Winter 2024

How quickly the seasons pass.  This year I was so consumed by all things Holiday that I missed posting about it!  Despite all that, winter is officially hear and I’m pretty happy about that.  Winter is that time of year of guilt free indulging in rest and relaxation.  The cold winds blow hard outside and the snow piles up around the house, but inside we are surrounded by a warm hearth, comfort food and projects.  A time to savor being inside without the need to tend to anything outdoors such as gardens!  Use this time to recharge yourself.  Spring is inevitable, but there can be none without the time of solace.  “To every thing there is a season….”

Autumn 2023

Simple dried hydrangeas from the garden combined with cattails and white pumpkins come together to create this welcoming fall vignette for my tabletop.

There was a soft knocking at my back door.  I knew who it was, she’d been lurking, dropping hints and calling cards of tinged leaves and cool mornings.  I opened the door and in she wafted with the unmistakable scent of moist earth and mushrooms.  And then she settled in with her lovely gifts of pumpkins and gourds too decorate and cozy up all the corners of my home.  Welcome Autumn.  

For many, autumn is their favorite season.  There is something so appealing about a warm hearth, heartier meals, cooler days and of course the glorious colors of the turning deciduous trees.  It’s hard to resist.  It’s the season of apple and pumpkin – everything.  The season of our quiet retreat preparing for winter and all that it entails.  Enjoy the transition and be certain to check out my favorite autumn recipes such as stuffed acorn squash and delicious roasted chicken.  Autumn is here, may yours be perfectly beautiful!

Summer 2023

Welcome summertime! The weather is warm and ready for us to move our activities outdoors. For me that means gardening – in all it’s forms, tending to the flower beds and planting the kitchen potager. It means, al fresco meals out on the veranda and evenings by the outdoor fireplace. Summer days and evenings are so full by nature, primarily because of the extended daylight hours which we all like to take full advantage of.  Summer also means, fresh foods as roadside vegetable stands start to pop up. The abundance of fresh produce alone is conducive to so many wonderful recipes and what can beat a warm tomato plucked right from the garden? So many of my very favorite recipes are listed in my “From the Kitchen” section, be sure to look them up! Whatever your favorite summertime activities are, and where ever your summer travels may bring you, I hope you remember to set aside time to savor some of the simple joys of this season. Watch fireflies at night, smell the air after a summer storm, enjoy the plethera of early morning birdsong, walk barefoot through dewy grass or pick bouquets of wildflowers. These are just some of the things that belong to summertime and she is ready and willing to share all of this goodness.  Enjoy all the moments!

Spring 2023

It’s currently mid March as I enter this blog post, as of yesterday, a Nor’easter came through and left us with several feet of snow.  So to write the phrase “spring” feels a little out of sorts to say the least.  Despite all that, while spring is certainly well underway in other parts of the country, we in the northeast will be patient. Our turn will come, even if that means we will have to wait at least another full month.  That’s ok, we are used to it. As I always say, we may have long winters, but that’s why we own the book, so to speak, on the most glorious autumns!  The other day we ‘sprung ahead’ with the clocks, making evident the change in seasons with the longer afternoon sunlight that shines once again strongly into my kitchen. Filling it with a fresh glow and brightness only associated with this time of year. So for now, I’m just enjoying the beautiful give and take as the seasons struggle to give up one for the other. With all that said, I am decorating my home with fresh touches. Tulips like the ones above and fresh spring blooms brighten the corners of my home. I also start to put together the spring to-do list of chores that will need attention once the snow retreats. And naturally, I am thinking of the potager and what I’d like to plant other than the mainstay of tomatoes and fresh herbs.  Spring will come in it’s good old time and when it does, I’ll be ready to say hello but at the same time I’ll be wistfully waving goodbye to a winter of memories and beauty.  Enjoy all the moments my friends.

Holiday Season 2022

Perhaps I’m a little behind on this post, as for me, the holiday season really includes my favorite of all – Thanksgiving.  I believe that starting a season off with gratitude and a celebration of simple gathering is the best way to grasp that special spirit that embodies this time of year.  Our tree always goes up the day after Thanksgiving. A tradition we started so many years ago. Its such a fun weekend, since all my children are home and the house is bustling with activity.  Traditions are the root of the festivities at our home, starting with decorating the gingerbread houses, trimming the tree, making my annual pot of turkey soup, playing Christmas music, etc. The list goes on and my family wouldn’t have it any other way! There will be more, of course, as the month progresses and we creep closer to the big day.  Each year these days move along quicker and quicker. Gone is that childlike feeling of time being at a crawl. With so much to enjoy and accomplish we can get a little lost in that bustle. My advice to you is to try to savor all the moments, even the mundane. Each one becomes a moment in time that adds up with all the others to create that vision in our memories of another holiday that could slip by all too quickly.  My wishes to you for peace and the feeling of love and kinship all through this glorious season.

Autumn 2022

Find these beautiful table linens @AprilCornell

Once again the seasons change. This time bringing that slight chill to the air and a hint of tinged leaves.  Within a few short weeks we will be experiencing autumn in all it’s glory. The scent in the air has that unmistakable earthiness that only comes at this time of year and I feel that urge to start cooking long simmered dishes and baking apple pies. Autumn is truly the season for cozy feels and taking full advantage of all the outdoor activities we can before we finally retreat indoors driven by colder temperatures and shortened days.  And as the trees give up their final leaves to flit gently to the ground we will welcome the feast of Thanksgiving and be once again, grateful for family and friends. I wish you all a most beautiful autumn season. 

It’s pickling season!

Try making these super easy pickled red onions. They are great on sandwiches and salads alike. My recipe is under the ‘Vegetables and Sides’ section in the From the Kitchen category.