How Neighbors in the Country Say Thank You

August 12, 2012

I don’t think I ever truly understood the importance of neighbors until I built a house in the middle of Nowheresville. And I don’t mean ‘important’ in a hoity kind of way like, “Honey, let’s do have the neighbors over for cocktails sometime!” I mean IMPORTANT, like when your tractor’s stuck in the mud down […]

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Make Pickles like a Jew

August 9, 2012

Being of the persuasion myself, I think I’m allowed to use the J-word in a sentence without being weird, but NOW, for a limited time only, you too can be a Jew with this delicious recipe for pickles. Non-Jew pickles are usually made with vinegar and sometimes (gasp!) sugar and (gasp again!) pickling spices. I […]

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Verbless VVednesdays

August 8, 2012

Oh, zucchini plants. You unrelenting monsters! No mas. No mas.

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Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

August 7, 2012

As you know if you’ve ever woken up on a crisp morning here at The Muddy Kitchen, there is always a freshly baked loaf of bread on the counter by the windowsill. I can think of nothing better, nothing closer to perfection, nothing more humble yet more tempting and satisfying than fresh artisan-style bread slathered […]

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The Rules of Frendzy Green Club

August 3, 2012

When my daughter, Tallulah, was in 4th grade I found the following list neatly written down on her desk. I kept it, even sent it to my book editor as an idea for a Middle Grade series. I was reminded of this old piece of paper by the “Life List” on Sarah on the Go. […]

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Shark Attacks, Cape Cod, Ceviche

August 2, 2012

Yesterday Marconi Beach was closed due to the recent glut of shark attacks. Even Nauset Beach, where we ended up frolicking in the waves, had a few close encounters with seals. The mammals, a favorite for shark lunch, were eerily close enough to shore to have the crowds gather at the edge of the water, […]

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The Kachumber Cocktail – Are You Ready?

July 27, 2012

I am a martini person. Gin. Hendricks usually. Straight up. Not super-dry. Extra olives (in case you’re ordering). I always have at least two martini glasses in the freezer waiting to be plucked out at the last possible second so that they still have that frozeny-chilled look to them when I take my first icy […]

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50 Shades of Dead

July 20, 2012

Contrary to all the dark n’ stormy photos you’ve seen of New York City in the past few days, here at The Muddy Kitchen, we have seen no rain since I planted brassica, which to you lay-farmers means basically your broccoli-and-cabbage-type things – cool weather vegetables, which means early spring. Now I don’t really love […]

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Duxelle Stuffed & Fried Squash Blossoms

July 15, 2012

Around the time that the shelling peas have given up the ghost but before the insanity of the cucumber harvest begins, squash blossoms begin to bloom in my garden and wave a sunny hello from beneath their canopy of leaves. I usually grow two kinds of summer squash: Costata Romanesco, which I think produce the […]

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Your Whole Hog Starts with My Juicy Hay

July 10, 2012

Last year Tommy and I went to The Breslin for dinner in the city. The food was so phenomenal, especially the pig parts, that I now want to shuffle right back every time we take the train in from Hudson. The gruesomely romantic ‘pig’s foot for two’ and the conversation starter, ‘head cheese’, were frighteningly […]

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