What’s better in the dark days of January than a big pot of delicious soup just ready and waiting. And the slow cooker is the easiest way to make that happen. There is a little work involved here (a very little) but the end result is a comforting, homey bowl filled with chicken and vegetables and hearty, nutty wild rice, all with a breathe of woodsy sage and herbs. Put this on … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
celery
Bloody Mary Shrimp Platter Salad
The early days of summer are a perfect time for a big, beautiful salad. Bountiful enough for a meal with make-ahead elements that just require some last-minute assembly. I love to serve these platter salads outside with everyone gathered around to mix and match their own perfect meal. From the hearty Steak House Platter Salad to the sophisticated Lyonnaise Style … [Read more...] about Bloody Mary Shrimp Platter Salad
Green Spring Vegetable Soup
Spring is busting out all over, and so too are the first hints at the green vegetables of the season – asparagus and green peas, balanced with leeks and fennel and fresh herbs. This delicious soup makes the most of all the lovely shades of green that are so evocative of spring, and best of all wastes nothing. It’s perfect for the early days of the farmers market or a spring CSA … [Read more...] about Green Spring Vegetable Soup
Vegetable Marinara – A Very Useful Healthy Sauce
I cook. A lot. You know that. But I am not always motivated to prepare myself an elaborate meal every day of the week. And I certainly have days when I have been rushing around or testing recipes that do not a meal make (yes, I have had hours in the kitchen producing only brownies and cake, or several different kinds of bread). But I try my best to make my regular, at home … [Read more...] about Vegetable Marinara – A Very Useful Healthy Sauce
Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Apples and Root Vegetables and Hazelnut Sauce
Winter is the perfect time for a hearty, comforting meal and the slow cooker makes it easy work. A rainbow of lovely winter vegetables nestled around a tender pork roast makes for a pretty impressive dish. This is the kind of thing I love to do on a bleak, rainy or snowy day, the fragrant meal cooking away while I snuggle under a blanket with a good book. But a meal like this … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Apples and Root Vegetables and Hazelnut Sauce