wine braised beef short ribs

every year we buy a side of beef, if not a whole beef. either from the fair or from some friends of ours that still have a small cattle operation. we're down to the very last of last year's meat and i found at the back of the freezer a package labeled "strips for bbq" that turned out to be short ribs. there are few things in life that can compare to correctly cooked osso bocco but, bold though it may be, i think short ribs, braised slowly, can do it. so, we've discussed dutch ovens and this is a job for the old dutch, placed over low heat. pre heat the oven to 300 degrees while you're at it. into said dutch goes 1/2 an apple (core and all) roughly chopped, 4 cloves of garlic smashed and cut in half (don't worry about taking the papers off), 1/2 an onion chopped, 1 table spoon dried rosemary, one teaspoon whole pepper corns, 1 and 1/2 cups pinot noir, one table spoon of Bragg liquid aminos or soy sauce, and the beef. add enough water to cover the beef completely, but not by much. make sure you nestle the beef down into the liquid so that the bits of veggies etc. are mostly over and around the meat. now, pop it into the oven for about 3 hours, turn the meat over and cook for another 2 or 3 hours until the fluid is reduced by about half. pull the ribs out of the pot and cover them with foil. strain the broth, pressing all the juice from the strained bits. personally i ran mine through a stock separator to remove most of the fat from the top, then put it in a sauce pan with another pinch of dried rosemary and simmer until it's again reduced by about half. stir in one table spoon of brown sugar, when it is completely dissolved add your chopped mushrooms. i used a crimini, but since i don't eat mushrooms you may be correct in thinking that some other sort would be best. i leave it to you. cook them until soft. remove from the heat and stir in a little pat of butter at the last minute, pour over the ribs and serve. if you try this out, please let me know what you think!

as an addendum: if you want sweeter meat add the brown sugar to the braising liquid at the beginning of the process, watch that it doesn't burn or scorch though. you may have to give it the occasional stir while it's in the oven.

easy alfredo with clams

alright, i admit the clams are optional. if you leave out the clams, cut down on the flour and you'll be set. there are probably a dozen ways to make alfredo sauce, and not being formally trained or even a little bit italian, i'm no authority. i know what goes over well here at the cottage, and i know some of the traditional elements though so i think i can safely call this 'alfredo' and get away with it. this recipe is like any of my others, largely it's appeal is that with minimal forethought you can slap it on the table at the end of a busy day in short order. providing you have a can of chopped clams handy. if you'd prefer you can use the minced clams, or the whole baby clams, personally i go for what's cheapest. hey, it's canned clams, alright? so, about 1 table spoon of butter goes into a tiny sauce pan over medium heat, one package of fettuccine goes into boiling water. once the butter is melted add two diced cloves of garlic. i'll say the magic word: please. please do not use a garlic press (aka garlic obliterater) just smash the cloves with the flat of your knife and dice them up. agreed? good. when the garlic is light brown add a sprinkle of flour and stir it in. we're not making an honest to goodness roux here, we're just making up for the fact that we're going to use whole milk instead of cream. not that we're on a diet, but the idea is that you can make this if you add one can of clams to your pantry list and we don't all keep cream lying around all the time. so, once the flour is incorporated add your clams, juice included, stirring until you see the juice thicken up. add a couple of grinds of black pepper. now add your milk. probably around 2/3s of a cup, but just look at it and add a bit at a time. don't worry it'll thicken up too. let this come to a simmer, then add oh, 3 table spoons of grated parmesan cheese. stir it in thoroughly so that there are no lumps. if you have dried parsley now is the time to throw it in, if you don't oh well. the pasta is probably done by now, drain it well and put it in a big serving bowl. having a pasta bowl is worth it, it should be wide and fairly shallow. you want to be able to toss pasta in it so make sure it's sizable. when your sauce looks about as thick as gravy pour it over the noodles. if it's a little thin, it's really okay. now if you have fresh parsley sprinkle it on, if you don't, again, oh well. sprinkle on a liberal amount of the grated cheese, some cracked black pepper, and a touch of nutmeg. you may also squeeze some fresh lemon juice on if you wish. it's a nice touch but not worth trying to fake it with concentrate, handy as concentrate may be. toss it all together, if the sauce is still on the thin side do the impossible: wait. just wait. maybe for 3 minutes. perhaps add some more cheese. toss again. the starch from the pasta will thicken it up. if you'll glance up you'll note i said nothing about rinsing your pasta. i'm not sure where this fad came from, but if it's a habit you have, kick it. the residual starch on your pasta helps the sauce stick. and in the case of alfredo or just clam sauce it actually finishes the sauce in the serving bowl. so, after the final toss you can get fancy with yourself and crack a little more pepper on it, or garnish however you wish, and enjoy!

dutch oven bliss

ah, my enameled dutch oven, how do i love thee? let me count the ways... i love thee for keeping my oil temperature stable while i fry things, i love thee for not letting the oil splatter the entire kitchen while i fry things, i love thee for browning meat beautifully then popping right into the oven to finish, i love thee for pot pies and shepard's pie! i could wax eloquent for hours on this subject, i really could. i feel i need to come to the defense of good, old fashioned, sturdy cookware. do i own a non stick skillet? heck yes, i wouldn't live with out it. do i also own, and use, a cast iron skillet? yep. both indispensable for what they are good at. when confronted with the sight of my $50.00 6 quart 15 pound dutch my sister in law, with raised eyebrows, quipped "i hope it's worth it." oh, it is, it is. for one thing there are so many meals that can be made in ONE POT in it, for real. am i the only one that has read those 'one pot' recipes with high hopes only to discover that, well you saute something in a skillet, and you boil something in a pasta pot, and you have to brown meat somehow, but THEN you pile everything in this 'one pot' for long enough to melt some cheese or something, so some how they feel okay about scamming you? ha, i say. pish. get a good dutch oven and your life will be forever changed. on to the finer points, to enamel or not to enamel? well, it depends on how you want to use it. if you intend to take it camping or go all frontier with it and stick it straight into coals to cook with it, i'd say go for un- enameled, and look for a nice long handle. if you intend to use it more in the home, and would like to roast chickens in it get a larger, coated one. it comes down to taste really, but if you go for raw cast iron be prepared to care for it. scrub it with salt, season it with grease and oil, store it correctly, and for pitys sake, don't stick it in the dish washer. be kind to it, and it will pay you back ten fold.

what is bok choy anyway?

so, what is that stuff hiding in your "chicken and assorted vegetables" that tastes a bit like radish and a bit like, well, water? it's bok choy my friend and you should become better acquainted. in the store it looks a bit like a rhubarb ran off with a swiss chard, bright white stalks and dark greens. in the wok i've learned to divide and conquer, slice it all up, separate the stalk from the leaves. add the stalks first with your other veggies that require a bit more cooking and the leaves at the end, when everything else is almost done. it's great with ginger, the radishy taste really likes fresh ginger for some reason, and it's good all by it's self or with a mixed stir fry. then there's our little buddy, baby bok choy. to tell the truth it's almost a completely different veggie, small bright spring green bundles of tender leaves. my favorite thing to do with a baby bok choy is cut it in half length wise and sear it on my griddle with a smidge of oil and a sprinkle of salt. fresh ginger would not go amiss here either, but i find it has plenty of flavor on it's own. just don't over cook it, big or baby, it becomes a somewhat slimy mess. this is not all that hard to avoid, keep an eye on the leaves, they should just start to wilt when it's done. so, steam some rice, pour some voinger, and enjoy!

chicken cordon... cottage

alrighty, this one is so easy it's almost silly to blog it. so it turns out i'm brewing thing three right now, and being 6 weeks pregnant is not fun for me. my precious food tends to turn on me in a serious way for the first 4 months or so. my solution? a dinner i hardly have to touch in it's raw elements so that i will still want to eat it by the time it hits the table. the basic staple here: IQF chicken breasts. literally Individually Quickly Frozen. i can grab as many as i need, throw them in a pan and cook from frozen if i need to. these were partially thawed, for the record. preheat the oven to 375, place the chicken in a baking pan (glass is favorite) in a single layer, brush a little dijon mustard on each breast, top with sliced ham, then finish with a slice of swiss cheese. cover with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes, depending on if they're still on the frozen side or not. et vio la, chicken that any decent french chef would be ashamed of: and yet, quite tasty.

vegetable modesty and nutrition

you may have noticed that i rarely write "peeled" carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. there is a reason for this. it is largely agreed that the bulk of the nutrients that make veggies so good for you are in the skins. also they add texture and flavor to what you're cooking, besides which by the time you're done dicing, cooking, and otherwise obliterating your ingredients, a littel carrot skin doesn't stand out. so, go a head let your veggies keep their clothes on, it'll serve you well. personally i like my mashed potatoes better when i leave the skin on about half of the potatoes during the cooking process, and so does my husband. for tougher items like tomato skin, dice the raw fruit smaller so the pieces that survive will be easier to deal with. go ahead and scrub your carrots, just be sure to leave the skin on, there's alot of good stuff in there. if you want to serve an extra pretty side dish of glazed carrots, go ahead and peel away, but remember you can save those peelings along with the tops and tips to make broth for soup. and by the way "baby" carrots are just chunks of big carrots that have been tumbled to remove the skin and soften the cut edges. it's a scam and a misnomer, don't let them fool you.

soup bar

we love having people over for dinner here at the cottage, and since we have a large family, it tends to be a crowd. the most affordable way i've found to feed everybody is: soup. it helps that we love soup anyway but it's also easy to make, and pretty darn tasty. plus you can make something fairly simple and easily dress it up. recently we had a card night and i made leek and potato soup, served up next to toppings. fried bacon bits, shredded cheddar, parmesan, green onions, and a pepper grinder and we were set to go. everyone got to make their own combinations and everyone got full, a win win for card night at the cottage. i also like to make squash soup which is good with everything from olive oil to nutmeg on top. another fun thing to try is an old fashioned soup tureen, i have two that both came from local thrift stores for less than $15 each. try it out, you could start a tradition!

butternut squash soup

okay, i realize this has become the hip thing to make. you know why? cause it's super good! also, pretty darn easy. i know if you've ever wrestled a hard squash before you're skeptical right now, but stick with me. the trick is to start by baking the squash whole. wrap it up in foil and stick it in the oven at 350 for about two hours. if you want to, turn it once halfway through. if you don't, no big deal. let it cool. you can now stick it in the refrigerator, still whole and wrapped, for up to oh, say, three days before you get around to dealing with it. i warn you it will leak some sweet squashy goodness so put it in a pan or bag. dice our usual soup starters: onion, celery, carrot, a bit of garlic. saute them in butter (alot of it) until they're soft with salt and pepper. remember, you're seasoning the whole pot of soup here, a good rule of thumb is to sprinkle an even layer of seasonings over the vegetables right when you put them in. peel, seed, and chop the squash. don't worry about the size of the chunks, it'll fall apart in the soup. add the squash to the pot, stir it up and let it sit and brown a bit. a few minutes should do it, it has a pretty good amount of natural sugar in it. add either fresh chopped sage or dry rubbed sage to taste, don't be afraid to go to town with it. stir this all up and pour in some chicken broth, white wine (chardonnay or sauv. blanc), or water depending on taste, enough to cover the veggies and squash, and sprinkle in some powdered ginger, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how spicy you want it. simmer for about 45 minutes or until everything is soft and incorporated, let cool for just a few minutes. then if you want to, blend in the blender or with an immersion blender in the pot. add cream, half and half, or milk until you've got the consistency you want. personally i like to add pasta at this point that i boil ahead of time, little cheese tortellini are great in this soup!

cottage geese

you know when you get those bright ideas? the ones that are so bright you are inexorably drawn to them like a moth to a flame? yes, well, i had one of those. last Christmas as i was standing in front of the freezer case looking at the price of geese, around $80 each, i thought: how hard can it be to raise geese? i can raise my own, spread out the cost, and get fresh meat! a win, win, win situation! i know you're already laughing at me, yuck it up. i can take it. my first clue should have been that each gosling was $12.99. i knew that geese were mean. i knew they weren't bright. what i didn't know was that they are the most perverse, clumsy, idiotic creatures ever created. or that they could destroy a respectable vegetable garden in one day when left unattended. i am also learning that their favorite place to poop is a freshly hosed front walk, and they innately know whom they can chase without earning a smart kick in the chest and whom they cannot. have you ever seen a goose trip on it's own feet? i have. it almost makes this whole thing worth it. i now laughingly look back on those first weeks when i was explaining their presence in the yard and people were telling me "don't name them" or "don't feed them by hand" so that i wouldn't get attached and therefore not be able to go through with the butchering. HA! the trouble now is going to be not killing the cusses until Christmas....

the wok of life

alright, i have the silly pun out of my system now. moving right along, i love my wok. it's easy to use and clean and nothing works better for stir-fry night. we have stir-fry at least once a week, usually of the Chinese influence, and it's the easiest night to cook for by far. a note here on stir-fry: do it yourself. don't buy the pre-mixed frozen bags of stuff, it's not worth it. for one thing it all cooks up mushy because it's been processed and frozen, for another thing all the ingredients taste like each other from being frozen together in one big lump. try this: next time you go to your favorite Asian place, really look at what's on your plate. read the menu, if it says celery and straw mushrooms in oyster sauce, go buy some oyster flavor sauce. i like lee kum kee because it has a nicely balanced flavor and a little goes a long way. get a good, inexpensive wok. you don't need to go non-stick for them to work correctly, actually they season in like cast iron. if you do want non stick though i wont talk you out of it. make sure it has nice high sides though and bear this in mind: the high sides are NOT so you can over load the pan with out spilling. keep your batches small so the pan can really do it's thing. make several different dishes, it's really not much more work and it's fun. heat the wok with plenty of canola oil tipping it so the oil goes up the sides as it heats and make sure the oil is shimmering hot before you put anything in. two chicken breasts is about the most meat i've been able to pull off with out running into crowding issues, but if you make two different dishes that's really plenty. try it out, i bet you'll like it.

gravy, the beverage of the gods....

yes, i said beverage and i meant it. good gravy is so easy and yet so hard to find it's a treat when you get it. once you've got the knack, you'll never stand for canned gravy again. i use flour and make a roux with butter or grease from whatever meat i'm cooking. okay, yes, keep your pants on, i use grease. about a tablespoon to cook the flour in, and that's it. for a decent amount of gravy, to feed five or six people (normal people, not my family) use equal parts fat to flour, roughly a table spoon of each. cook some onions over medium heat until they're brown in the fat, then add the flour and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook that until it's brown, stirring frequently. add about two cups of broth, slowly, whisking as you go. the goal is to get all the tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan and beat the lumps of roux to death so you get a nice smooth result. bring it to a simmer and let it cook down stirring often to be sure that the lumps don't come back. it won't look very thick right now, don't panic. it will need to simmer for probably 30 minutes, just keep whisking and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. as it cools it will thicken a bit more and unfortunately develop a skin on the top if you don't cover it, so either put it in a warmed gravy boat and cover with plastic wrap or leave it in the pot till the last minute.

killer meatloaf

okay, if you've ever had dry, greasy, tasteless, or just plain bad meat loaf raise you hand. no, really raise it. now, if you've ever perpetrated bad meat loaf keep your hand in the air. you know who you are. if you're trying to pretend that your family likes your bad meat loaf, do us all a favor and stop. help me help you. you may now put your hand down and get ready to change meat loaf night forever. first of all this starts at the store. if you've been buying extra lean beef because you think it's better for you, don't. the fat runs off and leaves lovely flavor, also the fat contains water which helps keep you from meat loaf shame. get some nice medium grade ground beef. get yourself a pound and a half of it. now, go get about a pound of bulk sausage. try for N.Y. Sausage Co. Italian, but if you can't find it use breakfast sausage. please please please don't get turkey or chicken. turkey and chicken are good, when used appropriately. they have self-esteem issues however, and need to stop pretending to be meat other than what they are. don't be an enabler of poultry identity crisis, buy pork sausage. now, to assemble. we need one large carrot grated, one half bell pepper minced, one third to half onion minced, and one to two cloves garlic minced. you may, if you are able, put these things into your food processor and grind them to smithereens if you wish, it's all the same to me. you may add, if you wish, one pasilla or jalapeno pepper for a bit of spice. combine the veggies with the meat and about 1/4 cup of plain dried bread crumbs and one egg. mush it all together with your hands until it's mixed evenly and form into a loaf. place in a non greased baking pan (glass for favorites) of the 9 x 13 variety so there is room around the loaf. salt and pepper the top and put in the oven at 350, after it has cooked for one hour cover with foil and cook for another hour. serve with gravy. if your family is the sort that likes the tomato sauce topping, the best variation i have found is one table spoon ketchup, one table spoon Homemade brand sweet chili sauce and one teaspoon brown sugar mixed together and spread on top fifteen minutes before it's done. if you're going the sauce route remove the foil to allow the sauce to glaze. if you don't know how to make gravy, read the next blog.

fresh tomato sauce two ways

so, i admit i had to fiddle with this one for a while. last year's tomatoes went into a lot of attempts at a classic, long cooking sauce, with limited success. this year i let go of what i thought i "had to" do to make pasta sauce and finally got it right. so, as always amounts of ingredients depend on how much you're trying to make but for the three of us i diced half of a red onion, half of a red bell pepper, half of a can of black olives, and five or so ripe amish paste tomatoes from the garden (roma's from the store would stand in just fine). a generous amount of olive oil goes in a skillet the onions and bell peppers go in first at medium high heat, to soften. when they are about halfway cooked add the olives and some anchovy paste or one fillet diced. DON'T MAKE THAT FACE, it'll stick that way, then where will you be? just buy the fishy paste and put it in, if it's a little tube put about three inches in the pan and stir it in. it makes the sauce rich, a little salty, and for some reason helps the hollow acidity of the tomatoes. once it's all mixed in add the tomatoes and if you like a sprinkle of dried basil. cook until everything is soft, if it looks dryish add some olive oil. pour over angel hair pasta and enjoy!

as a variation you can add to the onions, peppers, and tomatoes: one can of tuna, half a can of artichoke hearts, juice from the skinny half of a lemon and some chili pepper flakes.

the best beef stew you've ever had

before we begin i want to talk about taking your time. is this process we are about to embark on a bit on the time consuming side? yes. does it perhaps add a bit of work you could get away without? maybe. is it hands down the best stew i've ever had? yeppers. you betcha. so, if you're going for the over achiever award, here we go. chop one large onion, what ever color tickles your fancy, three large stalks of celery, three to four carrots, put them in a bowl, set aside. make sure you're beef stew meat is dry, and cut into reasonable size chunks. what do i mean by reasonable? go get one of your soup spoons. put a hunk of the meat in it. allowing for the fact that it will shrink a bit, will it fit in the spoon? will the spoon with the cooked meat on it fit in your mouth? will the others at the table leave or be sick at the site of the meat and spoon fitting in your mouth? well then. if you have to cut some of the pieces in half, try to go cross grain, it's more tender that way. season some flour with garlic salt and pepper, put a bit of oil in the bottom of your stew pot, or dutch oven and get it good and hot. dredge and brown all of the meat, removing it to a bowl, in batches. okay, i get it, it takes a while. don't crowd the pan! if you crowd the pan you ruin the whole point of this extra step and you may as well skip it. okay assuming you have all of your meat browned and in a bowl, put the veggies in the pot and let them cook down, stirring occasionally. we want them to brown a bit too. when they are brown around the edges sprinkle in your herbs, for us a bit of rosemary and thyme then add about 1/3 to 1/2 a bottle of red wine. merlot, cabernet sauvingon, any dry red wine. you don't need to go broke on it, but if you wouldn't drink it don't cook with it. let this cook down with the veggies with the lid off until it's reduced a bit and smells mellow. add the beef back in and put the lid on, turn the temp down to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes. chop some potatoes and add them after the beef has cooked for the 30 minutes, stir. this is your chance to adjust for liquid content. add one can of beef broth or stock, if it looks too thick, add a bit of water then cover and let cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring only once or twice. add frozen peas and corn, and if you like fresh green beans, stir and let simmer for 30 minutes again. serve with nice french bread, steamed dumplings, biscuits, or rolls.

tomato bread salad

for years i've been ignoring a multitude of variations on the same recipe. the one where you take stale bread and toss it with juicy tomatoes and call it salad. "don't you know stale=bad?" i'd rail while countless cooking shows and grocery store displays tried to sell me on it. well. last night i caved. i had the end of a loaf of french bread from the market and several tomatoes from the garden and one cucumber, but no lettuce. hmmm. we've all heard this story before, i used what i had at hand and.... hit a homer with the family. and myself, i might add. so, cut the stale bread (not as easy as it sounds, i know) into large cubes, one inch or so, put them in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. chop in large chunks your tomatoes and cucumbers, mix them in a separate bowl. salt and pepper to taste. this two bowl process is important because while i wanted the oil to be on the bread, and the bread to soak up the tomato juice, i didn't want the oil to ruin the fresh taste of my tomatoes. olive oil on tomatoes is all fine and well, but it's not what i was going for here. once the oil has soaked into the bread and the salt has drawn a good bit of juice from the tomatoes combine them and stir, let the salad sit about 30 minutes before you serve it stirring occasionally so that all the bread has a chance to soak up the juices. enjoy!

german-ish pork chops

we have already discussed my love for pork sirloin chops, a very versatile meat. when confronted with my husband holding a red cabbage at the grocery store the other day and saying "isn't there something they do with these, and maybe apples?" my first thought was, well actually, pork country ribs. however, though a bit cheaper country ribs have a tendency toward extreme fattiness that i was not in the mood to deal with. so, sirloin ahoy! the best way to do this is in a dutch oven, if you don't have one... get one. they're worth every penny and then some. so, a bit of oil in the old dutch to heat and season some flour with garlic salt, pepper, and mace. mace, in case you aren't familiar with it, smells a whole lot like pine sol. a little goes a long way, but don't skip it! so, cut the chops into reasonable sized pieces, dredge them in the flour, pat them a bit and brown them on both sides. put them on a plate and saute in the dutch one medium red onion, sliced, and one large apple, sliced. make sure to scrape all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. put the pork back in nestled in the apples and onions, and top with one small head of red cabbage, shredded. sprinkle with cider vinegar and a bit more mace and a pinch of salt. put the lid on and bake at 275 for an hour, at one hour the cabbage should be fairly wilted and the pine sol-vinegar smell should be morphing into deliciousness. poke about 5 potatoes into the top of the cabbage, don't stir it though. put the lid on and bake for two more hours. if your cabbage seems dry when you add the potatoes go ahead and pour in a bit of water, not more that 1/2 a cup. you'll end up with a wonderful purple meal of tart savory cabbage and pork chops in a sweet and sour apple gravy. i like green beans with this, and because this is a meal brought to you by pork, i went and sauteed mine in some bacon grease with almond slivers. YUMM!

i am remiss

if you have read all these rambling articles, you may have picked up on a theme of discontent having to do with my tiny, one cup food processor. it's subtle, but it's there. my husband, champion of hintery, killer of bugs, and all around good chap noticed this tiny thread of discord and for my birthday gifted me with a new 7 cup kitchen aide food processor. still my heart, he even got the red one! this not only goes on record as best birthday gift ever, it expands our culinary pursuits. no more let us quail at the produce stand, never again shall we hesitate with cook book in hand, no! we will boldly stride forth armed with the height of kitchen gadgetry and artistic nuance combined! we will pulse, or puree to our little hearts' delight! alas, my birthday was in june and i had forgotten until just now to post my official thanks, so here it is: thankyou husband, you should give lessons at what you do.

stuffed mushrooms

so we should all know by now, i hate mushrooms and eggs. an unkind fate, or at least one with a sick sense of humor gave me for the love of my life a man who loves nothing so much as mushrooms and eggs. go figure. the grocery store had a nice big box of nice big crimini mushrooms last week when we made the usual family foray to the market. what with my husband being the noble bread winner that he is, i have a general policy of letting him have whatever he wants for dinner. the only time this went seriously awry for me was when he presented me with a big, wobbly thymus gland from a steer and asked if i could use my julia child cook book for it. i did, and i may never be the same. by comparison, mushrooms now don't look nearly so bad. anyway, to the point: i made stuffed mushrooms for dinner and i'm told they were great. here's how it went: mince and saute together half of the stems from the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and tarragon in olive oil, i can't tell you how much because it depends on how many you're making. be brave, use your judgement, try to make equal parts stems, onion, and peppers. let them cool. combine in a food processor (or mixing bowl) the veggies, one or two italian sausage links (minus casings), one egg, some more olive oil, and either stale corn bread (don't toss the crusty leftovers in the trash, put them in the freezer!) or, about a cup of cornbread stuffing mix, moistened. mix together until evenly combined and sticky. take the stemmed caps and brush them with olive oil, inside and out, place them in a baking dish making sure they are not touching each other or the sides of the pan, fill with the stuffing so that each one is nicely rounded with meat mixture, brush the filling with olive oil and sprinkle them with bread crumbs. pre heat the oven to 350, right before you pop them in the oven pour about 1/4 to 1/2 and inch of marsala wine into the pan around the mushrooms. bake for two hours at 350 and serve with the reduced wine as the sauce. a note here: if you're only making two, an hour should do you. if you don't trust yourself to know when they're done, use a thermometer to check the internal temp after an hour, most of them have a meat loaf setting that would work fine for this recipie.

savory pork chops with orange relish

long time no type, it has already been said that life at the cottage is a whirlwind. due to this wind, as it were, last night dinner was a bit of a rush job. my husband says i should always cook under pressure, as new recipes are sure to result, i choose to take this as a compliment. so, last night i had some pork sirloin chops, one orange, one onion, and a bit of celery. the wine for the evening was to be Gewurztraminer, and the side dish steamed summer squash from the garden. a note here on pork sirloin chops: love them. my favorite way to cook them is dredged (or breaded if i feel like fussing with the egg), browned, covered and baked at 275 for about 3 hours. they fall apart under your fork and are heavenly topped with onions, fruit, or green chilies while they bake or left alone to finish. now that we have established the bliss of a well prepared sirloin chop, we return to the meal at hand. i diced 3/4s of the orange skin on (it was large), an equal amount of onion, and one stalk of celery these got to saute in canola oil with salt and a sprinkling of savory until everything was soft. i put this "relish" into the bottom of a baking dish and browned the chops in the pan with a bit of salt and pepper, then put them in on top. foil over the whole lot, then into the oven. ideally we'd go back to the bit about cooking at 275 for 3 hours but we were short on time so instead i settled for 350 for an hour and although we needed knives they were still juicy and wonderful. as leftovers i expect them to make wonderful bbq pork sanwiches.

kielbasa and rice

this is easy, peasy, fast, and tasty! chop up 2 stalks of celery, half a large onion, bell pepper (however much you want), and one kielbasa. throw it all in a large skillet that has a lid and let it brown in a few tablespoons of olive oil. once the sausage and onions have some crispy yummy brown edges add one package of mahatma saffron rice, stir. let this sizzle for a minute or two then add one can petite diced tomatoes, fill the can with water (not quite to the top) and pour into the skillet. bring everything to a low boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 18 minutes. viola, dinner is served! with crackers and franks hot sauce.

tabbouleh quinoa a la cottage

here's a quickie for you. juice one lemon, chop one handful of parsley, mince two raw cloves of garlic, dice one large cucumber, dice two tomatoes, slice three whole green onions, combine in a bowl and refrigerate. prepare quinoa (one cup seeds, two cups water. bring to a boil then simmer for 16 minutes on low) and cool. stir quinoa into veggies once it has cooled with enough olive oil to keep it from being dry, be generous with the olive oil. salt and pepper to taste.

tandoori meets tagine

ah, chicken. how do i love thee? in this case, skinned and baked to bits with Moroccan preserved lemons! so, i found myself thinking back to roundtree casbah, an evening of friends, food, and music, par excellence. in particular i loved the lemon chicken, if you are now picturing schilling lemon chicken sauteed on the stove: stop right there. this chicken bears as much resemblance to that as the dilapidated ponies at the county fair "cowboy ride" do to the winner at the derby. first get a whole chicken and divest it of it's skin. it's not the most pleasant task but not too difficult, actually. rinse the chicken well and let it sit and dry while you combine in a food processor (or by chopping) a handful of fresh cilantro, two cloves of garlic, and one half of a preserved lemon. the preserved lemon sounds fancy, but it's not. meyer lemons work best, simply cut into them with out going all the way through from end to end cross ways (so it looks quartered but is hanging together by the pithy bits at the pointy ends) then rub with kosher salt liberally, stuff into a jar and top with a bit more salt. let them hang out in the back of the fridge for about a week and you're set. we all know that i'm not a kitchen fiddler but these little babies are worth it. what's more, they're easy and potent, each whole chicken only takes one or two lemons. if you really don't have the time or ambition you can try fresh lemons, but it's just not the same. so, back to the chicken. ummm. add to the processor some plain yogurt (the tandoori is coming in now) so that you have a thick, creamy paste. layer the bottom of a large dutch oven with onion slices and lay the chicken on top, breast up. rub the mix all over the chicken inside and out, place one half of a preserved lemon inside the bird and tuck one quarter in the nook below each breast. add a handful of dried apricots, some in the bird, some around or under. sprinkle the bird with ras al hout (Moroccan spice mix) if you want to or just some cinnamon will do, put the lid on and put in the oven at 350 for two hours. after two hours flip the chicken breast side down and cook for another hour. you now have a delicious chicken and some lovely broth on your hands. personally i got three meals out of this. i served it for dinner carved with quinoa tabbouleh, in tortillas for lunch the next day, then i picked the bones and simmered lentils in the broth to thicken it to stew and served that over rice. it never got old, and i can't wait to make it again.

egg plant stir fry

so, i bought an egg plant the other day with the intention of making egg plant parmesan. for a variety of reasons this did not happen. i found myself today staring at said egg plant which had gone ever so slightly wrinkly in my fridge and dreading the inevitable breading-frying-baking fiasco. and then i thought of a woman that i used to work with, she loved egg plant something or other from panda express. i want to say that i in no way support panda express, i find their food intolerable in the extreme. because of this i have no idea what the egg plant in question even looks like. the idea, however, had merritt. so, out of the cupboard came a can of bamboo shoots, four cloves of garlic got minced, three quarters of a large red bell pepper got diced and the wok got put over high heat with a generous amount of vegetable oil. everything got dumped in together once the wok was hot with a splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar for good measure. once the vinegar had cooked down until it smelled better (i'm not joking about this, use your nose, it'll mellow in about three minutes) i put the lid on so it could soften up. after about five minutes with the lid on i added some lee kum kee oyster sauce, because yan can cook with it and i can too. the result: good. i'm sure it came out exactly how egg plant lovers all across the globe want their egg plant to come out. hubby and i, however, are not egg plant lovers, so this is not a new family favorite. it may hit the table again some day though. to those of you who have not tried it, i can only say you should give it a shot. you may fall in love, or at least you can check off something on your list of veggies untried.

salad dressing

has anyone else read the labels on salad dressing lately? i'm not crazy into purity in my food or anything, but does dressing really need to contain ten things that i can't pronounce? really? i have this year embarked on an adventure into home made salad dressing. why this simple condiment intimidated me for so long, i have no idea. i'm proud to say that i now can turn out a variety of dressings easily enough, most without the help of my itty bitty food processor. two of my favorites are 1: dijon mustard, lemon juice (fresh please), olive oil, raw minced garlic (again, fresh please), and what ever sort of fresh chopped herbs you like; 2: a small can of mandarin oranges with half of their juices, seasoned rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, grated ginger, pepper. the general method i employ is to mix the dressing in the salad bowl and let it sit for a bit, then right before dinner toss the lettuce in the dressing and top with nuts, veggies, croutons, etc. try it out, it's worth it! not only is it tastier, cheaper, and fresher, you'll know exactly what you're eating.

green onions: it's all good people

i love green onions, from their furry little eye watering feet to their crispy crunchy verdant tops. every bit of them is good. i'm tired of seeing one end or the other get the scrap-heap treatment! clean them, slice them, let them shine! the white part can be a bit strong, i admit. my solution: slice that end finely and add it at the beginning of the cooking process of what ever dish you are making, add the greens at the end so they retain their lovely crunch. or brazen it out, serve them raw all the way with dip or in salad. they're lovely grilled whole and plopped on top of bbq steaks, or sliced length wise in stir fry like multi colored noodles that bite back. to know them is to love them, every inch. you may want to invest in some gum, however.

campout chili

we love chili in this house. all kinds of chili, but especially verde varieties. a word on this: to my mind if i put the basic elements in a pot: meat, beans, chilies, i consider that i have made chili. i don't want to hear about how it's not chili with out blah blah blah like your abuelita or auntie so and so made it. one thing i never do is doctor canned chili, i consider that to be cheating, other than that anything goes. so into this pot which this time happened to be precariously balanced on rocks in a campfire ring at the local lake went 1.5 pounds of ground beef to brown with a liberal dose of salt and pepper. once that had sizzled down but was not completely cooked in went one large can of black beans, one roughly diced yellow onion (if it doesn't make you cry, don't use it for chili!), one diced pasilla chili, three diced cloves of garlic, one teaspoon cumin, one and a half teaspoons paprika, and just for good measure a bit more black pepper. all of this simmered for about to ten minutes, you'll have to adjust time for cursing smoke in the eyes and turning the pot because only one side was getting heat. then four large ortega chilies were diced and added to the pot with their juices, the lid was put on and all was cooked until most of the onions were translucent. note that i specified that the onion be a rough chop. it's more interesting texture wise to have some larger chunks of onion that maintain a bit of crunch if you ask me. so, assuming you agree, some onions are still white at the middle while some others have all but disappeared. in goes a large can of pinto beans, mostly but not completely drained. stir and simmer till you just can't stand it! we dug into ours with some saltine crackers while hail pounded the screen tent over our picnic table, but i'm sure it would be good at a nice, cozy dining table too.

curried chickpeas

well, long time no type! life has been a whirlwind in the cottage, more on that in other news. for now, i have a back log of food to tell you (assuming i have a reader out there) about. first: curried chickpeas! these are not the garbanzo beans that your mother tried to hide in your salad and that you surreptitiously flicked at your siblings, no! these are the chickpeas of the future! these are the wonderful little protein packed veggies that the kids will want more of! (and you will too) so, to start: dice half a red bell pepper, some onion (white or yellow or even a few green ones) and about two carrots. saute all this in two to three table spoons of butter, once they have gotten soft add about two table spoons of yellow curry powder and let it mix for a moment. drain and add one can of chickpeas and just enough water to loosen all the curry powder and allow every thing to mix together. at the last stir in either a table spoon of dried cilantro or two tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped, cilantro. cover and simmer stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes (or as long as you want, really) and serve with rice. you'll never flick a garbanzo again!

gardening madness

life just got a little prettier here at the cottage! i just planted more snapdragons and verbena out front and we have hanging baskets seeded with herbs out back and a new wine barrel with a beautiful cala lilly and alyssum right by the door going from our bed room to the patio. things are shaping up! last year i was just too prego to do half of what i want to do so this is the year of out door improvements!

dinner in the pot

tonight: comfort with a twist. my mom used to make what we called dinner in the pot on cold crumby nights. a big pot layered with chicken breasts, carrots, potatoes, and sometimes cabbage on top. tonight i started with butter and diced onions, i browned two chicken breasts on one side then flipped and sprinkled on garlic salt and pepper. while that cooked i cut up three carrots into large chunks and halved three potatoes. i put about a cup and a half of sauv. blanc in with the chicken and sprinkled on some savory then i layered in the carrots and potatoes in and put the lid on. it simmered on low for about three hours and turned out delicious.

perspective

i was approaching that dangerous precipice with thing one, where the joking was over and i really was about to put him outside with a sign around his neck saying "free to any home". what i mean is this: i spanked him angry. i was steamed and fed up and i gave him his usual three swats but i felt that panic creeping in "oh man, i don't even know how hard i got him" and the tiny part of me that any honest parent confesses to said "i don't care, i've had it." we were supposed to be having some quiet time because i was reaching the end of my rope, and so was he. the weather was bad, we were just getting our footing back from a week of recovery from tonsillectomy, he was hyper, and i was tired. he wouldn't quit squirming and poking me and screwing around and in my head i could hear my husband accusing "he always trashes the bed, he twists the sheets all up and pulls the blankets crooked." i lost it, i sat up, jerked down his pants and let him have it. he wailed and cried and looked terrified of me and i thought "when did i lose my perspective?" i conceived him at a terrible time in my life. if i wasn't alcoholic, i was close and i was in a bad relationship. it was because of him that i got my life together. i used to lay in bed at night alone with him and cry while i was singing to him, i would clutch him close and promise to be better for him. i screwed up ALOT along the way but now he has a good home, i get to stay home with him, and we have a wonderful man in our lives to be a papa. suddenly *poof* i take him for granted, i can't wait for my mom to take him off my hands once a week for the night so i can have a break, i send him to his room just to get some space. once i calmed down i asked him if he wanted to cuddle me and, by the miracle of childhood, he did. i looked down at him and remembered all those lonely nights and said "thank you".

duck a la cottage

maybe in my next life i'll be able to follow a recipe. to Julia i can only say, i tried, i tried. due to the overwhelming vote turn out (all three votes were for a la orange) i set out to make duck a la orange per Julia Child. what i found was this: i am not cut out to be a french chef. i meticulously read and re read all the directions and before i ever set foot in the kitchen was sick to death of all the fiddling and heating then cooling then re heating. i'm sure it would have been delectable if i had followed the directions, but i didn't. and you know what? it was delectable anyway. besides the fact that my duck weighed in at 6.4 pounds and Julia's cooking table only goes to 5.5 pounds. apparently i committed the base sin of purchasing a duck too large to address in an effort to feed everyone i had invited. so, i read the label on the duck for cooking times and directions but found i didn't like the ring of them either.... what to do? i recalled a goose recipe that i had tried with some success on Christmas (with what turned out to be a capon, incidentally) and decided to go with that for stuffing and take an average on cooking times. so, the duck got rinsed and salted inside and out early in the day and left to think about it in the sink. the neck and giblets went into a small pot with some butter, salt, and pepper to brown with some onion and carrot slices to make stock. per Julia i added herbs but later decided i didn't really need to, if you want to throw in a bay leaf and some parsley and thyme just be sure to take the bay out after a bit then strain everything else out after a few hours. after a while i peppered the duck too, just on the out side. two oranges got pricked all over with a fork then quartered and a ginger root got sliced length wise then into the duck went ginger and orange mixed about so that there was both ginger and orange aplenty in contact with the inside of the duck. here we revisit Julia, the duck went in on a rack at 425 for about twenty minutes, the heat was then reduced to 350 and the duck was turned on it's side for 30 minutes. it was then turned breast side down and left, due to it's size, for 45 minutes, then on to the other side for another 30 minutes, then back breast side up to finish, all together it was in the over for about two hours and 45 minutes with the heat on then rested for about fifteen minutes before it was served. i put some zucchini sticks in the pan under the duck to roast about halfway through the process and they cooked beautifully in the duck fat.

as to sauces, Julia calls for a mix of liqueur, zest, stock and butter (fiddle fiddle fiddle). for our table i put some of the drippings from the roasting pan in my skillet, got it hot and threw in the zest of about half a large orange which i had peeled off with a vegetable peeler then julienned. when this has sizzled for a minute i added the entire contents of a cute little sample bottle of grand marnier and lit it, once the flames died down i added two ladles of stock and reduced to make a sauce. in homage to Julia i did add cold butter whisked into the sauce after i removed it from the heat. i also prepared a dried fig port wine sauce as follows : one clove of garlic and an equal portion of red onion (a mix known as poor man's shallot) finely diced and caramelized lightly in butter, three dried adriatic figs chopped added post light caramelization, perhaps two thirds of a cup of port wine (wonderful zinfandel from terra del oro for us) in but not lit when things are getting moderately caramelized and reduced to syrup, then add stock and reduce to a sauce consistency you like. this also got cold butter whisked into it before it hit the table.

we enjoyed our feast with a nice jammy zinfandel from renwood winery compliments of uncle andrew and some creamy mashed potatoes. i hope at least one person who reads this gives duck a try, it's worth it.

thing one

my first born (aged 4) is lovingly referred to as thing one around here, he is crazy and hyper (again: 4) and has wonderful messy curly hair. the other day he and i were trying to play a video game, with almost equal skill, and thing two (baby aged 8 months) started fussing. i glanced at the clock and realized we were past due for some nursing so i said to thing one, who was still staring raptly at the tv screen, "i can't do this right now buba, i have to feed the baby. do you want to do it?" he turned to me with a puzzled frown and said, lifting his shirt, "but i can't i just have little nipples." and was only more confused when i laughed hysterically for the next five minutes.

pork loin roast

Today: pork roast. i know what you are thinking "Don't do it! It's going to be dry!" to this i say: pish. pork roast is a touchy thing but it can be done. before we begin let me tell you this: i use salt with meat. alot. if you're about to tell me something about my blood pressure (which is fine when the kids are asleep) i'll save you some time, don't. meat likes salt and i am not about to insult the pig that provided this perfectly handsome cut of meat to me by not cooking it properly. so, into my little, small, tiny, minuscule (husband are you reading this?), food processor goes roughly one and a half or two table spoons of kosher salt, four cloves of garlic and an equal portion of red onion, black pepper, thyme and rosemary to taste (about a teaspoon of each). give it a few little buzzes to wake it up then add about 1/3 cup craisins and some olive oil, grind it up adding oil gradually until you have a fairly loose paste. pre heat the oven to 350 and score the fat side of the roast then rub the paste all over the roast (top bottom and sides, i mean it don't just dump it on top, get in there and rub it in good) pop the roast fat side up and uncovered into the middle of the oven and leave it alone for about one hour, at hour two turn the temp down to 275, at about the three hour mark go ahead and cover it with foil then at hour four turn the oven off but let the roast stay in there to cool slowly, and please for pete's sake don't cut into it for at least 30 minutes. for sides i mixed sweet potatoes and plain o' russets to mash and heated frozen sweet white corn. for the record, i don't salt the corn. there, does that make you feel better? also the pan drippings make really good gravey, especially if you add about 1/4 cup of plain apple sauce to it. sadly there will be no pictures of the finished meal, due to my dead camera and my starving menfolk.

spaghetti tonight

It's spaghetti tonight at the cottage, the weather is pleasantly rainy and cold, we just got home from a road trip, and comfort food seems in order. Yes, i use a jar of pre-made sauce, and i'm not ashamed of that. I've found a good, inexpensive brand that we like and i keep it on hand. I brown some ground beef, about a pound usually, and add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Most days when i make spaghetti i also splash in some wine, tonight it'll be chianti. In the cottage 'spaghetti' really means 'linguini' because for some reason my husband and i compromised on it ages ago during a pasta asile spat at the store and ever since i have gotten linguini and called it spaghetti. I find the trick to adding any kind of alchohol to anything is to put it in early enough in the game to let it cook for a while with the lid off, otherwise you end up with a sour taste instead of the lovely richness that a good wine or nice beer can lend. as a plus it makes your house smell WONDERFULL as mine does now.

Quiche a la fridge

today the order of business is picnic food. coincidentally i have just been given a cute little quiche pan by a servant's girlfriend, robin. robin is being baptised today and we are having a little picnic following the event, adding all the coincidences together (robin's gift+robin's picnic= robin's quiche) i decided to bring quiche for everyone else to eat, not eating eggs has it's little drawbacks. i use an oil crust recipe from better homes and gardens but i always have to add a little extra water, for interest i also add some dried tarragon. i prick the crust with a fork and pre cook it at 425 for about 10 minutes. for the filling this time my 'fridge happened to contain some asparagus and red bell pepper, 1/2 the bell pepper, 4 slender stalks of asparagus, 1/2 one medium onion, one clove garlic, salt and pepper. pre saute the veggies and in a bowl beat 4 eggs with 1 & 1/2 cups whole milk. grate about 3/4 cup cheese, i used sharp cheddar this time. so, the piping hot crust comes out of the oven and the temp goes down to 350, first go in the veggies, then the cheese, then the eggs. back into the oven for 40 minutes, then cool completely before serving. thing one prefers to have a bit of ketchup with his (because he's 4) but it doesn't really need any sauce.

Moroccan Chicken

this morning i found myself less than willing to spend the entire day prepping and cooking dinner, an odd state of affairs for me. my solution: once again bring out the crock pot. i plunked 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts straight from the freezer into the bottom of the crock and sprinkled moroccan seasoning on it. a few weeks ago we threw the first ever Roundtree Casbah, a night of moroccan food and festivities. one of the upshots of this was about a table spoon of leftover moroccan spice mix that i had made based on a servey of mix recipes from the internet. if you don't want to mix a full cup of the stuff, as i did, you could just throw in about a half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a half a teaspoon of cumin and about a quarter of a teaspoon of ground cloves. the thing about spices is this: to each his own applies. personally my family loves strong spices, lots of garlic and ginger in just about everything. my dad, on the other hand, could be very happy never eating ginger again. i advise using your nose, if you want to taste something you'd better be able to smell it. adjust to what you like best. just don't be afraid to try something once, cinnamon on meat may sound crazy to you, but it might end up being your new favorite thing. back to the crock at hand: meat, spices, 1 small onion diced, 2 cloves garlic diced, 1/2 cup lentils, 1/2 cup rice, about two cups of water, about 1/2 cup sliced dried apricots, about 1/4 cup raisins. put it on low and keep an eye on your rice. i'm not going to lie to you, i forgot about mine and it went to mush. very tasty mush, but mush none the less. as a solution for people who can stay at home i'd say you could let everything else go for about an hour then stir and add the rice. for the record, the lentils were perfect. for the salad i drained (see also:drank) about half of the juice off a small can of mandarin oranges and dumped the rest with the oranges into the bottom of my salad bowl, add about a table spoon of soy sauce, a slightly more generous table spoon of seasoned rice wine vinegar, a pinch of garlic salt, a pinch of powdered ginger, and a titch (slightly smaller than a pinch) of pepper. mix it up and toss with one head of romaine and one chopped cucumber, drizzle on a bit of olive oil and toss again. top with slivered almonds all the way around (chicken included) and serve.

pot roast, a two stage affair.

for this act we will need: one roast (cross rib for us), one smallish onion, two cloves garlic, a bit o' fennel seed and rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. the secret ingredient: some left over coffee. a good friend told me years ago that a bit of leftover coffee in with a roast while it cooks makes for wonderfully rich brown gravey, and she was right! into the crock went roast followed by other cast members and a splash of water yesterday morning, the roast was still frozen so the crock was set on high, and out the door i chased my men folk to church. roast and co. cooled over night and this morning i have removed the meat, and skimmed the fat from the juices. a bit more water goes into the pot to get the tasty browned bits from the sides and bottom to eventually become gravey. carrots are being peeled for steaming and brussels sprouts are being trimmed for roasting at high heat with some olive oil. saturday while we were barbequing for a party i hid a whole clove of garlic in the back corner of the grill, tonight it will become roasted garlic mashed potatoes. i intend to post pics (with help from hubby) of the results of all of this.

the chili verde goes on

good morning blog readers. i have just turned out a three egg tri-fold omlette and topped it with chili, for hubby and indentured servent (brother-in-law stephen). as i don't eat eggs i cannot tell you first hand whether it was good, i have, however, been assured that it was very tasty. i have found through trial and error that the best method for this sort of egg-soupy topping arrangment is to make a plain omlette and heat then spoon the topping over the eggs after putting them on the plate. since hubby has a strange melted cheese aversion i rarely bother putting cheese in his, but when i do i find it melts just fine if i let the eggs set then throw it in just before folding them.

Chili Verde

Before i start, can i just say that i love that this font is called Trebuchet? more namers-of-idle things should look to war macines for inspiration. also, i type one handed so if you are here for well spelled, gramatically correct articles you have come to the wrong place. NOW, currently in my crock pot i have bubbeling away merrily cubed pork sirloin chops, diced onions and tomatillos, two chopped pasilla peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, and seasonings as follows: salt, pepper, dried oregano, cumin, and lemon juice. don't ask me how much, i picked up a terrible habit from my great aunt "Tanta" of saying "just enough, not too much" when asked about measurments. also if you ask me where i got a recipie i will inveriably tell you "it's an old family recipie" which means i made it up on the spot driven by what is in the kitchen when i wander in there to make dinner. in this case my husband walked up to me with a pasilla in hand at the store and said "i want something with these, maybe pork" and so i give you: crock pot chili verde. rather than let tradition get me down, i'm skipping beans and rice to go for hominy and steamed broccoli. the hominy will be fried with some chili powder, the broccoli served steamed bright green and naked. that's right, we eat our broccoli un-addorned. the shocker here? thing one (boy aged 4 named Tristin) loves it. thing two (boy aged 7 months named Evan) will try it tonight for the first time. i may or may not post pictures, but i certainly will post a follow up to let you know how it all goes.

Well, Hello there!

I am here by popular demand (that is; the demand of my husband and at least two of my friends) to offer you rare glimpses into Life in the cottage. I want to be clear that my home, as far as I can tell, meets almost no architectural specifications or aesthetic definitions to be classified as a "cottage". It is what I lovingly call our cute little house because it is nicer than calling it "prison" or "asylum" which, pertaining to my specific life, it most certainly is. I have a passion for cooking, my husband a passion for eating. A match made in heaven, surely. He comes out looking like a well fed Adonis, I end most days sweaty and frazzled but satisfied. I also boast two boy children, four years apart, both totally devoted to me and committed to unraveling the last fraying scraps of my sanity. This, then, is our mission: To cook good food, To love good men, and To care for our homes and families. Even at the price of our own looks and hygiene.