THE VILLAGE VOICE

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."  ~ Hal Borland  CHEERS! OYSTER STEW ~ a 'rich' holiday tradition for Christmas or the New Year ... delicious recipe adapted from Simply Recipes , a great site and one that cooks much like I do ... 1  pint freshly shucked oysters (such as bluepoint) 5  Tbsp. unsalted butter 1/4  cup flour 2  minced celery stalks plus leaves 1  minced sweet onion 2 minced garlic cloves 1  3/4  cup milk 1/4  cup cream (or all milk if you choose but once a year the cream is good) 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste) coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2  cup minced fresh parsley (reserve a tad for garnish) Crisp crumbled bacon for garnish (optional) Oyster crackers Strain oyster juice thorough fine sieve. Remove grit and reserve juices. Rinse oysters under cold w...

"But what minutes!  Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day."  ~  Benjamin Disraeli

"Old Time, that greatest and longest established spinner of all! .... his factory is a secret place, his work is noiseless, and his hands are mutes."  ~ Charles Dickens My beloved Grandfather clock speaks ... SWEET AUTUMN SALMON ~ This fish is good! 2  lbs. salmon fillet 1  Tbsp. sweet butter 1  Tbsp. honey 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 2  Tbsp. soy sauce 2  Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1  Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1-2 cloves minced garlic fresh (or dried) thyme to taste freshly ground cracked pepper Rinse and pat dry salmon. Combine butter, honey, and brown sugar and melt together in small pan.  Add soy sauce, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, thyme and pepper. Pour over fish and marinate 30 minutes or longer. Grill over hot coals for 8-10 minutes - depending on thickness and preferred salmon doneness. Leftover marinade can be heated well and served over fish. ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS, SWEET POTATOES & CRANBERRIE...

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer and oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~ Stanley Horowitz MAPLE LEAF 'Artistic' MAPLE APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE ~ Delicious autumn flavor ... the maple syrup infuses both the apples and the cake ( FOOD & WINE )  1  cup pure maple syrup   3  Granny Smith apples ... peeled, cored and cut into eights or smaller 2  cups all-purpose flour 1  tsp. baking powder 1/2  tsp. baking soda 1  tsp. salt 3  large eggs 3/4  cup buttermilk 1  Tbs. pure vanilla extract 1  1/2  sticks, unsalted butter, softened 1  1/3  cups sugar Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan (I used a 10-inch springform pan). In a large saucepan, bring maple syrup to boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until very thick and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Pour thickened syrup into cake pan....

"The sweet calm sunshine of October, now     Warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold The purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough     drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold." ~ William Cullen Bryant ROASTED TOMATO SOUP ~  awesome Autumn fare, perfect while tomatoes are still in abundance (slightly adapted from  Smitten Kitchen ) Soup 3 lbs. plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2-4 ' unpeeled ' large cloves garlic 1 tsp. finely  chopped  fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 tsp dried 1/4 tsp. (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper 4 cups organic chicken or vegetable stock Topping 4 slices rye bread (toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side) 1 Tbsp. grated raw red onion 1 cup (or more) coarsely grated white cheddar Soup : Preheat oven to 400º. Wrap garlic cloves in tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Spr...

"A simple enough pleasure, surely, to have breakfast alone with one's husband, but how seldom married people in the midst of life achieve it." ~  Anne Morrow Lindbergh CHIVE BLOSSOM  OMELET ~ A seasonal treat captured when chive blossoms first bloom __________ 4 fresh organic eggs 4 Tbsp. sour cream pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped chives 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 12 rinsed & patted dry chive blossoms Lightly beat eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, parsley and chives. Preheat  omelet  pan and melt butter. Pour in egg mixture and leave undisturbed until  omelet  begins to set. Lower heat and, tipping pan slightly, lift edges to let uncooked egg run underneath. When  omelet  is firm, sprinkle with chive blossoms and fold in half. ORANGE SCONES with BERRIES & CREAM ~ Delicious orange  zested  rolled up scones from d...

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful."   ~ Abram L. Urban "Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are." ~ Alfred Austin

"Between two worlds life hovers like a star, twist night and morn, upon the horizon's verge." ~  Lord Byron  MAY GARDENS OF OVERHILL (Bloomfield Village) From morning to night, ever-changing perennial gardens (Bearded Iris, Wildflowers, Hosta, Rhododendron, Azalea, Ferns) _______________________ RICE NOODLES with SHRIMP AND CILANTRO This yummy colorful Pad Thai variation skips bean sprouts, eggs, and peanuts in favor of fresh red pepper and cilantro ... a favorite 'simple supper' at both home & cottage  (slightly adapted from  Fine Cooking )  8  oz.  1/4 in. wide dried rice noodles (pad thai) 2-3  limes (1 juiced and 1 sliced in wedges) 2  Tbsp. light brown sugar 2  tsp. soy sauce 1  tsp. fish sauce 1  lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp 3  generous Tbsp. peanut oil 1  tsp. ground coriander f...

"The bee emerging from deep within the peony departs reluctantly."   ~   Basho, Matsuo Tree Peonies  are woody perennial shrubs. They bloom at the beginning of May before the herbaceous peony bloom. Their woody structure allows them to produce gigantic dinner-plate-sized flowers on plants that grow from 3 to 7 feet tall. After the bloom, tree peonies provide structure to the garden with deep green leaves in summer and bronze and purple foliage in fall. Native to China and cultivated for millennia, these deer-resistant plants thrive in horticultural zones 4-9. Tree peonies grow slowly, producing 1 to 6 inches of new growth each year. Given well-drained soil and dappled sunlight, they will live for centuries.  Stately, rare, huge flowers, nice leaf coverage, simply fabulous.