Monthly Archives: July 2018

Homemade Ice Cream

With many traditional recipes, homemade ice cream of any flavor is best the first day, as it tends to get rock hard over time. That wasn’t a problem in the past, when refrigerators were really ice boxes and freezers were almost unknown. Ice cream was for eating fresh and leftovers simply didn’t happen. To solve the problem, contemporary recipes often include a magic ingredient to keep ice cream silky; usually some form of corn syrup, which I (of course) eschew. However, a little experimentation showed that brown rice syrup is an excellent substitute, resulting in ice cream that’s satisfyingly dense yet not too hard. It also makes for ice cream that’s more creamy and less tooth-achingly sweet, and makes fruit flavors more prominent. Continue reading

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Summery Essentials & Indulgences

When the berries arrive in gardens and markets, my kitchen overflows with delicious treats. Most get eaten out of hand; between me and the grandkids, fresh fruit has a very short shelf life. Much of what we don’t enjoy fresh gets frozen or turned into jam (raspberry and blueberry are favorites), but some end up in pies and crumbles and grunts. Grunts? Yup; it’s an old fashioned New England thing that’s very tasty and doesn’t require firing up the oven on a hot day. Serve it warm dessert with homemade peach or raspberry ice cream or billows of whipped cream. Continue reading

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Lavender in Garden & Kitchen

Lavender Fields Forever Yesterday I made a little tussie mussie of lavender and rosebuds for a dear friend going through a tough time and felt my own spirits lift. I find the scent of lavender refreshing, brisk and aromatic rather … Continue reading

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A Twist On The Cherry

Awakening Flavor In Fruit This summer has been a good one for cherries and our Northwestern orchards and markets are full of plump fruit. I’m especially fond of pale golden Rainier cherries, with their blush of pink or rosy red. … Continue reading

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