The best way to eat a homemade custard is with a toddler's spoon. Each mini-bite forces me to savor the synergistic bliss that comes from cooking milk and/or cream, eggs, sugar and a flavoring or two.

A century ago, home life in Vermont revolved around the wood burning cook stove. Meals were prepared, bread baked and hands warmed from the heat it produced. Stoves with names like Gold Coin, ...