Sunday Cooking Returns!

Posted byNancy Taylor RobsonPosted inFood News, In The Garden, Our World, Sunday Cooking
Moussaka and Cote de Brouilly

Since leaving the Chestertown Spy only last week, I’ve decided I still need to write about cooking, food, gardening, and environment — to say nothing of the wider world and the art of living.  So, I’m starting up Sunday Cooking again. It will begin next week — this week is temporary retirement — and I’ll need to figure out illustrations, links, the whole shebang.

BUT I hope those who hang in, and bring others — please, God — will be informed, amused, inspired, and encouraged.  ONWARD!

Here’s a link to what turned out to be almost three years of working for the Spy:

http://www.chestertownspy.com/food-garden/

The picture is one taken by my goddaughter, Anna Bowers, manager of the sublime cafe/wine bar in North Creek, NY in the heart of the Adirondacks.  She came down to do some R&R this weekend, shared the celebration of the marriage of two dear friends, one long-time and one new–who have embarked on the adventure of marriage late in life and with as much pleasure and excitement as if it were their first crush. I’m embarking on a new chapter too, and a new learning curve. Whoo hoo!

Anna, who writes for Vinoteca blog for the Times Union, has a few things to say about the weekend and because I know she’ll let me, I’ve stolen a big chunk of her blog here, but you can read the entire post via the link below:

Saturday, I was my godmother’s “plus one” to the wedding celebration for a 60+ bride and 80+ groom (Nancy, my godmother and writing mentor – not to mention fellow member of the blog-o-sphere – was the matron-of-honor).  Held on a working CSA farm on the eastern shore of Maryland, there were lots of delectable hors d’oeuvres, bubbly and wonderful guests.  But I must confess that I was looking forward to Nancy’s moussaka – waiting for us back home. Nancy lives in this utterly fabulous old house that, as a child, was filled with secret little staircases connecting slightly spooky (especially if it was dark and you had to use the upstairs bathroom by yourself) rooms.  It is one of those places that returns me to my childhood (in the best sense) as soon as I enter: warm lighting, dogs everywhere, a really big hug, something amazing to eat, great conversation, a sense of being loved and safe.

And Nancy, after years of taking care of those around her (including her adopted family – the Bowers), finally has the modern kitchen of her dreams. Designed to her specifications (heated floors!!), it allows guests to sit on one side of the kitchen island and chat while Nancy cooks up something yummy on the other side.  Or, as she said, allows her to sit and have a glass while someone else does the cooking.

The moussaka (check out Nancy’s recipe on The Chestertown Spy) was exactly what I needed after a late girls’ night of Friday: layers of ground lamb seasoned to perfection, eggplant and basil topped with a parmesan béchamel sauce, served piping hot on the sleek island countertop.  We paired it with the Potel Aviron Côte de Brouilly 2009.  It won out over the Dolcetto because Nancy and her husband had visited Brouilly in the first years of their marriage.  This Gamay is not, I repeat not, the Beaujolais you drank until you threw up when you were sixteen (true story).  It is elegant and mature, with a hint of spice (perhaps from the volcanic soil on which it is grown) and a lovely mouth that hints at chocolate and dark fruit. Really, the perfect companion to the earthy yet utterly decadent moussaka (did I mention the parmesan béchamel sauce . . .)

http://blog.timesunion.com/vinoteca/

Published by Nancy Taylor Robson

I grew up sailing and building boats with my dad, married a tugboat captain, (who I'm still happily married to) and embarked on a life of adventure, challenge and fun. My first book, Woman in the Wheelhouse, told the sometimes harrowing story of working on an old coastal tugboat as cook/deckhand then worked in Mexico in the Campeche oil fields on a supply boat. I was one of the first women in the country to earn a tug operator's license. I'm the author of three other books, Course of the Waterman, which won the Fred Bonnie Prize for the novel, the historical novel, A Love Like No Other: Abigail and John Adams, A Modern Love Story, and OK Now What? A Caregiver's Guide to What Matters, which I wrote with longtime RN and hospice nurse, Sue Collins during the time my mother-in-law was moving to the end of her life. My second, Course of the Waterman, the coming of age novel of a young Eastern Shore waterman, won the Fred Bonnie award in 2004. My third book, second novel, A Love Like No Other: Abigail and John Adams, A Modern Love Story, takes readers into the lives of the new nation's strong-willed second First Lady and her stubborn, often-absent and adored husband, John, our second US President. I wrote the book because I'd spent big chunks of time raising children alone while my husband was at sea and felt an affinity for Abigail, but also looked to her life as a MUCH bigger challenge that informed and encouraged my own. My fourth book, OK Now What? A Caregiver's Guide to What Matters (Head to Wind Publishing, 2014) was written in collaboration with Sue Collins, RN and longtime hospice nurse and has received heartwarming feedback on how helpful it's been to many caregivers. A freelance writer for many years, I've published personal essays, features, maritime reporting and analysis, travel, garden and more for such places as The Washington Post, Yachting, House Beautiful, The Baltimore Sun, the Christian Science Monitor, Southern Living, Sailing, and more. I'm also a University of Maryland Master Gardener who grows and cans the family's fruits and vegetables, and a Bay-Wise program certifier. I write, sail, race sailboats (occasionally), walk the German Shepherd dogs, and cook for friends and family.

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