Watership Down Kitchen

I prefer to cook Valentine’s Day dinner; it’s more meaningful, we avoid crowds, and we can eat exactly what we’ve been craving. And that is generally fillet mignon, cooked in thyme and garlic butter. A long time ago, my college Italian professor taught me how to cook it at her house before we went to a play at Harvard. It’s one of my favorite cooking memories. I had never eaten rare steak before she made it for me; now, I never eat it any other way. This year, I wanted to serve something special on top of my fillet. My husband loves mushrooms, so I decided to make creamy red wine mushroom sauce. It’s velvety smooth, earthy, and pairs incredibly well with fillet mignon or any nice cut of steak. I suggest you try it! Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 shallots, minced 2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini, oyster, wild, etc., trimmed and sliced 1 teaspoon fresh thyme salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup cab

It’s still winter. I know the groundhog said early spring this year, but we still have to slog through February. It’s cold, and wet, and dry. I need comfort food. I need starch. I need cream. I need butter. I need cheese. Solution? Cheesy scalloped potatoes. Make a quick béchamel sauce, assemble and chuck it into your oven for an 1 1/2. The house will smell of creamy deliciousness, and you can sit on the couch, sipping tea and reading a book by the fire, knowing that shortly, glorious potatoes goodness will be heaped on your plate. I promise it will drown out those late winter blahs.  Enjoy! Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter 1 large sweet onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup flour 2 cups whole milk 1 cup low sodium chicken broth 1 bunch thyme thinly sliced deli swiss cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 pounds waxy potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick 1/2 cup Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons melted butter 1/2 c

It’s my puppy Bodhi’s first birthday! His very favorite trick he knows to offer is paw; he has been known to spontaneously offer paw to people from whom he would like a treat. He is a very vocal puppy; in addition to barking, he makes a lot of silly noises like little play growls, whines, and howls. He is a much different dog that my german shepherd, Charlie. Charlie very rarely makes any noise at all, so Bodhi’s range of vocal expression was a surprise to me! I consider him a dog after my own heart, though, since I am constantly making noise myself when I teach or practice singing.  In celebration of his birthday, I made him a peanut butter puppy dog cookie. He gobbled it down in a second, of course, and offered me paw, hoping for several more. I only obliged him a few times. How could I say no to that face? For the human parents celebrating his birthday, I made a pineapple upside down cake. I confess to watching a lot of seasons of Great British Bake Off an

I think that rotisserie chicken in the store is the most irresistible smell imaginable. When I am hungry and pressed for time, nothing is better than one of those inexpensive, wonderfully moist birds. Eaten fresh with vegetables and a starch the chicken is perfection. Even better? There is always meat leftover that I like to use up in sandwiches, hashes, tacos, wraps, salads and the best way this time of year? Soups. It’s been 5 degrees the past few days. I am freezing my tail off and I need something warm and comforting to chase the chill out of my body. Enter my chicken and mushroom soup. Using leftover chicken, this recipe is simmered and served within 30 minutes. It’s earthy, creamy and full of lean protein and vegetables. I hope you’ll enjoy it! Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, diced 1 celery stalk, diced 6 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms 2 large carrots, sliced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 20 ounces chicken broth

Yay sports bowl! The big game! Go New England and all that hoo haw. Really, Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year, but I am clearly not a devout football fan. I am, however, a devotee of party food, and this is my day to shine. Meatball sliders, nachos, cocktail weiners, pigs in a blanket, pulled pork sliders, garlic knots, cheesy fries, pull apart bread and of course, battered chicken fingers.  Crispy on the exterior, fluffy within, perfectly cooked chicken tenders with a honey mustard dipping sauce and you have a tastebud touchdown. As with most delicious party foods, this does involve deep frying. I have a few deep frying machines in my home (a worthy investment, I think- and each sparks joy, thank you very much Mari Kondo), but you can make do with a heavy bottomed stock pot and a good thermometer. Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 16 strips salt and pepper 1 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2

Mochi. Doughnuts. Are so freaking delicious. I am a big old gluten fan- the opposite of the current gluten-free diet fad. Give me all the wheat flour in the world; I will eat it with wild abandon. All this is to say I do not make gluten-free doughnuts to avoid gluten in some big to lose weight or be hip. I make them because they are fan-fricking-tastic. Imagine the beautiful yeasted, raised-glazed doughnut that requires hours of rising, cutting, rising again, then finally frying. Imagine getting that wonderful, light fried goodness in 1 hour as opposed to 6. YUP. Mochi flour yields a soft yet slightly chewy doughnut with structure and interior holes similar to heated doughnuts but dare I say- better? Plus, the exterior gets slightly crispy from the frying. The only caveat if you need to make a starter dough. Starter doughs normally mean 24 hours of allowing yeast to ferment with flour… This starter dough involves 60 seconds in the microwaves and nothing more. If you simpl

In the winter, I find myself longing for warm, fruit desserts. After Christmas, I need something lighter than creme brûlée or chocolate tort. I want something fruity and warming and easy to make. Happily, I preserve a lot of fruit in the summer so that I may enjoy it in the winter. I have canned peaches in syrup which are easily turned into a delicious and embarrassingly easy dessert to make. Melt the butter, pour in the batter, then tip in the peaches with their sugary jucies. If you desire crunch, toss in some nuts. Bake and voila, delicious cobbler. This dessert only requires a pan, a bowl and a whisk. You can make it for unexpected company in a trice or just for yourself after a long day. If you want to make it truly decadent, add a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Yum! Ingredients: 16 ounces of sliced peaches in syrup (storebought or homemade) 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt