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Rethinking Thanksgiving Turkey
As we come upon Thanksgiving, I find myself asking: “Why turkey?” After all, the traditional feast was built around mythology; authentic records don’t exist. Historians actually surmise that the 1621 colonists viewed the large birds as hard to prepare. Hmmm.…
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Royal Treatment for the Food of the British Isles
The UK has just finished celebrating British Food Fortnight, an event that commenced two decades ago to encourage consumers to buy from local farms. The idea was that the fun of a national celebration would encourage people to actively seek…
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Scandinavian Christmas Traditions
In mid-December Scandinavia, it’s dark – just six hours of light each day. The sun rises in Oslo at around 9:20 a.m. and sets at about 3:15 in the afternoon. Winter is setting in now, and the locals are happy…
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Just a Small Group This Year? Deck the Halls Anyway!
For many of us, this holiday season could be the “small-idays” – smaller get-togethers. I’ve heard from any number of friends who plan to keep their festivities intimate, just with two or four for Christmas dinner. One couple is planning…
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C Is for Chilly – and Chowder
It’s chowder season here in New England. After years of cooking here, I’ve come to appreciate our local specialty. The Oxford Companion to Food points out that chowder was first cooked up in the early 1700s and is likely derived…
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Grilling and Entertaining – A Labor Day of Love
I bet you’re looking forward to Labor Day Weekend – the summer’s bookend, a time to enjoy the harvest, get together with friends and family, and bid goodbye to these languid months. As for me, we’ll be entertaining my sister-in-law…
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Gone Fishin’
Getting fresh fish in north central Illinois in the mid-1950s was difficult. But late May/early June usually marked the time of year when the family would travel to northern Wisconsin on a fishing trip. If the fishing was good, that…
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Simple and Quick Go-To Recipes
I’m guessing that many of us are feeling a little burned out on cooking, and there are evenings when we just want an easy menu that will satisfy the family. I’ve felt that way more than once over the past…
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Bounty from Sea to Shining Sea
Are you a pescatarian? That’s a person who adds fish and seafood and sometimes eggs to a vegetarian diet. As for me, my background put me on a trajectory of meat and potatoes. But that’s because the 1950s logistical supply…
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Pan-Cooked Fish with Dill and Cucumber
Now here's a creative use for cukes. Dill weed works almost as well as fresh dill.
