Yesterday my husband and I made the most amazing ravioli! We are Catholic and abstain from meat on Fridays. As foodies who love meat (and I hate fish) we are always on the prowl for great meatless recipes. We have always wanted to make a really good flavored pasta. Past attempts were lackluster and forgettable. … Continue reading 4 Cheese Spinach Ravioli
Stories We Shared
In this article we reviewed Doug McKelvey and Jamin Still’s beautiful picture book, The Wishes of the Fish King. In that article we explained that the picture book was published because of a Kickstarter campaign. In the middle of their Kickstarter campaign, Doug asked our Potato Peel Pie Facebook book club what other interesting … Continue reading Stories We Shared
Hawaiian Style Instant Pot Pork Shoulder
This is a play on a traditional "Hawaiian Kalua Pig" recipe. Essentially we are taking a tough and economical cut of pork, rubbing good flavor into it, and then letting the pressure do its magic. This pork shoulder will fall into gorgeous pieces that can be dressed with the sauce included in this recipe (and served over … Continue reading Hawaiian Style Instant Pot Pork Shoulder
Baked Potato Instant Pot Soup
1 lb bacon, diced 3 stalks of celery, sliced 1 large onion, small dice 1 clove of garlic, minced 5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 T season salt (I use Lawry's) 1 tsp black pepper 4 c chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup heavy cream ½ c whole milk Garnish: sour cream, shredded cheddar … Continue reading Baked Potato Instant Pot Soup
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The movie is better. Much better, in fact. In 1903, Baroness Orczy wrote a successful stage play about a foppish English noble who mastered the art of “disguise and redirect” in order to save the lives of French royals destined for the Madame Guillotine during the Reign of Terror. Building on the success of The … Continue reading The Scarlet Pimpernel
My Sisters the Saints
“A beautiful and inspiring story of a woman’s deep faith and the saints who became her sisters along the path to her answered prayers.” -Mary Higgins Clark In October 2014, I was struggling under the weight of a heavy cross to bear. I had lost three babies in miscarriage, was struggling against a neurological disease, … Continue reading My Sisters the Saints
Danny Dunn and the Anti Gravity Paint
In 1956, Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams published their first young reader science fiction book: Danny Dunn and the Anti Gravity Paint. Penned almost fifteen years before Neil Armstrong took mankind’s first steps on the moon, the science in this series is dated but still magical and full of wonder. Nearly seventy-five years after H.G. … Continue reading Danny Dunn and the Anti Gravity Paint
Instant Pot Risotto
As a foodie, I know that there are certain dishes which are worth the fussing. Risotto is certainly one of them. Made very slowly with lots of attention, it is one of my favorite dishes to cook and serve. Always impressive, it seems to reflect the labor of love that went into making it special. … Continue reading Instant Pot Risotto
The Miracle of St. Nicholas
"Why can't we celebrate Christmas tomorrow in St. Nicholas?" Set in a small Russian village, young Alexi asks his babushka (grandma) why they cannot celebrate Christmas in their village church of St. Nicholas. In the wake of the Bolshevik revolution, the communists vigorously worked to eradicate religion because it threatened the Russian people’s dependence on … Continue reading The Miracle of St. Nicholas
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving
We are big fans of Louisa May Alcott here at Plumfield and Paideia. The “Plumfield” portion of our name comes from her iconic Jo March books. While Alcott notably wrote many full length novels for children and young readers, she also wrote many endearing short stories. An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving is one of them. Thanks … Continue reading An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving