AWE = Art, Wellbeing and Edibles.
Tis the season of magical windows… It’s been quite a year, full of many blessings and challenges. We said farewell to what seemed like an inordinate number of our artists in the past twelve months–some of my main influences like David Bowie, Prince and Leonard …
Since I’m on a cozy-roll these few weeks, here are a few more images of warm, glowing contributions to the feeling of hygge. This is my lampshade made of agates, I’ve shown it before but as we’re now fully in midst of the chill and long, …
The Baltic Blitz continues… Blinis are a holiday treat in many traditions hailing from Eastern Europe and Russia. In older times they were considered a symbol of the sun because of their round shape and were served at the end of winter to celebrate the coming …
This scrumptious little spread is creamy, buttery, herbalicious and highly snackable for nearly any occasion. It doesn’t have the crumbly texture of French Boursin but it’s still ding dang delicious and great for any edible vehicle that can transport it to your mouth. The …
A little image of Hyggelig for your Thanksgiving week. We’ve officially entered the dark season of candles and warm fuzzies, and some of you may need a strong dose of Danish hygge to survive the ensuing large family gatherings. They say that Danes burn the most candles per capita of any country—the radiant …
“One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it.” . -Clarissa Pinkola …
photo by David Cavagnaro Squash, potatoes, onions, coconut milk, herbs, chili and curry paste…that’s what I had so we’ll see where this goes. It could be good. This dish was an experiment on a chilly afternoon and though it probably dips into the ‘vague recipe’ territory, I …
An extraordinary project has been happening in our little town this year. Our resident English stone-guru Ted Wilson is building a dry-stone arch bridge with the help of Sean Smyth from Missoula, MT who travels around the country working on complex stone projects like this. Dry-stone is an ancient building …
Last spring we visited Mike’s Meat Market in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for some of their legendary bacon and spent time admiring their mighty cleaver collection. Maybe a bit gruesome if you’re not a chef…but you have to admit they tell a story of how we …
This is a full-flavored simple soup for a fall day, and especially great for the dreary chill that arrives in this part of the northern hemisphere as we shift into late October. And it’s orange. That should cheer up nearly anyone. I roasted …
Once in a while during my occasional extrovert phases I would love my hair to be this color of deep, rich, delicious, Carmine red. I looked up the many shades of red to find the best name for this particular color of paprika and Carmine from the aluminium salt …
Judging from the cleaned and possibly licked-out ramekins we cleared from the tables at the end of the night I think this cheesecake may have been the favorite course of September’s Estonian Dinner. Creamy with a hint of tang, it’s great with a fruit sauce or …
Our monsoon rainfalls in the upper Midwest this summer have resulted in a bumper year for mushrooms….we take those silver linings whenever we can. The Northeastern U.S. on the other hand has probably experienced a crummy year for the moisture-loving fungi, I believe the Midwest has squeezed every …
Every time my friend Dennis Larson hosts his Symra evening and dinner he chooses a different Scandinavian country or culture. Other years have highlighted Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, the Sámi, the Vikings, the Faroe Islands and many more. This year spilled into the northern Baltic country of Estonia …
Green and creamy-frothy on the tables of our favorite little Mexican restaurants, we have spent many a delicious moment speculating about the ingredients of this green condiment. Emulsified oil, figured that out. Some kind of chile, yep. And beyond that we weren’t sure if …
We recently spent a number of days at the Solarium Hostel in Ft. Collins, Colorado. A tropical indoor commons, large shared kitchen, yoga in the basement, a stream and bike path in their back yard…this was a great place to hang out and meet …
A few of my father’s photos from when he was learning the craft in the 1980’s. The second picture is one of my favorites. He was practicing moving the camera to match the subject so the background would be blurred…and it’s one …
A colorful and tasty salad for your dinner, yes, but first I need to show you a large grey cat. I’m thinking of making a t-shirt or a poster of these paws, they’re perfect. Scott and …
Tulsi, India’s Queen of Herbs, revered for centuries as a sacred plant and used both medicinally and in worship, is thriving right here in my garden. Native to India it is traditionally grown in pots in every Indian home and I am just beginning …
