Cheryl Willoughby shares music on VPR Classical weekday mornings beginning at 8am.

"Surely one of special rewards for getting through mud season is the springtime appearance of fiddleheads - at local grocers, and growing wild abundantly in the woods below my house. I never knew of these (or considered that they were edible!) before coming to Vermont, but it didn't take long to learn how to make the most of our short fiddlehead season and cook them up in a bunch of different ways: buttered and baked crisp as a side dish, on pizza, and...in soup. This is my favorite fiddlehead recipe. I modified a family recipe for asparagus soup and it really showcases the unique taste - and look - of fiddleheads."

Get Cheryl's recipe here.

Robert Resnik is host of VPR's All The Traditions.

"These are eye-crossingly good served warm over snazzy vanilla ice cream!"

Need to get your mental sap running? Check out other maple recipes from the VPR Cooks archive:

VPR listeners' favorite maple concoctions

Edith Hunter’s Maple Syrup Pudding

Jody Evans’ Sugarhouse Chicken

Ty Robertson’s Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Kate Beattie’s Maple Cream Pie

And if you need even more inspiration, the Seventh Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend will take place at sugarhouses throughout Vermont this weekend, March 28-30. Visit the Vermont Maple Association website to find a sugarhouse near you.

Lee Diamond is a VPR Volunteer.

"I first found this recipe in Gourmet Magazine and have made it for several potlucks. It is always a hit. Everyone asks me for the recipe. Jicama is not something everyone buys - it is crunchy and juicy and tastes like a combination between and apple and a potato. Make sure it is fresh - it will be white inside and not brown at all."

Get Lee's recipe here.

"When I was young we had these meatballs at most holiday family gatherings and sometimes by special request on a birthday. My Swedish grandmother, Mia Ingebord Malmrose, and mother, Priscilla Alden Pearson, usually made them, but since they can be time-consuming we kids sometimes helped roll the little meatballs. I remember throwing them at my sisters once and getting in big, big trouble (well they were balls, after all)! We always thought we wouldn't like them because of all the spices but when it came time to eat we couldn't get enough. I think sharing this dish enhanced our connection to the “Old Country" as well as to each other."

Get Will's recipe here.
 

Brian Donahue is VPR's Chief Financial Officer.

"As a born and bred Boston sports fan, I have my fair share of superstitions, but this football game spread is by far the most delicious. I'll be rooting on the New England Patriots in this weekend's Superbowl with plenty of Vermont cheddar cheese, Maine Atlantic salmon, Cape Cod chips with clam dip, and of course, a big bowl of our favorite New England clam "chowdah." Wash it all down with with some Redhook Ale from Portsmouth, NH, and go Pats!"

Get Brian's recipe here.

Earlier this week on Vermont Edition we discussed how Vermont schools and communities are fighting obesity. Of course, healthier eating is a key part of the solution. Deputy Commissioner of Public Health Chris Finley, our guest on the program, shared with VPR two healthy and kid-friendly recipes for apple-carrot salad and a banana-yogurt shake.

How do you encourage your kids to eat healthily? Click here to share your favorite healthy and kid-friendly tips and recipes with with the whole VPR community here at VPR Cooks.

Jean Ferguson is VPR’s Administrative Assistant.

Our bitter-cold Vermont winters seem quite able to persistently sustain the nasty symptoms of colds and flu for many new Englanders. My husband Steve and I have a favorite easy-to-cook soup that some claim actually “cures” the cold and flu….that’s possibly due to the addition of a few hot and spicy ingredients, imported directly from America’s sunny southwest! This recipe is very subjective, and you can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste-buds’ tolerance for the hot and spicy.

Get Jean's recipe here.

When it comes to baking, my mother (Donna) is in a league of her own. Breads, pies, cakes, brownies, cookies - everything she makes wins raves at family, school, and church events. However, for all of her culinary masterpieces, one of my all-time favorites is this very simple Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie she makes every year at the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, too). She found the recipe on the side of a can of pineapple years ago and it was so well received (especially by my dad, Richard) she's been making it ever since. It's one of my favorites and I particularly appreciate it because I did not inherit her cooking talents and this pie is ridiculously easy to make. Get Jonathan's recipe here.

Read more holiday traditions sent to us by listeners, staff, and other members of the VPR Community. Send us yours, too, and we might read it on air during the holidays!

Vermont Edition recently paid homage to a food that (for some) is synonymous with the Christmas season: fruitcake. NECI chef Jean Yves Vandeville describes the rich history and ingredients that make fruitcake a food to be revered. Get the original recipe and listen to the story.

...and check out some of VPR Cooks' other holiday features:

Marialisa Calta's Christmas Pudding
Grendel's Guilty-Gobbling Ginger Bears
Ty Robertson's Really Good Christmas Fruitcake
Michelle Jeffery's Easy Noodle Kugel

John VanHoesen is VPR's News Director.

When I was growing up on our farm in southern Vermont we would always take in the county fairs. One year at Windsor County Field Days, I came across a small cookbook put out by the American Dairy Association. Now, many years later, its pages are loose and yellowed but a "Modern Approach to Everyday Cooking" is still a favorite starting point for many dishes.

One of those favorites at our house is the Sunday morning waffle with baked apple. A waffle breakfast is a meal with personality. The waffle can be baked on grandma's old-fashioned waffle iron or it can be baked on a new non-stick waffle iron. For an old-fashioned feeling, I like the round waffle iron with the small square pattern. I've collected a few old waffle irons from family and tag sales and they're fun to use because they have character and history. They also look great in the kitchen. But the new waffle irons are inexpensive and if you're serving three or more at breakfast, buy a couple and get them both going. You'll be able to keep everyone's plate full. Click Here for the Recipe

This recipe was gathered by Vermont Edition Producer Sarah Ashworth. She says, "This recipe for maple cream pie is from Kate Beattie. Her daughter, Marion Beattie, runs the Creamery Restaurant in Danville. Kate has been cooking the pie for more than 30 years for the restaurant, and people come from all over to sample it. She makes the pie in her nearby farm kitchen, and then brings them over to the restaurant. And she only uses real whipped cream on top! Like a lot of skilled bakers, Kate just eyeballed a lot of the measurements, so I captured them as best I could." Click Here for the Recipe

A true shepherd's pie is always made with lamb; the similar dish made with beef is properly called a cottage pie. It is one of the most comforting and homey dishes around. Traditionally, it was made with odds and ends from the Sunday roast, finely chopped. Grated cheddar melted on top is not traditional, of course, but with all that great Shelburne Farms cheddar around, it was a natural and delicious addition. - "Cooking with Shelburne Farms" Click Here for the Recipe

Jody is VPR's Director of Programming.

As soon as the weather turns cold I turn to this recipe. It's quick and easy. I always add extra apples to the recipe for additional flavor. You can also add curry to spice it up. Click Here for the Recipe

When fall begins, all of us eagerly await the pumpkin harvest so that we can make and enjoy servings these delight-filled pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins are the uniformly 1-pound pumpkins that can easily be found in natural groceries or better supermarkets. Since this is a harvest dish, feel free to select any combination of vegetables you may need to use up from the garden or from harvesting the refrigerator. Click Here for the Recipe

Cheryl is the host of "Classical with Cheryl Willoughby" on VPR Classical.

This is another recipe from my "mom" files. It's kind of like your basic white sauce: you can enjoy this cake just as it is, or use it as the starting point for much more creative things. Add some flavoring, decorate it, make it a split-layer, jelly-filled cake...use your imagination! Best of all, it's very moist, and even if you do nothing else it's fancy enough for most occasions without any other embellishments. Click Here for the Recipe

Ross Sneyd is not only a newscast producer, but also a generous host. He and Warren Hathaway run The Comstock House bed & breakfast in Plainfield, VT.

We have three apple trees in the front yard of our bed and breakfast, and guests love that the apples go from the trees directly onto their breakfast plates. Clafouti has turned out to be one of the favorites at The Comstock House. It's based on a French dessert recipe, but has been modified over the years to make a good breakfast, too. We use whatever fruit happens to be in season. Click here for the recipe

My partner and I have been sustaining members of VPR for several years. I love getting the prEview—gives me a heads up on what's happening. And the recipes are great! Victoria St. John's Lemon Chicken is our new favorite! We're well into corn season so I'm sending you this family recipe for corn pie. It's a Pennsylvania Dutch side dish that is wonderful in its simplicity. The trick is you must have fresh corn purchased from the farm—grocery store, frozen or canned corn is no good! Click Here for the Recipe