I’ve included here one of my recipes from the winter issue, Simple Winter Soups and Stews From the Family Recipe Box. It’s a quick and simple chicken stew from my Great Grandmother (I called her Great Mother)that will warm any heart and cure whatever ails you!

Chicken Stew:

Ingredients…

• 2 boiled bone-in chicken breasts (save liquid)
• 2 quarts liquid (use saved liquid from chicken and add enough water to make 2 quarts)
• 1 cup celery and leaves, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup potatoes, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic(or as much as you’d like)
• 1 tsp Bell’s Seasoning or other poultry seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions…

Simmer in enough water to cover chicken by about 2 inches. I usually throw in a cut up carrot, onion and a bit of celery along with a sprinkle of poultry seasoning. Cook for approximately 1 to 2 hours.

Remove the 2 chicken breasts from the broth along with the cooked vegetables. Set the chicken breasts aside to cool and discard the cooked vegetables.

To the broth add water if needed to equal about 2 quarts. Add the veggies and garlic and simmer until cooked through. Remove the cooled chicken from the bone and add it to the stock and veggies. Salt and pepper to taste… don’t be afraid to use salt!

Curl up with a good book and enjoy!

It wouldn’t be Vermont if March didn’t bring the characteristic site of steam rising from sugar house vents. Yup, it’s sugarin’ time. In late winter, when days become warm while nights are still cold, sugar-rich sap begins to move inside the maple tree out to the buds to make new leaves in the spring. Native Americans were the first to learn how to tap into a sugar maple and collect the sap, and they later taught this skill to European colonists. It was then discovered that they could boil the sap after it was collected to steam off most of the water and increase its sugar concentration. By this process, thirty to forty gallons of sap are used to make one gallon of syrup.

I’ve read that the Abenaki Indians were the first to discover the secrets of the Maple tree. There are several different stories of how it happened, but this is my favorite…

Setting the tap

One day a woman was boiling moose meat while her husband went to hunt. She was making moccasins and forgot the boiling meat until the handle burnt off and the birch pot and meat fell into the fire spilling all the water out. She knew there was sap in a birch bucket that they kept for drinking so she used it to boil the moose meat instead of water. When she checked it later the meat was covered with a sticky brown stuff so when she heard her husband coming she ran and hid, but her husband ate the meat and loved it, thus maple syrup was born!

Native peoples used maple syrup as a medicine. Current chemical analysis indicate that in addition to sugars, maple syrup contains amino acids, proteins, organic acids, vitamins & minerals, and is particularly high in potassium and calcium.

Yes March has a reputation for its muddy dirt roads and unpredictable weather, but in March finally day-light exceeds darkness again. The birds sing and there are hints of green if you look hard enough. March ushers out the snow and ice of January and February and brings us all the sweetness of April and May. Enjoy March in Vermont, with it’s sticky sweet Vermont Gold drizzled over your favorite pancake or waffle recipe or just on some of the last of winter’s snow!

Makes: 4 servings
Active time: 25 minutes Total: 45 minutes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups refrigerated preshredded potatoes
8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 large eggs( or 16oz. liquid egg substitute)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat 4 10-ounce ovenproof ramekins with cooking spray or butter and place on a baking sheet.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, Brussels sprouts, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins.
3. Whisk eggs, cheese, milk, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the potato mixture and gently stir to combine.
4. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake until the eggs are set and an instant-read thermometer inserted in a frittata registers 160 degrees F, about 25 minutes.

• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of minced onion
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 cups water ( you could use vegetable stock but I think it takes away from the squash flavor)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can of coconut milk( I use the lite)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Place the butternut squash cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes, or until tender and a knife inserted in the flesh comes out easily. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, scrape out the flesh and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Reduce heat to low and cook until the onion is transparent but not browned. Add the roasted squash( or uncooked cubes of squash) and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, salt, pepper, water and coconut milk and bring to a slow boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer. If using cubed squash instead of roasted squash, cook until squash is soft. Otherwise cook for 15 minutes.
5. Once squash is cooked remove from heat and puree, adjust seasoning with salt and serve.