Scratching together a nourishing, delicious meal at the end of the day is one of life’s greatest challenges. Two staples that make that easier in our household are lentils and sausage, especially the smoked Polish variety called kielbasa. Lentils are one of the greatest pleasures of the legume world. They cook quickly (and unlike most dried […]

On a frosty February morning, what brings me to a screeching halt is the sheer richness of color—ravishing purple and celadon green. I’m looking at kohlrabies*, shorn of the whirligig leaves that grant them an interplanetary status for much of the year. I do not have time for this. For cooking, that is, let alone mooning over […]

It was bound to happen sooner or later: The temperature dipped down into the single digits and made itself at home. Last Saturday’s trip to the Union Square Greenmarket began, then, with swathing myself in Heattech—Uniqlo’s fabulously comfortable thermal line of turtlenecks, T-shirts, leggings, and socks. Forgive the shameless plug, but the stuff really works, and […]

Perhaps the fact that my husband and I were January babies (we were born three days apart in the same year) is why we both crave sunlight and warmth, especially now. That would be our present to each other in 2013, we decided, and made a run for it. Sam wanted golf and a tropical garden or […]

Winter. The older I get, the more I appreciate its spare beauty. That is one reason I can’t wait to get out of Dodge for the holidays. We slip out of Manhattan at the earliest opportunity and head for southwestern Virginia, to our corner of the Blue Ridge. The first few days are hell. When it comes […]

Christmas Eve morning, 10 o’clock. As always, we are rusticating in southwestern Virginia, where the magnolias are deep glossy green against the brown and the boxwood smells wonderful. Just had breakfast. And now I need to get serious about making enough cheese biscuits to get us through the next few days, and perhaps gingerbread with stars. You know, […]

Sound conservation methods and unusually warm (yeesh) weather resulted in a record lobster harvest off the coast of Maine this year. The deals at seafood markets and lobster pounds were impossible to resist, and consequently Sam and I ate our fair share of the sweet, succulent meat on carcass-strewn newspaper-lined tables from New York to New […]

Salad in winter is a tricky proposition. Tender, young greenhouse lettuces are all well and good, but we all know that most other salad swear-bys—tomatoes are an obvious example—are disappointing out of season. But more importantly, this type of salad doesn’t suit the heartier, richer food we crave this time of year. A plateful of […]

Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. Both terms are far more cheerful and indicative of tomorrow’s excesses than the term “Shrove Tuesday,” from the word shrive, meaning “confess.” The only thing I feel like confessing the day before Ash Wednesday is that I prefer cane syrup or sorghum—something with a little whang to it—to maple syrup on […]

Barley is the oldest cultivated grain in the world for good reason. Because it’s a hardy crop with a relatively short growing season, the Barley Belt stretches from the Arctic Circle to northern India. And its mild, nutty flavor, appealing texture, and fuss-free, relatively short cooking time—it takes about 45 minutes to become tender, with […]