Year: 2018

Chile Glazed Yams and Rick Bayless

Chile Glazed Yams and Rick Bayless

  It’s easy to spend hours reading books by Rick Bayless. Restauranteur author, educator, and host of PBS’s Mexico: One Plate at a Time….needless to say he’s a busy guy. Rick has lived and still spends time in Mexico, and does a respectful job at 

Miso Garlic Mushrooms

Miso Garlic Mushrooms

  My sister sent this link to me and it sounded delicious so I gave it a try at Thanksgiving. And whaddayaknow…it WAS DELICIOUS! These are great as a side dish, or skewered with adorable bamboo skewers on a holiday hors d’ oeuvres table. I 

Winter Arugula Salad

Winter Arugula Salad

    Lately the visits to my father often include some kind of looking-through-things session, a show-and-tell of his life and history that he seems to enjoy sharing. Not long ago he dug out his carving tools and pocket knives, many of which he had 

Skordalia

Skordalia

  This sounded so Scandinavian to me, but that’s because I live in a Norski kind of town. Skordalia is a Greek garlic-potato-nut mash that is so tasty and easy I have no idea why it isn’t made everywhere. It would be a great little 

Green Tea Crème Brûlée

Green Tea Crème Brûlée

  Last spring I came across the recipe of a peach-leaf infused Crème Brûlée featured at Chez Panisse and I thought it sounded divine and vowed to try it sometime in the summer. In our region of the Upper Midwest few peach trees can survive but 

Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving Ideas

  Union Stations, across the country they are some of the grandest of gathering halls still standing. Palatial and elaborate, they hail from an era when trains were the luxurious way to travel and give us a glimpse into the past.   Technically the term 

Butternut Squash Fritters

Butternut Squash Fritters

  So many veggies to fritter, so little time. Shred them up, add eggs, seasonings, and something floury, then fry or fry-and-bake. It’s a great way to eat veggies when you’re craving something decadent. The photo is from a breakfast at the Dug Road Inn 

Favorites October 2018

Favorites October 2018

  Question: How lucky can I be to live near some of my favorite places on the planet? . Answer: Very lucky.          The trails of Phelps Park are magical spaces that should really be in a movie. Autumn is an especially 

Roasted Pears with Chile Turmeric Oil

Roasted Pears with Chile Turmeric Oil

  While perusing the NOPI cook book I noticed Burrata with Blood Oranges and Lavender Oil looked divine. I suppose that sparked the motivation to make this savory oil drizzled on a fruit—-sometimes we have to take inspiration wherever we can and utilize that which 

Nopi’s Ginger Tomatoes

Nopi’s Ginger Tomatoes

  This book made me so happy. I’m involved in other activities so that I fall behind on the goings-on of the larger Food World, but perhaps that keeps me from becoming jaded and makes the discoveries that I do encounter even more magical and 

Indian Pickled Vegetable Salad

Indian Pickled Vegetable Salad

  There are innumerable pickling directions you can go, most regions of the world had either a fermentation process or made fermented liquids (like vinegar) to quick pickle and lightly preserve. I’ve been reading about Korean versions of pickled veggies and getting excited to try 

Cooking Beans with Soda and Salt

Cooking Beans with Soda and Salt

    Fall and the Flowers that can handle it.  I’ve always loved Chrysanthemums because they were the only flower in bloom outside during my birthday season, and our mother had large bushes of orange mums growing in front of our house. They also have 

Hominy Bake

Hominy Bake

  It’s handy to find leftover hominy in the freezer, it goes so well in soups and other dishes. Recently I needed to make something tasty for a potluck dinner and found all of these ingredients within easy reach. Numerous other additions could fit with 

Carrie O’s Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Carrie O’s Yogurt Tahini Sauce

  My friend and former housemate Carrie O used to often make a version of this dip to serve with a stir fry or other group dinners at our house. This was decades ago, so I’m leaning on a 30 year old memory to reenact 

Favorites August 2018

Favorites August 2018

  The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park north of Thunder Bay, Ontario, this was a peaceful night of camping with loons to sing us to sleep. Camping is alive and well north of the border, we had some great chats with our neighbors, one of whom 

Pilau with Cardamom and Ginger

Pilau with Cardamom and Ginger

    The many faces of Pilaf. A pilaf is usually made with rice that is cooked in a savory broth then a variety of vegetables, spices, dried fruits and sometimes meat added to the savory grain.  The ingredients range depending on regions and availability, and the 

Purslane

Purslane

  Yep, that’s right, purslane. If you’re not a farmer, grounds keeper, or gardener this word will probably not elicit an emotional reaction, it will merely be another possibility of omega-3-fatty-acid-packed greens for your table. If, however, you are of the variety of people who clashes 

Korean Cucumber Salad, or Oi much’im

Korean Cucumber Salad, or Oi much’im

  This salad is a great side dish with a little kick for a hot summer’s day, and another step for me to learn more about the marinated quick pickles of Korea. They also say this salad is a good substitute for kimchi if you’re needing a fix and 

Chimichurri

Chimichurri

    This is one of those recipes that I have no idea who to credit other than the many Peoples of Argentina. It’s a national condiment, used as a marinade or eaten with grilled beef or other meats for which Argentina is also well known. 

Watermelon Gazpacho

Watermelon Gazpacho

    Yep. It’s summer.  Sultry, steamy, sunny, sizzling, sweaty and sometimes stifling…if it were any more humid last week the air would have simply transformed to water and we would have been left to fend for our gill-less selves in the new ocean. In