The Case of the Disappearing Blog

Hello, Friends,

First, I want to let you know I’m having a Fall Cookbook Sale for the month of November on my new website. If you buy a book bundle with New England Brunch AND New England Desserts, you save $5. AND I will sign them both for you! AND I will ship them to you in a tasteful box well before any of the gift-giving holidays. These cookbooks are perfect for gifting (or keep one, gift one). I guarantee the recipes will make you very happy this holiday season (and every other season, as well). Order yours here.

If you’ve been following me since the old days of Food on the Food, you know I’ve been threatening to take down my long-retired blog for almost a decade. If you counted on me being too lazy to do it, you know me very well. But my blog hosting service announced in August it was closing up shop in September, and, well, turns out they actually meant it. So FotF is officially offline (and my author website went down along with it). I spent a good part of October getting my author site back up and running, and, within hours of going live, I received a desperate email requesting a recipe from FotF. The next day brought more requests. I truly didn’t think anyone was still using it!

I have no interest in recreating my blog again, but I did start a collection of the most requested recipes like Tortilla Soup, Root Vegetable Cobbler, Fish Tacos, and Foolproof Fudge. It’s a work in progress. You can find the list here. If you can’t find the recipe you’re looking for and you simply can’t live without it, I’ll make you a deal. I could use more reviews of New England Brunch on Amazon and Goodreads. I’ll dig up the recipe you want in exchange for an honest review. And, by honest, I mean glowing. Positively gushing!

Seriously, though, it made me a little sentimental looking back through those old blog posts. In a lot of ways, it was like looking at cringy school pictures, but it also told some interesting stories. It was a living journal of my career, my kids growing up, my health ups and downs, and the simple act of changing as a human. It documented so many successes and failures. The blog was never just about the food, but somehow it always came back to food. Recently, I started to wonder why.

Finding yourself in the second half of a century feels like a good time to look back at your life and piece together a cohesive story before you die and somebody else tells it for you in far less flattering terms. So I’ve been working here and there on a project. We’ll see what comes of it in the new year. Publishing is a brutal business. I’ve been hanging on tooth and nail like that one stubborn raccoon that refuses to get out of your garbage can no matter how many times you whack the side with a broom. But I’m excited to return to writing about food in a narrative way, and we could all use a few more laughs these days, am I right?

In other news, I was in Bangor, Maine a few weeks ago for an interview about New England Brunch. Lisa and Robyn on the Mic hosted me for their WSMN.live radio show in Nashua. And New England Brunch was nominated for an award by Readable Feast, the New England food writing awards (New England Desserts won New England Book of the Year in 2023). I’d like to thank Athol and Beverly public libraries for hosting two well-attended events this month. My last library talk of the year takes place at Raynham Public Library on Saturday, December 6 at 11am.

Finally, as someone who makes it a point to steer clear of holiday shopping and holiday crowds (or any crowds at all), it will be interesting to see the holidays in action for the first time as a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen in Boston. The rush has already started. We’re stocked up on all kinds of Raclette and Vacherin for the fondue of your dreams. Truffles will be in soon. I came home on Friday as bedraggled as I’ve ever been. Come Wednesday, I imagine myself absolutely crushed under the foot traffic and giant wheels of cheese. Pray for me!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and see below for a butternut squash recipe I think you’ll enjoy!

Lobsterly,

Squash and Sage Scones

If you’re not sure what to bring for Thanksgiving, may I suggest this scone recipe from New England Brunch, which can easily be turned into biscuits by using a round cutter or drinking glass. For best results, serve them the day you bake them so they’re at their crustiest and most flavorful.

Serves 8

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

½ cup butternut squash, pumpkin, or other winter squash puree (fresh or canned)

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large 12x17-inch baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, sage, and salt. Process the mixture for a few seconds to blend. Add the cold butter and process 15–20 seconds until the butter pieces are the size of small peas. (You can also cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingers.)

Add the squash puree to a large bowl and gradually whisk in the cream. Dump the flour mixture from the food processor into the bowl (hold onto that blade!). Fluff with a fork until it all comes together into a shaggy dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and, with floured hands, fold the dough over on itself several times until it holds together. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Gently pat the dough into a ¾-inch thick disk. Cut it into 8 wedges like a pizza. Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter. Brush the fresh sage leaves with melted butter and press them on top of each scone. Pull out the scones slightly so they’re about an inch apart.

Bake 15–20 minutes, until the tops brown and the centers of the scones are set. Remove the pan from the oven and let the scones cool on the pan. Serve warm or room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days, but they’re best served the day they’re made.

Note: How to Prepare Fresh Pumpkin and Squash for Baking

Halve the gourds, and set them cut side down on a large, lightly oiled, rimmed 12x17-inch baking sheet. Roast in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft. Let them cool slightly, then scoop out the seeds and discard. Scrape the flesh out of the skins and puree in a food processor until smooth. Drain in a colander set over a bowl for at least an hour to remove the excess liquid. Use as you would canned squash or pumpkin. Freeze the extra puree in ½-cup increments for future baking.