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There are deadlines, and then there are deadlines! Sometimes every other week comes up faster than I expect, and all of a sudden it’s time to submit another column. And then there are seasonal deadlines. I’ve had times when I create a wonderful recipe just as the produce is at the tail end of the season. In such instances, I may write up the recipe and set myself a reminder for the following year so that I can publish it just prior to or at the beginning of the season for that treat. This time, though, I called Guido’s and checked with the produce department and they though they would still have rhubarb for another couple weeks!

When I first made this recipe, I wasn’t thinking how great it would be when the weather got too hot. First of all, it doesn’t use the oven so the house doesn’t heat up, but you do have to stand over the stove browning the chicken pieces. Even more helpful, though, is how it cooks, in the method of a stew. When I had it recently at my friend Giovanna’s house, because she was busy, she cooked it a day ahead. When I made it, in the midst of the unbearable heat we’ve been having, I made it in the morning, before it got too hot to cook, and it heated up beautifully not only later that day for dinner, but also the next evening as well!

Being in France for part of my most recent travel called to mind memories of previous trips, and, as I mention below, not surprisingly for me, this means memories of the food. With that on my mind, I decided to share my recipe for céleri rémoulade, one of the typical French sides you can find everywhere.

Although, as I mentioned in my most recent Berkshire Eagle column, I had been worried about not getting my yearly soft-shell crab sandwich at the Bistro Box in Great Barrington this year, somehow I was lucky enough that they had it as a special right before we went away! So I decided that two soft-shell crab sandwiches in a week is my favorite kind of crab walk! 

There are definitely people who are not fond of fish, but usually they are quite fond of Goldfish® crackers! For this week’s Berkshire Eagle column I used Goldfish® cracker crumbs in a recipe with fish and potatoes – perhaps this will make fish lovers of everyone!

Hank’s father used to say that in retirement, it’s like every day is a Saturday! (And our family and friends who are rabbis say, “Please, no!”) It is true that sometimes I lose track of what day it is, as I no longer feel like I am running a race every week, trying to reach the Friday finish line.

But with this week’s Berkshire Eagle column, any day can be fry-day! The recipe itself is rather short and straightforward, but with the helpful hints in the narrative, a good mandoline, a convection setting on your oven, and a bit of practice, you can easily make delicious French fries at home any day of the week! 

Home fries or hash browns are such a wonderful side for a breakfast plate! I especially love going to a diner for this treat, mostly because it’s a lot to make at home. (And as long as I’m mentioning this, I’ll give a shout-out to Carl’s Oxford Diner in Oxford, MA! It’s housed in a traditional diner ‘car’ with sliding doors on either end, beautiful wood trim, tiled floor, and enormous portions. Seriously, if you ask for two eggs, you’ll likely get three.)

But back to potatoes and eggs… About a year ago, I made a bunch of mini quiches with potato slices for the crust because it was Passover. Everyone adored it, and I am guessing this is because eggs and potatoes go so well together! This recipe is also a great option for a gluten-free brunch or lunch dish, and with Passover coming up, I wrote about it for this past week’s Berkshire Eagle column. 

I’m pretty sure one of the reasons pasta is so popular is that it’s so adaptable! Even when there seems to be nothing in the house, I can dig out various ingredients to make something delicious. Many age-old methods of preserving food for the pantry – for example, drying, brining, smoking – develop lots of the bold umami flavors that can give much character to a dish.

Such ingredients take center stage in the pasta recipe I wrote about in this past week’s Berkshire Eagle, and in our household, we usually have most of these ingredients on hand! 

I may not be living on Easy Street, but an easy sheet pan supper can be a lifesaver on a busy day. The permutations are infinite, only bounded by your imagination, as long as you keep in mind each ingredient’s suitability for roasting.

The version I shared in this past week’s Berkshire Eagle column uses sausage, and this allows for substitutions due to myriad dietary practices, including plant-based sausages. (Be sure to follow any package instructions.) Take the idea and run with it, finding your favorite combinations! 

I think chicken soup may be universal, but with myriad variations in every corner of the world. In this past week’s Berkshire Eagle column, I wrote about how I make chicken broth, plus three different ways to make the broth into a soup. Buying a carton of broth is absolutely fine, too, especially if you’re nursing a cold and don’t want to take much effort.

I’ll be honest: when someone tells me that they unequivocally do not like a certain food, I take it as a challenge to see if I can make it in a way that they will like it. Sometimes it ends up that they eat a recipe that includes a forbidden ingredient that I don’t even know they detest! But sometimes it’s really hard to hide something because the flavor is strong or distinctive. With that in mind, I made a long-time family favorite, chicken paprikash with mushrooms, when Greta was away, at which point I realized I had never shared my recipe in a Berkshire Eagle column, so it became an easy pick for this past week!

Of course I brought food for the freezer, including five 10-packs of Dan’s favorite meatballs, when we traveled to our kids’ house for some babysitting help because of work trips. How happy I was when we arrived and they told me that their sister-in-law, who lives about a mile away and has a brand new two-week-old baby, had asked if I could make some for her freezer! However, she has a number of food issues, including being gluten-free. No matter, though. I can always find ways to accommodate whatever is necessary, and the recipe from last week’s Berkshire Eagle column is just one possibility for that! 

Our kids were not at all disappointed that I prepared for last week’s Berkshire Eagle column by testing my wild boar ragù with beef, and then with pork, yielding plenty to share! Having a portion of this sauce in the freezer provides an easy yet extraordinary dinner, or something quick and delicious on a busy weeknight. 

While the version of this recipe below uses zucchini, you could just as easily use peas, even frozen peas which are easy to have on hand. Soon after this appeared in my fortnightly Berkshire Eagle column, a friend told me how she made this with shrimp and bay scallops! I love hearing how people take an idea and make it their own, whether by design, or because of what they have in the house!

We are still enjoying this year’s pears! Besides the soup below which was featured in the Berkshire Eagle this past week, we’ve enjoyed pears in salads with blue cheese crumbles (with one fancy presentation in radicchio leaf cups), several baked goods with pears, including pear babka, and slices of pear over yogurt with granola and honey. I’m still planning to make one or two more things, perhaps a pear focaccia and/or pear preserves.

My readers surely know by now that it gives me great joy to cook for those I love. It is especially fun to cook for my granddaughter, Naomi, who eagerly eats whatever I make for her! Her dads love this recipe as it includes a vegetable and is easy for her to feed to herself. In fact, she loves it so much that the day before this column appeared in the Berkshire Eagle, Ben sent us a video of her finding and eating every last bit, and after each bite she let out a dramatic and satisfied “Aaahhh!” 

Maybe your leftovers are gone. Maybe you are tired of your leftovers. (If so, put cut up turkey and gravy in the freezer. Defrost later and put together in a baking dish with frozen peas and carrots, and top with store-bought puff pastry for a quick turkey pot pie!)

The Monday after the long weekend (for most of us) it’s back to a full week in the busiest season of the year, both because of holiday events and activities and because of any year-end items on the agenda. With this in mind, I felt that last week’s Berkshire Eagle column had to include an easy recipe!

Although I have not seen the movie, we here in Lenox, MA have a connection to The Cider House Rules because a local landmark, Ventfort Hall, a gilded era “cottage,” served as the exterior set for the movie.

In any event, the column I wrote for this past week’s Berkshire Eagle offered three recipes using hard cider. I have long enjoyed cooking with hard cider, and it’s becoming much easier to find with more and more producers of fermented beverages.