Nutella Cookies



Don't have chocolate chips in the house? Just use the standard Nestle's Toll House recipe, but use a huge glob of Europe's most delectable treat - Nutella. They turned out like molasses cookies, as you might imagine. But better.

Circumnavigating West Rock


Epic bike ride around West Rock. We've wanted to do this for a while, and although some of the hills were brutal, the ride as a whole was easier than we thought it might be.


The front of the rock at Blake Street Center (the old Eli Whitney Blake factory in Westville).


We stopped for a quick bite at Katz's deli in Woodbridge. I had half a hot tongue sandwich and Amy had potato pancakes.


The ride along the lake on Downs Road was absolutely gorgeous - worth the entire ride.

Dosas with Mango Pickles


I've been wanting to make these for years - Indian dosas. Essentially sourdough rice pancakes. I first had them in high school at my friend Subhash's house, with mango pickles. And that's exactly what I did with these. Delicious.

At R.J. Julia's Bookstore



Amy and I gave a talk about A History of Connecticut Food for about fifty people at R.J. Julia's Bookstore this week. It's always an honor to speak there, and the crowd is engaged and appreciative. One of the audience members was a chef, and she will be using some of the recipes from the book for a big dinner in September. I'm hoping that the book does just that - reawakens interest in local cuisine! 

Middleborough Historical Museum



We ventured outside the borders of Connecticut to Massachusetts' Middleborough Historical Museum this summer. Just your typical historical society museum...except that it has the second largest Tom Thumb exhibit in the world. Tons of fun stuff from Lavinia Warren Bump (Mrs. Tom Thumb) and my favorites...Charles Stratton's (Tom Thumb's) hunting outfit. Also - his tiny cane from the 1840s, a few wedding presents, and more...



Oh, and they also have a cool collection of other historical stuff. An old general store, et cetera. If you do go, don't be like the rude couple we saw that didn't pay the donation. These historical societies are always hanging on by a thread, because of our own citizens' apathy, usually. Of course, as soon as something happens to a historical home in town, everyone is up in arms. The other day I was asked why my own historical society "hadn't done anything" about a historical house we acquired fifty years ago. Uhm...because we don't have enough money to do anything about it? If you want to preserve history, get involved. If you don't have money, volunteer your time, and save America's precious artifacts, buildings, and documents.

Review at Books New Haven

Sandi Kahn Shelton has featured A History of Connecticut Food over at Books New Haven. I love this:

"They risked weight gain as well as endured the tedium of slaving over a hot stove, trying out new old recipes, all for us, the reading public. This kind of personal sacrifice is nothing new for them: they did just this same kind of research when they wrote A History of Connecticut Wine: Vineyard in Your Backyard.That time they had to visit and sample many types of wine..."

It's a tough life sometimes.

The Wadsworth Stable


The Wadsworth Stable now stands in Lebanon, Connecticut, next to the Jonathan Trumbull house. But once it stood in the center of Hartford, by the Wadsworth Atheneum. Notice the similarity in design? The facade was re-imagined to look more like that famous mansion (now museum). But the interior! It still looks like it did when George Washington's horse, Nelson, was billeted here during the American Revolution.

Harry's Place in Colchester


Amy and I stopped in Colchester yesterday to stop at Harry's Place, one of the classic road food joints in Connecticut. Operating since 1920!


We had a lobster roll, a bacon cheese hot dog, and some jalapeno cream cheese bites. The cream cheese bites were my favorite - some of the best of their kind I've had. However, their baker (from Windsor, Connecticut) is the real marvel - the rolls they use are amazing. Really the best top-loading hot dog rolls I've encountered. Find out more in the Insiders' Guide to Connecticut!

Connecticut Cabbage Rolls



Fry up a little ground pork with onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Add cumin, paprika, a tablespoon of red miso, rice wine vinegar, and whatever other spices you like.



Wrap the result in cabbage leaves and hold them together with toothpicks (note: use non-colored ones). Steam them about ten minutes in a Chinese steamer and enjoy!


Oh...why "Connecticut" cabbage rolls? Well, I could say because they used local ingredients. But really, I've noticed that many people simply add the name of their state (I'm looking at you, Texas)  to the beginning of a recipe. So, I'm adopting that method. Connecticut everything.