All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025
I woke up at 5 am, hungry and as always, happy to see a new day. There's always a thrill to rummage through the fridge, wondering just what might be perfect for this beautiful new day. A fresh bunch of new skinny asparagus winked at me through the thin plastic bag. And? Gently simmered in a little water until it was just tender. Drained and set aside. And what else?
Those marvelous eggs from Locally Laid, somewhere in Minnesota. Ah, here it is - PO Box, Wrenshall, MN, also gently poached until the whites were opaque and the yolks a little firm when I pressed a fingertip to them after draining off the water, and set them on a plate. A little cheese sauce, I think.
Add a little cheese, as always, here a half cup shredded sharp cheddar and mozzarella, salt and pepper, a little cream, in a small saucepan and set on very low heat until melty, and DONE. Even though it melted, there was a milky residue in the saucepan, which I drained off. It was too early to forage through the cookbooks for a proper creamy sauce. A sprinkle of Italian parsley topped it off.
Note: I tested a proper white cheese sauce later :
3 T. butter
1.5 T. flour
Melt butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and whisk in the flour on low heat.
Add 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup cheddar, and 1/2 cup milk, salt and pepper.
Whisk until the sauce is smooth. Drizzle over the eggs and asparagus.
All in all, a perfect breakfast on a very cold morning (8 degrees) . Here's to a beautiful new day!
It's been frigid weather in Minnesota ! I met a dear friend in Minneapolis on Sunday from my home town in New Hampshire - which was a delightful homecoming. Nothing like hugs and conversation with an old friend, right?
When I came home, I was frozen and in need of something delicious, something herby and chock full of vegetables and herbs - and came up with this comfortable and delicious chowder, of sorts, which didn't need grated cheese, or sour cream, or anything extra, besides the fresh vegetables and a generous hand with herbs. Heaven! Though I do think some homemade bread would've been a real treat.
To make enough for 2 people:
1 large white potato, cubed (about a cup +)
1 carrot,peeled and cut into half moons (about 1/2 cup)
1 diced white onion (about 1/2 cup)
3 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
a bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 cup packed torn kale
1 can, drained, cannellini beans , 15.5 oz can
1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes
1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 t. dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil (I like California olive oil)
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
Bring the stock, water, bay leaf, garlic, and butter to a simmer. Add the potato, carrot and white onion and simmer until they are tender.
Add the kale, beans and tomatoes to the vegetables and simmer, then add the herbs and olive oil, salt, and pepper. Take off heat and let the soup sit for about 15 minutes.
Serve with cheese, fresh bread, and a green salad, if you wish.
I got festive the other night and decorated one of my windows - sparkly!
Hope your day is wonderful!
Colds and strep have been cycling around the family for weeks, and today when my daughter asked for a spicy green soup for her third bout with strep, I reached for all those familiar herbs and spices we use so often in winter: fresh ginger root, garlic, thyme (but then, I put thyme in EVERYTHING), sea salt, and dill. Sometimes a few splashes of hot sauce find their way into a soup, but not today.
We always have bags and bunches of kale and arugula, scallions and potatoes, onions and frozen stocks, but lacking a vegetarian stock, I used the seasoned vegetable base she had from Better than Bouillon, then added a little chicken stock after I ladled out her portion.
SO good! On my second cup as I look out the window at the freezing sleet blanketing the sidewalk, happy to be warm and inside today, then a smile as I see Stuart Little at the top of the Christmas tree in his wee little canoe - and far from the reaches of two year old Noah.
winter detox soup
2 heaping cups of russet or red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 large peeled garlic clove, cut in half
several sliced scallions, greens included
a small chunk (about an inch) of fresh ginger, unpeeled
Place the potatoes, onion, thyme, garlic, scallions, and ginger in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are soft when poked with a fork.
When potatoes are soft, remove pot from heat and add:
a large tablespoon Better than Bouillon vegetable paste or chicken base
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt to taste- I added two little pinches
2 handfuls of arugula. If they have stiff stems, remove them before tossing into the pot.
2 large handfuls of packaged kale - mine was already de-stemmed and torn
1 teaspoon dried dill
Cook until the greens are soft, then puree in a blender, adding more stock or water if it seems too thick. Taste carefully before serving.
Enjoy - and stay healthy!
At last, at last - the sun is out and the snow is melting - not that we'd notice a few inches less in these drifts and snow corridors carved out from the house to the car, but that bone-chilling cold has lifted today all the way to 45 degrees. I can't tell you the relief I felt when I suddenly thought winter is on the way out. Now, I know we'll probably get a few more snowstorms - but the worst of winter, cross fingers, is over.
And I looked down at my almost daily bowl of Finnish Fruit soup and smiled. Last night I made up a new pot of it, and thankfully wrote down the recipe, which has been slowly modified through this long winter: more spices (including those spicy green cardamom pods, which I split to flavor the fruits), lemon and orange peel, whole cinnamon sticks, a slice of fresh ginger root.
My fruit choices expanded to adding dried currants for the tang, and the usual pitted prunes and dried apricots and raisins. Sometimes a few slices of fresh apples found their way into the pot as well.
I don't know why I abandoned the oatmeal with apples, but when winter moved in, in a serious way, I switched to fruit soup, using a recipe I got from a Finnish cook and baker on the Cape. And every time I ate it , I noticed each spice, each fruit, in a different way - and in the process, forgot about the latest blizzard.
The recipe :
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 tablespoons dried raisins
1 tablespoon dried currants
3 dried green cardamom pods, split
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemon and orange peel
a thin slice of fresh ginger root
Add the above to a cooking pot and cover with cold water - just enough to cover.
Bring to a simmer, simmer for 6 minutes.
Turn off the heat and cover the pot for an hour before eating - by then, the spices and the fruits are well infused, and very delicious. If you prefer a heavier, more syrupy juice, just simmer it a little longer - I prefer the lighter version.
Happy Monday!
A sunny, windy day , 9 degrees above zero. A little interlude between snowstorms, though another 8 inches are in the future . The path from the house to the car is hip high, and drifts lean against the windows and doors. But it is the end of February, so the end is in sight, though mud season should be quite an adventure once it all melts!
Bustling in the kitchen while the roof is being shoveled - again - I rediscovered the brussels sprouts I bought several days ago, hiding behind the chicken and kale soup (which I am already tired of) and the bowl of roasted chicken stock (which should go immediately into the already full freezer). Joy, oh joy! Finally a vegetable I can get excited about again! I also found half a plump cucumber, which I peeled, seeded, and cut into half moons.
The sprouts were trimmed and braised in butter and olive oil and finished with a quick squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of fresh dill, salt and pepper and polished off for lunch.
Braised Brussels Sprouts with lemon and dill
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 cup peeled, seeded cucumber, sliced into half moons (about 1/2 cucumber) optional
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup water
kosher or sea salt
freshly cracked pepper
two squeezes of fresh lemon juice
1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the olive oil, then the brussels sprouts and cucumber. Cook ten minutes, stirring often, until the sprouts begin to sear.
Turn heat to low and add the water. Cover the pot and cook until the sprouts and cucumber are just tender when poked with a fork - it took me about 15 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, dill, and a few squeezes of lemon before serving.
Now, back to looking at sunny summer photos in Maine on Sass & Veracity - bliss!
The snow just keeps coming here in New Hampshire. Buckets and buckets, one foot of snow after another - and now I hear on the news, another foot expected. What to do, what to do?
As long as the power holds out, I am perfectly happy baking - cakes, breads - and these delicious scones. I plump the currants with fresh orange juice for that zing of citrus, and fold them into a batter with butter, buttermilk, and orange zest.
I use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to form these - much easier than the original plopping of dough with a large tablespoon.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment pater or foil.
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1/4 cup sifted King Arthur whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup buttermilk
pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup dried currants
Sparkling sugar for the tops of the scones, optional
Place flours, the tablespoon of sugar, and the cold butter in your mixer bowl and mix until butter is incorporated with the flour. Add the baking powder, nutmeg, and orange zest and briefly mix.
Squeeze the 1 tablespoon of orange juice into a bowl, then add the currants. Microwave for a minute, or warm in a little saucepan. Set aside to plump for five minutes.
Add the buttermilk and the plumped currants and orange juice to the dry mixture and mix until the dough just comes together. It should not be a dry dough - so add a little water, a tablespoon at a time, if you think it's too dry. Do not overly beat the dough.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto baking sheet. This should make 8 scones.
Sprinkle the tops of the scones with sparkling sugar, if desired. Bake 25 to 28 minutes, or until they are slightly golden. Remove scones to cooling rack, then serve.
I came across a small batch recipe for the most wonderful caramel sauce, which takes all of 15 minutes. I am in heaven! You can find it here.
Happy February!
The path to the birdfeeder gets deeper and deeper........
Yesterday we had the most beautiful snowstorm all day, a foot of light, fluffy snow easy to shovel - but so much! Had it been heavier snow, we might have lost power, but the lights stayed on, and the heat hummed and all was well.
Instead of hot chocolate or more coffee, I made one of my favorite winter soups - quick, earthy, and warming mushroom soup with thyme. It's a soup I never tire of in the winter and it couldn't be easier to make.
Quick Mushroom Soup
This is for just one cup, but it is easily multiplied. You can also make this vegetarian by using vegetable stock, but I prefer the chicken stock.
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon thyme (I love thyme!)
1 cup hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon or so of sliced scallion greens
freshly ground pepper or a dash of hot sauce
Saute the mushrooms in the butter until golden and toasty. Add the hot stock, the thyme, the scallions, and the pepper and stir.
Remove from heat and scrape into a blender and puree on high.
Pour into a cup and stir in a dash of hot sauce. Enjoy !
As I write this, a winter blizzard is moving into New England. I am inland, so the snow reached here only four or five hours ago - and we have power! When I measured the snow in the middle of the flat front yard, it was 8" - drifts were much more.
Thinking back over January, I realized I was changing my eating habits subtly - many more greens and vegetables, fewer sweets and, my downfall, tortilla chips with melted mozzarella, salsa, and sour cream. I still have the chips and mozzarella, but the sour cream has disappeared.
And the colors ! Shining like a rainbow - which definitely puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step (as I go out to shovel:) From the top: arugula with braised celery,warmed tomatoes with basil, mushrooms, and cubes of mozzarella; smoked turkey sandwich with arugula and grated cheddar; kale soup with orzo; asparagus with hardboiled eggs and parmesan; green chard and shredded chicken soup; homemade strawberry jam. Hope you are all enjoying your winter!
I think it was 12 degrees this morning, but these January mornings blur together unless it's below zero. Then we stand around at the post office and talk about who got the lowest reading, whose pipes burst, who is forwarding their mail to....Florida.
Wasn't that a sneaky way to slide to Plant City, Florida strawberries? I am always overjoyed when the first Florida strawberries show up at the market in the dead of winter because Spring doesn't seem too, too far away. And I have loved strawberries my whole life - once insisting on buying a dress when I was four years old that was printed with strawberries and strawberry leaves. I was desolate when I outgrew that dress. Throughout the year, I make my own strawberry jam, which takes all of half an hour for one winter jar, more if you're canning a big batch in the summer.
The easiest way to find the most fragrant berries is to turn the plastic cases over and sniff the bottom of the package . It may sound (and look) odd, but it's the fastest way to pick out the best of the lot. If I'm making jam that day, I leave the berries out on the counter so they can warm to room temperature.
This fills one large canning jar - I use the wide mouth ones. Since you're only making one jar, just make sure the jar is clean, but no need to sterilize, since it lives in the fridge.
Winter Strawberry Jam
2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
juice from two fresh lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar, warmed in a low oven or 1 minute in a microwave
a candy thermometer
Place the berries in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, mash briefly, then add the lemon juice. Simmer for about 15 minutes, making sure you keep stirring so it doesn't scorch.
Add the sugar and stir well, increase the heat a little bit and continue to cook until the candy thermometer registers soft ball stage: around 240 degrees. Take off heat and dip a spoon into the jam - it should coat the spoon well.
Pour the jam into your prepared jam jar, reserving a tablespoon of warm jam for that piece of buttered bread you have waiting. Cap the jar and let sit at room temperature for half an hour, then place in fridge.
Someone gave me a cutting from their enormous bay tree a few months ago which I keep beside the stove for inspiration, and that dream of a walk-in greenhouse:)
It's still bone-chilling cold here, and no matter how I try to get excited about salads, the bottom line is that they are not warming. I crave muffins and French toast, macaroni and cheese, juicy hamburgers with hot sauce and salsa. So much for my New Year's resolution to get back on a healthy (or, as my mother always said to me: "It's HEALTHFUL, not healthy") track.
Well, these muffins have two citruses , greek yogurt, some whole wheat flour, canola oil, and fresh nutmeg, which are all good, right? Biting into a fresh hot muffin, there was a blossoming of oranges and clementine, which suddenly reminded me of Florida vacations and the scent of everyone's backyard orange and grapefruit trees.
The recipe comes from a little book I bought years and years ago, called "Muffins A to Z" by Marie Simmons. I've tried a few recipes, and, though I often change the recipe as I go along, it's a dandy little book.
Orange and Clementine muffins
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease your muffin tins well - this recipe made one large Texas muffin in one tin, and 7 small, normal size ones in another muffin tin.
1/2 cup whole wheat flour, sifted
1 and 1/2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
a hefty pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed citrus juice from clementines and eating oranges
Optional: rolled oats for sprinkling on tops
Place all the dry ingredients in your mixer bowl: the whole wheat flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and orange zest. Briefly whisk.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the canola oil, Greek yogurt, citrus juice and eggs.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and briefly mix until incorporated. My batter seemed thick, which I think was because my kitchen is cold in the morning - if that happens, add a little more juice or a little water, a tablespoon at most.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into muffin tins. I like to sprinkle a few rolled oats on top for contrast.
Bake 25 minutes, a few minutes more for the Texas size muffins, then remove from oven to cool on a rack. When muffins are cool, remove gently from tins and serve with sweet butter and freshly squeezed orange and clementine juice.
Warm hugs to you all, and to the beautiful city of Paris .....
Happy November! To celebrate, Mother Nature is sending us another nor'easter in the next day or so, and I heard the *snow* word for the first time on the weather report. I rearranged my cookbooks the other day, in part because of the changing season, but also because I never seemed to be able to find the one cookbook I was searching for.
Flipping through Martha Stewart's Quick Cook, I was struck by a gorgeous photograph of fresh pears baked in cream. I had a pear in the fruit bowl, and I had heavy cream, so of course I made it. I am so familiar with Martha's recipes and way of cooking, I felt comfortable making a few changes as I went along, but the kudos belong to her.
Pears Baked in Cream
2 Bosc pears, unpeeled, halved, and cored (I use a melon baller for that)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of kosher salt
a few sprigs of thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream
a drop or two of good vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter an ovenproof baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the dish with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.
Place the cored pears, cut side down, in the dish. Arrange the thyme sprigs around the pears, then sprinkle the pears with the salt and the last tablespoon of sugar, and dot the pears with the remaining butter.
Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Mix the cream and the vanilla together and pour over the pears. Return the pears to the oven and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes. Serve warm in shallow bowls with soup spoons - the creamy, sweet sauce is SO good! Even better, this is a great gluten-free dessert for the chilly months ahead.
Have a wonderful weekend!
It has been so cold for so long up here in the mountains, as January always is, but this year was a doozy. -15 day after day, and sheets of ice underfoot, so cooking inspiration suffered. But I always make a good breakfast , a fairly recent habit - me, who never had anything beyond several cups of coffee and, perhaps - a hunk of cheese as I raced the kids out the door! Now I often make a quick soup ( I call it a warm smoothie) and add some kind of protein like cheese or turkey, cheese or eggs. Sweet breakfasts I don't make very much, unless it's fresh fruits or Finnish fruit compote, mostly because sugar revs me up.
Welcome to February, which is usually our snowiest month - and warmer! And tomorrow is our Izzie's 8th birthday!
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