider Gravy)
