Lynne Dyer of Turners Falls, Massachusetts, took the gold with this recipe in the fourth annual King Arthur Flour Holiday Cookie Baking Contest at Historic Deerfield. Contestants sent in recipes, then five finalists in several categories, including “Raise the Bar” and “Cookie-cutter Cookies,” were invited to bring their submissions to the village on December 3. There the entries were judged on taste, appearance, festiveness, originality, and overall appeal.… Read more →
Cumin, turmeric, coriander, and paprika bring the heat, butternut squash brings the heft: this is the perfect soup for a cold winter’s night. (It will also add a golden glow to a holiday buffet table.) As if that weren’t enough, it’s the creation of a UMass Amherst alumna, celebrity chef Joanne Weir! We found the recipe in Vegetarian, part of the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library series, published 20… Read more →
Moira learned to make this recipe from her mom, Carmel Flanagan, who was born and bred in Ireland and came to the States as a young bride. Soda and the live buttermilk cultures, not yeast, make the bread rise, and the cross cut also helps. Intuitive cooks will appreciate Moira’s “fistful” measures; we added the measures in parentheses for those who go by the (cook)book.… Read more →
Besides the classic pumpkin pie spice trio—cinnamon, nutmeg, and (of course) ginger—Ginger’s recipe calls for a dash of Cognac. It won’t make anyone tipsy, but it will give this Thanksgiving essential an extra zing of flavor. To keep things simple in the run-up to the big day and big dinner, you can use ready-made pie crust, either the rolled form, found in… Read more →
Robert S. Cox, head of Special Collections & University Archives at the UMass Amherst Libraries, happens to know a lot about food as well as first editions. He’s the author of two books on the topic: New England Pie: History Under a Crust and A History of Chowder: Four Centuries of a New England Meal. This recipe he gave us may be more historical artifact than how-to,… Read more →
Nothing smells better than the aroma from this cake baking in the oven. The recipe goes back aways. Grandma Gracie was a wonderful cook; her daughter, Mary Grace, is, too. The latter shared it with us when we were just out of college, which was, well, a while ago. It’s simple to make, the most labor-intensive step is creaming the butter… Read more →
This stew is a meal in itself and especially appealing on chilly evenings. The recipe comes from Deborah Christakos, whose business, Cooking From Scratch, offers hands-on cooking classes to individuals and groups in the Pioneer Valley. Deb began her career under the tutelage of chefs at such renowned New York restaurants as the Union Square Café and The Mark Hotel, then studied at the École Superiéure… Read more →
Kuru fasulye is Turkish for ‘”dried beans,” but the translation doesn’t begin to describe this stew’s deliciousness or versatility. This basic Turkish dish has many variations. Lamb is often an ingredient; some recipes leave out the tomato, call for beef stock vs. water. We specify canned cannellini—serious cooks may swear by dried beans soaked overnight, then cooked, but with canned… Read more →
This basic, foolproof recipe for a breakfast favorite, with a tweak or two, comes from a souvenir postcard. In these days of texting, postcards may be a disappearing form of communication, but this recipe has earned a permanent place on my refrigerator. The batter can be whipped up and poured into a baking tin within 15 minutes, and in another 20 minutes or… Read more →
This recipe comes from the beautiful cookbook Soup for Syria, created by photographer and food writer Barbara Abdeni Massaad as a way of raising money for Syrian refugee relief efforts. Massaad collected the recipes, including this one from Paola Skaff Alford, and took the striking photographs of the soups and of Syrian refugees. It is published by Interlink Books, (Photograph by Barbara Abdeni Massaad.)… Read more →
