Home Cookin'

Home Cookin': Troubled Waters

By Julia Reischel
10/3/11 - 8:47 am

Ellen Verni has been writing "Home Cookin'," her column of Catskills recipes and rumination, for 24 years. She is sharing some of her archived columns with the Watershed Post. You can get more of Verni on her blog, at homecookincolumn.blogspot.com.

In a reminder that devastating flooding has hit the Catskills before, we're running a column that Verni wrote on January 24, 1996, a week after floodwaters innundated the town of Middletown and the village of Margarteville in Delaware County. At the time, Verni was working at the Catskill Mountain News, the offices of which were damaged by floodwaters. Above is a photo of damage in Margaretville caused by yet another flood, one that hit Margaretville in 1950-51. That photo is from the Delaware County New York Genealogy and History website, and was taken by Donnie Kelly.

Standing on Main Street looking down toward what used to be Bridge Street on Saturday morning my first thought was that this isn’t supposed to happen to people like us. We’re good people. We work, we pray, we obey the rules. We go about our business. We watch and read the news and tsk tsk at the plight of the homeless and unemployed, the despair of those on welfare and the suffering of the people in Bosnia. But then our world turns on a dime, grabs us by the seat of our pants right out of our comfy chair in front of the TV and places us in tomorrow’s telecast. And now someone else is tsk tsking at our condition, our misfortune.  Read more

Home Cookin': Easy As (Pizza) Pie

By Ellen Verni
7/21/11 - 11:35 am

Delaware County's own Ellen Verni has been writing "Home Cookin'," her column of Catskills recipes and rumination, for 24 years. Today's column is guest-written by Ellen's daughter, Juliet Verni. You can get more of both talented Vernis on Ellen's blog, at homecookincolumn.blogspot.com.  Read more

Home Cookin': I sort of care about you

By Ellen Verni
12/6/10 - 2:13 pm

Ellen Verni has been writing "Home Cookin'," her column of Catskills recipes and rumination, for 24 years. She is sharing some of her archived columns with the Watershed Post. The column below first ran in December 2007. You can get more of Verni on her blog, at homecookincolumn.blogspot.com.

At Christmas, it’s usually the big gifts for those closest to us that are covered. But when it comes to giving that little gift of appreciation to a neighbor, co-worker or trooper who stops you when you’re speeding, then we’re stumped.

I remember one year getting a gag gift for a friend of a friend. It was one of those dumb things that made a hysterical laughing sound when prodded. (It was a long time ago; I was young.) When we exchanged gifts at a party, I opened his to me first. It was a gorgeous velvet antique jacket with ruffles and crystal buttons. Obviously, that gift exchange wasn’t one of my finest moments.

There have been close second and third least finest moments since, and now that I’ve reached that decade of wisdom (so they tell me), I stick to food.

Even if people don’t like to eat, at least they need to eat to survive. So, food is a good gift to give.

Originally, I was going to give out individual pot roasts, but they were hard to wrap, so I’ve settled on homemade jams, condiments, cookies, and little cakes.  Read more

Home Cookin': The Thin Green Line

By Ellen Verni
10/11/10 - 6:49 am

Ellen Verni has been writing "Home Cookin'," her column of Catskills recipes and rumination, for 24 years. She is sharing some of her archived columns with the Watershed Post. The column below first ran in October 2002. You can get more of Verni on her blog, at homecookincolumn.blogspot.com.

Late afternoon on Saturday, I went around the perimeter of my house bidding adieu to my morning glories. There were reports all up and down Main Street of our first impending frost. I shifted potted plants onto the porch, and my roses are hearty, but the morning glories are frail.

The next morning, I went around the house and greeted them again. The rumor of frost were false, and I was able to enjoy the delicate blue and magenta blooms another day.

This time of year the seasons are walking a thin green line. While we are officially into autumn, summer is still taking shallow breaths, and saying its good-byes, as well.  Read more

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