North Country Cooking used to be a ‘real’ magazine; that is, until the money ran out. I hate when that happens. Don’t you?
I live in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, where one either makes great friends with the out of doors or leads a solitary life by the wood stove. True enough, I have an inordinate affection for my Jotul, but with Nature this amazing — beautiful mountains, gorgeous lakes — I do on occasion set aside my distain for quilted nylon outerwear and become one with the elements. Here I am pretending to be a hiker near Cathedral Ledge in New Hampshire. Convincing, huh?
In my less bundled hours, I write and I cook, now and then at the same time. I teach writing at Lyndon State College, and have written about food for several small magazines and newspapers for many years. And briefly, I published North Country Cooking, a fiscally unsound but loads of fun labor of love.
So here we are on line. A new venture. A new goal. Why not?
My mother was Sicilian, and a wonderful cook, and in our tiny kitchen in lower Delaware, I learned how to sauce and simmer and sift and saute. I like to think that I’ve passed on a bit of her magic to my own children –my daughters, Marion on the left, and Elizabeth, both excellent chefs, and my son, Alex, who knows his way around a stovetop. We’ve decided to write a cookbook together, and I’m excited to see what we whip up over the next year.
Always eager for table scraps are my two beloved Tamaskans, brothers Gustav and Hugo, who are currently experimenting with Pad Thai noodle dishes. Gustav is left. (By the way, don’t call him Gus. Just saying.)
Thanks so much for stopping by. Visit again soon. Very best wishes, from our kitchen to yours — Denise Brown
