Life

Biscuit Tortoni

Yield: 9 to 12 tortoni, depending on the size of cups3 large eggs, separated (for safety, use pasteurized eggs)½ cup granulated sugar1 cup heavy cream,… Continue reading

Pioneer Potluck: About Christmas trees

1937 Colorado 1967-2015 Alaska When we were growing up on the farm in Colorado, I can only remember just once Dad loaded my brother Sonny… Continue reading

  • Dec 15, 2015
  • By Ann 'Grannie Annie' Berg
  • LifeFood
Remedy for shopping stress

Remedy for shopping stress

There’s a remedy for folks who find shopping for Christmas gifts stressful, especially at this late date. Even if you like hunting for holiday presents,… Continue reading

Remedy for shopping stress

Good Molding Shortbread

Yield: 26 cookies, depending on size of cookie mold1 cup King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour (dip and sweep measuring cup into flour, then level with… Continue reading

German Romertopf clay baker

Serves: 6 to 8 4 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fatSalt and pepper1 cup diced celery1 cup diced carrots1 cup diced onions2 cloves… Continue reading

This Nov. 9, 2015 photo shows roasted salmon with lemons, prunes and olives in Concord, NH. It makes for a pretty dramatic and colorful holiday meal centerpiece. Plus, roasted salmon is incredibly easy, quick (taking minutes, not hours like many roasts), and is versatile. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

A holiday roast doesn’t need to be beef or bird. Try salmon!

Who says a holiday roast has to be red meat or poultry? Take a page from my French husband’s family’s book of traditions and serve… Continue reading

  • Dec 15, 2015
  • By MELISSA D'ARABIAN
  • LifeFood
This Nov. 9, 2015 photo shows roasted salmon with lemons, prunes and olives in Concord, NH. It makes for a pretty dramatic and colorful holiday meal centerpiece. Plus, roasted salmon is incredibly easy, quick (taking minutes, not hours like many roasts), and is versatile. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Pioneer Potluck: About outhouses in Alaska

1990 to 2015   We built our house in the rain, mud, and some sunshine in 1990, after living in the cabin for 5 years.… Continue reading

recipes

RECIPESCHICKEN CORN CHOWDERI do not know if I saw this somewhere in a magazine or in my hundreds and hundreds of cookbooks or if I… Continue reading

Enjoy carrots with craisins

Serves: 6 to 81½ pounds little “snack” carrots 3 tablespoons butter1/4 cup sugar ¼ teaspoon (a pinch) granulated garlic1 cup Craisins or dried cranberries Cook… Continue reading

Potatoe latkes fried in oil

Servings: 4 to 65 large Russet potatoes, peeled and grated1 medium onion1 large egg, beaten2 heaping tablespoons flour, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon salt¼… Continue reading

Expresso braised pot roast with balsamic vinegar

Servings: 2, with leftoversSlow cooker: 3 quartSetting and cook time: LOW for 8 to 9 hours1½ pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed of as much fat… Continue reading

Blend family and friends with holiday dishes

Ending on the evening of December 14, Hanukkah is already underway. After that, comes Christmas, followed by the seven days of Kwanzaa, from December 26… Continue reading

With heirloom recipes and old-world flavor, ’tis the season for nostalgia

One Christmas, I sent a loved one a box of Italian Egg Biscuits, made from an old recipe that belonged to a long-departed friend of… Continue reading

Pioneer Potluck: About pondering a “Bob word”

North Nikiski 1989 to 2015 As I start this article I am “pondering” at the fact that the past 30 years have been the most delightful… Continue reading

A red barn, a 1940 Farmall H Tractor and an heirloom apple orchard are just a few of the amenities that make Thanksgiving special at the Towanda, Pa., farmhouse home (circa 1916) of Jim and Donna Conforti, my brother and sister-in-law. From Harry's trees (named for the man who planted the trees on the property "long ago"), come heirloom Idared and Granny Smith apples, used for making Apple, Sausage and Cheese Strata, bottom left, and All-American Apple Pie, bottom right. (Photo credits: Top and bottom, center, Jim Conforti)

The Kitchen Ade: Blessings on Thanksgiving

When my brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Donna Conforti, gifted me with over ten pounds of heirloom Granny Smith and Idared apples, picked fresh from… Continue reading

A red barn, a 1940 Farmall H Tractor and an heirloom apple orchard are just a few of the amenities that make Thanksgiving special at the Towanda, Pa., farmhouse home (circa 1916) of Jim and Donna Conforti, my brother and sister-in-law. From Harry's trees (named for the man who planted the trees on the property "long ago"), come heirloom Idared and Granny Smith apples, used for making Apple, Sausage and Cheese Strata, bottom left, and All-American Apple Pie, bottom right. (Photo credits: Top and bottom, center, Jim Conforti)
This October 26, 2015 photo shows lightened cassoulet in Concord, NH. This recipe evokes some of the comfort of a classic French cassoulet, without quite so much heft. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Capture the flavor and comfort of cassoulet in a healthy way

If you’ve ever spent any winter time in France, you’ve undoubtedly indulged in what I consider the ultimate comfort food of the French — cassoulet.For… Continue reading

  • Nov 24, 2015
  • By MELISSA D'ARABIAN
  • LifeFood
This October 26, 2015 photo shows lightened cassoulet in Concord, NH. This recipe evokes some of the comfort of a classic French cassoulet, without quite so much heft. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Pioneer Potluck: The end of the stinky fish barrel

North NikiskiThe Cabins 1986-87 Re-cap of the Stinky Fish Barrel story: Bob and J.T. tried to blow it up — it just blew trees, limbs,… Continue reading

  • Nov 24, 2015
  • By Ann 'Grannie Annie' Berg
  • LifeFood
This Oct. 19, 2015 photo shows blue cheese and mushroom gougeres in Concord, N.H. If you're entertaining, you can't totally slack off. You just need to marry your need for fatty comforting carbs with something dressy enough to serve in polite company. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Entertaining this holiday season? You need our cheese puffs

It’s holiday entertaining season, so we say bring on the fat and carbs!After all, navigating the minefield of office parties and in-laws and dinner parties… Continue reading

This Oct. 19, 2015 photo shows blue cheese and mushroom gougeres in Concord, N.H. If you're entertaining, you can't totally slack off. You just need to marry your need for fatty comforting carbs with something dressy enough to serve in polite company. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Cookies for beer drinkers

Although you’ll find classics like Oatmeal Cookies, Nana’s Molasses Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes in Jonathan Bender’s “Cookies & Beer: Bake, Pair, Enjoy,” this newly… Continue reading

This Oct. 5, 2015 photo shows harvested vegetables in Concord, N.H. For food safety reasons, Thanksgiving leftovers should be cleared from the table and refrigerated within two hours of being served. Once refrigerated, they should be consumed within three to four days. Leftovers can be frozen for three to four months. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Take the mystery out of Thanksgiving math

Thanksgiving math actually isn’t all that hard. You just need to use a few basic equations. For example, to estimate the amount of wine you’ll… Continue reading

This Oct. 5, 2015 photo shows harvested vegetables in Concord, N.H. For food safety reasons, Thanksgiving leftovers should be cleared from the table and refrigerated within two hours of being served. Once refrigerated, they should be consumed within three to four days. Leftovers can be frozen for three to four months. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)