Hi there! I’m Ali. It’s so nice to meet you! Thank you for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world. I hope the time you spend here will be worth it. 🙂
I am a New Englander, born and bred. Home is a beautiful rustic log cabin that I share with my husband and our two incredibly spoiled dogs. It is a peaceful, serene and calming setting. My sanctuary. My dream home. The place where I unwind, relax and enjoy the little things in life. I feel incredibly lucky and so blessed.
What Can You Expect to Find Here?
Here you will discover:
Recipes for Wholesome, Home-Cooked, Healthy(ish) Meals that can be enjoyed around the family table;
Seasonally inspired baked goods and treats;
Entertaining Ideas / Decor and Seasonal Menu Planning to host family and friends for brunches, holidays or any other special occasion;
Tips for growing a bountiful home garden and ways to preserve the fruits of your labor;
Simple décor for welcoming each new season of the year;
Travel itineraries, highlights of our favorite adventures, and bucket lists that might encourage your own wanderlust;
And, a celebration of all things that are classically New England.
I believe each meal – no matter the size or celebration – is always better shared with family and friends.
One of my favorite times of any day is to be in the kitchen, preparing meals for loved ones or just the two of us (with our beloved dogs acting as trusty and eager assistants). My husband calls the old crooners, especially Dean Martin, my “cooking music” and he always knows I’m getting up to something in the kitchen when their voices are floating through our home.
I believe each meal – no matter the size or celebration – is always better shared with family and friends.
Why Life On Cider Mill Lane?
Why the name Cider Mill Lane, you may ask? When discussing the possibility of beginning this writing journey with a very dear friend, we spoke at length of all the scenery, seasons and emotions that I felt most connected to; after those initial conversations, the image of a colonial cider mill on a dirt road set amidst a gorgeous bucolic New England Autumn came to me… and so Life on Cider Mill Lane was born.
While we unfortunately do not live near an actual cider mill, we do live in that rustic, yet cozy log cabin, on a beautiful rural plot, surrounded by woodland and wildlife; where each season presents itself and provides the same dreamy feeling and evocation I get when I think of how Life on Cider Mill Lane came to me.
For me, this vision sums up the beauty and timelessness of New England. The history, the people and the landscape are undeniable in their pull. They illicit an undeniably nostalgic feeling of a life gone by.
I have always felt a strong pull towards the cultures and lands that made my ancestors – and me – who we are and remain today. But, as much as I love speaking about my ancestry and the customs surrounding those lands and people, I am completely enamored by life in New England.
“To the rest of the country,
B.A. Botkin
New England has always stood
in much the same relation as
England has to America — that of spiritual homeland and mother country.”
A Little More About Me…
- I could eat pasta every day of the week.
- I grew up with Italian, Polish, German and Scottish ancestry. As I have gotten older, I find myself incredibly fascinated with the history, customs and traditional dishes of these countries, especially the regions my relatives emigrated from.
- I find the most peace in my kitchen. It is a wonderful outlet for creativity, stress-relief and joy.
- Dean Martin is almost always my choice of music for cooking and baking.
- My favorite city that I have ever visited is Rome.
- My favorite book is a close call between Wuthering Heights and The Once and Future King.
- Besides New England, I have lived in three other states and one foreign country.
I Believe…
Cooking should be fun, seasonal, and not intimidating in the slightest.
Too many people put so much pressure on themselves that they ruin the intuitive nature of cooking, especially for loved ones.
Baking? Well, that’s a completely different story…. But the science behind it and the attention to detail that is necessary to knock a dessert out of the park is equally satisfying and peacefully rewarding.
Each serves their different purposes.
I find I enjoy baking more when I want to get my mind off of a complex problem and I am forced to pay attention or I will end up with a sunken cake, dry muffins or a disaster of a cookie
I find cooking is the exact opposite; when I am feeling happy and carefree, yet still looking for stress-relief (cause, ya know, anything post-2020 is stress…), I love experimenting with recipes, developing my own or pulling out great recipe cards from family members.
No matter how you approach cooking, if you learn a few basics, and cook with your heart, you’ll adapt quickly and find more joy in it than you thought possible.
Fancy doesn’t mean complicated, and delicious food doesn’t have to take hours of slaving. 🙂
And, as Julia Child – that wonderful teacher and lover of all things food – once said, “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
I think that’s an amazing outlook to have in pursuing all of the passions in one’s life. 🙂
I hope you find those passions coming through strongly here, and I hope you’ll continue to return to come along for our journey
