How does friendship hold up in the face of social media and full lives? I am sitting with a group of mothers of infants and toddlers at my local co-op’s natural parenting meeting, wondering what kind of friend I am. I’ve known the group’s organizer, Meg, for several years. She asked me to come speak almost […]
Archives for September 2015
Great Stew: Anyone Can Make it
Very often, the simplest dishes I prepare are the ones that receive the most comments. A friend dropped in the other day to retrieve her daughter from a play date. She sat down at the kitchen table and as we chattered away, I set a bowl of stew in front of her. She picked up […]
Pink Elephants
Maybe we can’t control our thoughts. But we can watch and learn from them. Ula heaves her bag onto the bench next to the door, wipes a strand of wayward hair from her glasses and gives a big sigh. It is Saturday night. She and Saoirse were with friends all day, while Bob went to […]
Lemon Chicken (or Turkey) Salad with Braised Sweet Peppers
This salad turns leftover chicken into a colorful palette of late summer colors. While the recipe suggests that you serve it warm, it is also terrific picnic farele. Serves 6 1 clove crushed garlic 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried) ½ cup olive oil 2–3 cups diced cooked […]
Yes.
It is so easy to forget to see each other, to forget the separate paths we walked before we came together. We like to think we get to watch the sunset together on Friday nights. But more often than not, we don’t. Tonight is our night alone together. The girls sleep at Grammie and Pop Pop’s […]
Curried Goat (or Lamb)
Adapted from the new edition of The Grassfed Gourmet (available here), this is a simple curry like none you’ve ever tasted, with seasonings reminiscent of exotic African flavors. SHOWCASE • ON A BUDGET SERVES 3 TO 4 2-4 tablespoons lard, butter or tallow 2 pounds goat stewing meat or kabobs (lamb will also work) Salt and […]
The Pressure Canner
Farming and radical homemaking are great lifestyle choices….If you can avoid these pitfalls. It’s one o’clock in the morning. I’m walking through the kitchen, on my way to letting Nikki and Dusky out. After that, I need to draft the farm newsletter for the week. The moonlight streams in on the kitchen table, blanketed with […]
The Unattainable
Some things seem beyond reach… But only because we’ve forgotten how to stretch ourselves. My friend Nancy and I have brought Saoirse and Ula to a nearby art museum for an exhibit of Maxfield Parrish’s paintings. Saoirse is wandering the gallery with a notebook, gazing at the pictures and writing down story ideas. Ula […]