Bookshelf    Farmhouse Rules: Simple, Seasonal Meals for the Whole Family

Farmhouse Rules: Simple, Seasonal Meals for the Whole Family

By Nancy Fuller, photographs by Jamie Prescott (Grand Central Life & Style, 2015) Buy It Now

Food Channel host Nancy Fuller, an exuberant mother of six and grandmother of 13, has a bone to pick with the eating habits of “our chaotic grab-and-go culture.” She grew up on an upstate dairy farm, and now presides over the hearth—and heart—of a glorious 18th-century farmhouse in the Hudson Valley. Prescott’s photos paint a utopian vision of unfussy, hearty meals shared by elders and (preternaturally well-behaved) kids. Fuller devotes a whole chapter to table manners, extolling the value of including children in food rituals, from farmers’ market excursions to chopping and table-setting chores. “The family table is where the family bond is created,” she writes. Recipes like Spring Fling Fiddlehead Soup with Caramelized-Onion Sour Cream, Basil Watermelon Bisque, Venison Chili from the Land, and Cold Day Corn Chowder will keep your loved ones warm all year.