Hello, Reader. Please excuse my absence. I’ve been in Paradise. ♦ ♦ ♦ Now I’m back, welcomed home with flowers and hummus and happy dogs. Life is good. Viscount David Linley, grandson of a king and son of a princess, was asked once why he chose to make his vacation home on property in the middle of…
Author: cookbookwall
Roasted Turkey Legs with Sage Salt
First born got a haircut recently. So did Kita. Some of my herbs got sheared, too. The pile of sage leaves went into an herb/salt blend to flavor roasted turkey legs. It’s a recipe I made at the request of my daughter, from a paleo lifestyle cookbook she bought in support of her interest in…
Raves and Faves 9
The weirdly wonderful world of a blooming hens-and-chicks plant. I started with two, gifts from my daughters after my mother died. Five years later, the offspring are filling the pot, the original succulents sending up shoots crowned with constellations of blooms. ♦ ♦ ♦ A Nathan’s Famous hot dog with chips for lunch, with an audience. ♦ ♦ ♦…
Dining Table Etiquette (and French Toast)
Grace before eating. No hats. Only two feet allowed on the dinner table, never three. ♦ ♦ ♦ Bo claimed his spot at the table a few months ago. He’s there for the conversation, since his own kibble is served in the laundry room. Most mealtimes, he beats the rest of us there, taking up his position…
Half-a-Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries
I bought two flats (total weight, about 10 pounds) of strawberries earlier this month so that I could make preserves. It’s not a cost-saving measure to make my own. Ounce for ounce, just about any jar of strawberry jam at a grocery store is much cheaper. But store-bought jam doesn’t taste remotely like what you…
Crunchy Peanut Bars
If you have a cat, maybe you keep a little disposable cup on the side of the bathroom sink, so that your cat can get a fresh drink while you brush your teeth. And maybe at some point you’ve confused your cup with his and accidentally taken your morning blood pressure meds with a swig…
Endive-Walnut Salad
I was putting leftovers in the fridge after a fun dinner with friends, and I couldn’t stop snacking. But that’s not news. What was different this time is that the dish I couldn’t stay out of was the salad. What? There was mocha-toffee crunch terrine, half of my rosy filet mignon, scoops of a creamy…
Raves and Faves 8
First-class snack: Boursin cheese (garlic and fine herbs flavor), spread on Mini Croccantini crackers (original flavor), made by La Panzanella ♥ ♥ ♥ The title song on Lady Antebellum’s new album, Golden ♥ ♥ ♥ Suet blocks from Wild Birds Unlimited. My neighborhood flock can’t get enough of them, although I need to win a lottery to keep the…
Cucumber Dip
I so enjoy being the parent of adults. They don’t put cat food up their noses. The conversations are more interesting, the wit is sharp and funny, and I have ready-made experts to explain the intricacies of the modern world to me. Now I know what a meme is. I understand why texting is preferable…
Chicken in Wine Sauce
This recipe is for the day when your hair is on fire. For when you drive 19 miles to the strawberry farm to buy fruit for making jam, and the berries are so ripe you must start rinsing and hulling the minute you get home, before decay sets in. For when you have 10 pounds…
Cookbook Wall 