FARMINGTON – Wes Marble loves to bake, and her favorite part is sharing with others. “I have three granddaughters, all of whom have been in my kitchen cooking since they could stand up in a chair,” she said.

Marble’s enjoyment of cooking was passed down from her mom. “My mother is a phenomenal cook. … I remember having wonderful birthday cakes that she made,” she said.

Though Marble claims to be “just a baker,” she prepares more than baked goods. “I love making vegetarian lasagna,” she said. “People are amazed when they eat it. They’ll say, ‘There’s no meat in it?'”

Marble admits that she doesn’t cook meat particularly well. Her husband and son don’t like to eat any kind of meat product. They do, however, allow Marble to cook with eggs laid by their own chickens.

Marble also refuses to use any hydrogenated fat, choosing butter instead. She likes cooking with natural herbs, very little salt and little sugar. And she takes healthy steps before putting food into the oven. “I use parchment paper. Then I don’t have to grease the pans with hydrogenated oils,” she explained.

Marble’s kitchen is full of wooden tools and antiques. “I like antique bowls and I have an old Hoosier Cabinet,” she pointed out. Her favorite cooking magazine is Cooks Illustrated, and she often reads through its product recommendations and buys many of the recommended items. One recommendation that didn’t pan out, however, she noted, was the purchase of a food processor. Marble said she tends to go back to her “hand tools,” and her most valued items in the kitchen are her wooden bowl and spoon.

When Marble isn’t looking to Cooks Illustrated for recipes, she references one of her 600 cookbooks. “My husband and I are book freaks,” she said.

Marble cooks for the creativity and the enjoyment. “I was making yeast rolls with my twin granddaughters one day and they said, ‘You make it look so easy, Grammy.’ And I told them that’s because it’s fun,” she said.

A science teacher at Mt. Blue Middle School, Marble is on leave this year and teaching student teachers at Bates College.

Mom’s oatmeal gingersnaps

Ingredients:

1 egg

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup molasses

1 cup sugar

1½ cups flour (I use half whole wheat)

1 teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup of regular whole oats (not instant or quick)

Sugar to roll cookies in

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the egg, oil, molasses and sugar together. (The oil makes it quite moist.) Add all the other ingredients EXCEPT the oats. Blend with mixer or by hand. Stir in oats. Drop by tablespoons into a bowl of sugar (I use a cookie scoop), roll around and place about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or you can grease the sheet). Bake 8 to10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to cooling rack. Cookies should crinkle on top and be chewy when cooled. For harder cookies, bake longer.

Sixty minute-plus rolls

Ingredients:

2 packages (1½ tablespoons) active baking yeast

½ cup warm water (not hot)

1 tablespoon honey (can use sugar)

1½ cups plain soy milk (can use any milk)

1 teaspoon sea salt (or regular salt)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons honey

About 5 cups whole wheat flour or regular flour (I use mostly whole wheat)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put yeast in a bowl. Add warm water and 1 tablespoon honey. Set aside – you should see expansion and bubbles, indications that the yeast is fresh and working. Meanwhile, warm soy milk (I use the microwave) and add salt, olive oil and 3 tablespoons honey. Combine yeast mixture with milk mixture. Add flour, small amounts at a time. When you have a nice stiff dough, cover your kneading area with a cup or so of flour and place dough on surface. Knead dough until it’s soft and doesn’t stick to your hands. (Any good cookbook will have directions for or illustrate how to do this if you don’t know.)

Clean and oil the bowl you mixed the bread in. Once you have kneaded the dough, put it back in the bowl and let it set for 30 minutes. Punch down and roll out on table until about ½-inch thick. Make slices about 3 inches wide and shape into a ball. Place in a greased baking pan. Continue until you have about 2 dozen rolls. Cover and let rise about 20 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove to rack and cool in the pan for a few minutes. Serve hot.

Pear and cranberry salad

Ingredients:

2 ripe pears, sliced into 1-inch cubes or chunks

¼ cup dried, sweetened cranberries

3 cups mixed greens

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mix pears, cranberries and greens in a salad bowl. Combine other ingredients and add to salad just before serving

Tomato-lentil soup with brown rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil

12-16 scallions, white parts, chopped or use a couple of onions

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cans Swanson vegetable broth

1 can (about 24 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can (about 24 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 cup water

1 tablespoon (less if you prefer) herbs de provence (see recipe below) or herbs of your choice – plain thyme is great

1 large bay leaf

Pepper and salt to taste

½ cup brown rice

Method:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add white parts of scallions or onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often because you do not want these to brown, only soften. After about five minutes, add broth, tomatoes, lentils, water, herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce and simmer gently about 20 minutes. Add rice and finish simmering until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and enjoy. Serves: 4-6

Note: I often reheat this by adding more broth or plain water (because it thickens as it cools due to the starch from the rice and lentils).

Herbs de provence

Mix the following in a pint canning jar and store:

4 tablespoons dried thyme

6 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon savory

½ tablespoon tarragon

½ tablespoon fennel

¼ tablespoon lavender