In Love with Cheese

By Lori Powell

When hitting the road for a long car trip you can always find me packing cheese and crackers or a baguette, along with some assorted fruit to eat on the road or to enjoy in celebration when I reach my destination.

I recently hit the road a couple of weekends ago specifically to visit a cheese shop in Great Barrington on Main Street. The packing of a car snack was not needed since the end of the road this time came equipped with a bevy of good eats….and lots and lots of cheese.

I buy cheese like someone else buys candy. It is just too hard not take home just a little bit of each of these delicious finds and Rubiner’s is ridiculously packed with the good stuff. Also they are extremely patient.

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Life is Complex, Make Dinner Simple

By Marilyn Hunter

At the end of a busy day, the last thing I need is more work. And let’s face it, dinner often feels like work. When I’m feeling uninspired and on the verge of ordering takeout, I make a sandwich. But not just any sandwich, a special dinner-worthy sandwich of ham and Swiss dipped in egg wash and grilled.

If you can manage making grilled cheese, even when you’re tired, you can handle the French version with a fancy name… Croque Monsieur. It’s adored by everyone in my family. We eat the Croque with a simple salad for a delicious bistro-style meal.

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Mac & Cheese Night

By Andrew Hunter

Mac & Cheese is my generation's original comfort food. It was on home menus so often that it became a packaged food that our moms used for convenience. But many of us kids who grew up with Mac & Cheese from “the box” are now parents seeking the same comfort with a homemade spin.

We started a Mac & Cheese Night at the Hunter house when Benny and Nicky were babies and still carry on the tradition five years later. Our version changes with the kind of cheese, pasta and goodies we have in the house, but the classic recipe below is a good starting point. It can be made a day or two in advance and conveniently reheated for dinner and a few easy lunches.

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Rutabaga, My New “Butternut Squash”

From Lori Powell

Rutabaga is that funny-looking, waxy thing that you see in the root area of the supermarket produce section. It really doesn’t feel good to the touch but underneath is a globe of delicious goodness!

I must say that I was among the doubters, thinking it really can’t be that good and it’s probably woody and dry underneath the rind. Now rutabaga is my new butternut squash with lots more dimension – the adult version of butternut squash.

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Easy Apps

By Lori Powell

Happy New Year! My gift to you is a quick and easy-to-assemble hors d’oeuvre to put together in minutes, as long as you have a couple of items around in your pantry. It’s as convenient whether you are entertaining just one other person or are having a bunch of friends over.

The following “recipe” is really a non recipe and is truly just some ideas on what to fill readymade, store-bought little phyllo cups with. The boxes of phyllo cups are sold in the freezer section of the supermarket near the phyllo sheets and puff pastry.

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