#300: There's Always Room for One More
Welcome back to my Pie Cottage table!
Hello my friends—
I’m back from a short winter break and excited to start writing for you once again. Truth be told, I didn’t get much garden prep done with the snow and ice outside so until it warms a bit that will have to wait. In today’s newsletter I’ve included a few thoughts about how to get through challenging times, the new subscriber donation to World Central Kitchen, the February 17th paid subscriber Zoom meetup, info about how to register for individual In the Kitchen with Kate workshops, what I’m reading and listening to, and the recipe for Stone Soup! 😊
And for those who would like to come to an In Person Art of the Pie Day Camp at Pie Cottage, Bosco would love to meet you!
Now on to the today’s post.
Life Before
Decades ago friends would come over for tea. We would sit at the big round table in the kitchen or snuggle up on the couch near the woodstove and talk. Kids, books, recipes, movies, music, trips taken or upcoming, work, family—we talked, we laughed, we shared happy times.
Life After
Ten years ago no one I knew believed a TV personality had even an iota of a chance at becoming president—it seemed a crazy, far-fetched idea, a joke that would fade…but it became a reality. Name-calling, bullying and “alternative facts” became the norm. In some cases, family and friends no longer able to talk to each other.
I watched in tears as an insurrection took place on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building instead of a peaceful transfer of power on January 6th 2021, as the president would not accept the results of the election, even calling for his vice-president to be hanged. Elected officials ran for their lives as our country faced a potential coup. Yes, it was averted and many of us thought that the nightmare of the orange man would fade away—a bad dream, a sitcom not renewed, but over the next four years there seemed to be a shadow government led by a pouting former president.
Life Now
At some point just about every conversation I engage in includes a mention of the unfathomable chaos in to which this first convicted felon president has thrown our country. If we didn’t have enough stress in our lives before, there is now enough to last multiple lifetimes. And what about immigrants who are facing deportation?
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
The words written by Emma Lazarus and enshrined at the bottom of The Statue of Liberty have always been “part of our national identity as a home to immigrants.” Now it seems this golden door is closing for those yearning for a chance to breathe free.
How to Get Through This
I have no answers but I am engaging in ways to keep myself calm as much as possible. I leave my phone outside of my bedroom at night, try to wait until I’ve had at least one cup of tea before looking at the ever-present news, avoid doom scrolling as much as possible and…
just as I have during other challenging times, I keep on baking, cooking, gardening, walking, reading, writing and most importantly sharing the table with my beloved family and friends where we always find a way to make room for one more.
I don’t plan on writing about this often but I wanted you to know how I feel. My hope is that you will continue to read and support this newsletter and the wonderful community that we are building here. But, if you need to depart I will understand and please know that from the bottom of my heart I truly wish you well in all you do. 🩷
World Central Kitchen (WCK) Donation Update
A total of twenty new subscriptions came in making it possible to give a contribution of $750 to the World Central Kitchen Relief Team in Southern California supporting first responders and families impacted by wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Thank you to all who subscribed!
It’s never too late to help so here is the direct link to WCK if you would like to donate.
February Paid Subscriber Meetup
Please join me on Monday February 17th at 8AM Pacific/11 AM Eastern for our next paid subscriber meetup. We will chatting about how we interpret recipes and make them our own.
Upcoming Virtual Classes
In the Kitchen with Kate
with Recipes from Home Cooking with Kate McDermott
March: Comfort Food (Register Here)
Easy Cheesy Rice & Beanies
Salad with Vinaigrette
Mystery Squash Cookies
April: Meals for Solitary Eaters (Register Here)
Vegetable Pancakes
Miso Soup with Kim Chee and Egg
Marinated Rice Salad with Tomato and Feta
Pie Cottage Scones
Oven Baked Bacon
Greens, Garlic and Eggs
The Big A has has received enough money. Support Indie Bookstores! Links below go to my local indie bookstore Port Book & News.
What I’m Reading
Cooking with Josephine by Josephine Araldo (1977)
I read about this book in a recent Kitchen Arts & Letters newsletter. Araldo is originally from Brittany and, as I spent time treking the GR34 there in 2024, I decided to search out an affordable copy.
A Cordon Bleu graduate, she cooked for Isadora Duncan, Lily Pons as well as French cabinet ministers before settling in San Francisco. Craig Claiborne called her “a legend in her own time.” As I read the book, I appreciate her dedication to thriftiness—the book begins with what to do with leftovers!—as well as learning about French cuisine and the short stories and snippets of her life.
Pam Jenoff, who writes historical fiction, is a new to me author that I dove into on my break. Perhaps you already know about her. The Orphan’s Tale takes place in a German circus during WW2 and kept me turning pages right up to the end.
A great piece on how to artfully mend and extend the life of our clothes. Plus links to a few books about artful mending.
Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More by Katrina Rodabaugh
The Mending Directory: 50 Modern Stitch Patterns for Visible Repairs by Erin Eggenburg
What I’m Listening To
If I Had a Hammer written by Woody Guthrie and sung by Pete Seeger
This version performed by Pete Seeger at age 94 at the 2013 Farm Aid Concert brings tears to my eyes. Pete passed away one year later.
What I’m Cooking
Recipe: Stone Soup from Home Cooking by Kate McDermott (2018)
(My local indie bookstore is offering a discount on this book with the CODE: kate2024 at check out. They will ship anywhere in the US, too.)
Do you remember the story “Stone Soup”? It’s the tale where hungry soldiers convince villagers to share a small amount of food to make a meal. They fill the pot, cook the soup, and a celebration follows. The soup is an easy one to bring to life, and it was often shared at an urban community garden where I used to tend a plot. The recipe begs for variation, so use whatever is fresh at your farmers’ market, in the produce aisle at the local grocery, or pulled right from the garden beds outside the kitchen door. Serve with thick slices of hearty rustic Italian bread to mop up any of the thick broth that might be left in the bowl. Any way you make it, you’ll have a satisfying bowlful of flavor to share.
What You’ll Need
1/2 pound (about 200 g) dry red or white beans, such as kidney, Northern white, or cannellini, or two 15-ounce cans (850 g total) beans
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, plus more for serving
5 to 7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
11/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 large tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 small (about 1 to 11/2 lbs or 450 to 675 g) winter squash, peeled and
coarsely chopped
2 to 3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped into half moons or other
shapes of your choice
2 quarts (2 l) water or chicken stock
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 cups (130 to 260 g) fresh or frozen peas
1 cup (90 g) elbow macaroni or other small tube-shaped pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
How to Make It
1. Rinse dry beans several times, place them in a Dutch oven or lidded pot, cover with a few inches of water, and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove and discard any foam on top. Let sit for 1 hour.
2. Rinse the beans, cover them again with fresh water, and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove and discard any foam on top. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for about 90 minutes or until the beans are tender. Older beans will take longer. Drain the beans and set aside. If using canned beans, you can skip this step.
3. Dry out the bottom of a Dutch oven or large pot, and heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 to 60 seconds. Add the rosemary, oregano, tomatoes, squash, and carrots and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes.
4. Put the cooked or canned beans back in the pot and cover with about 2 quarts (2 liters) water or stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, partially cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add coarsely chopped kale, peas, and pasta. Continue cooking until the pasta is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with extra olive oil to drizzle on top, chopped parsley, and optional Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Something that you can do for me is to heart ❤️ this post. It not only lets me know that you are stopping by but this helps my ratings on Substack, too. Thank you!
We must all stand up and speak up. If we are silent, we will all lose our democracy. It is much more difficult to regain our democracy once we lose it. We must all strive to hang on to it and resist the coup. Thank you, Kate, for speaking your truth.
Thank you, Kate for your words describing exactly how I feel about the current state of the USA. I try very hard not to be verbal with how angry I am that this poor excuse for a man has been elected President. I cannot understand how sane people and intelligent folks voted for him. It is as each day is a nightmare. I try not to read the news as I only get upset- but I have to know what is going on--although there is little I can control. My niece, a government employee for 23 years and most currently working at USAID....is without a job! She is putting her home on the market as they cannot afford the mortgage on one salary and her husband is also a government worker!! I was on a humanitarian mission in Somalia in 1993...I am a nurse. With grants from USAID we were able to provide food and a hospital in a famine and war stricken country. I will take your advice and try to let good things in my life..nature, cooking, walking, reading and music....And for me taking time each day to pray and set aside time for God. Thank you Kate for your timely newsletter and welcome back!