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 Union Station means a station where two or more railroad companies converge and share tracks and passengers can connect easily. To me they are a hub of intersecting lives and journeys, people traveling within a

  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 last week, along with local greens with pea shoots and a frittata from hens living about 30 miles away.   I was in a parking lot in Iowa City a few days ago and the

  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 beautiful time in these hills, I feel transported into another time and space. I very much expect to see hobbits and elves here, and of course I intermittently look over my shoulder for any orcs

  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 is around us. These pears are from the Farmers Market, they are the Gourmet variety which are hardy in cold regions and the window of opportunity for fresh fruit is only two or three weeks. You

  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 appreciated. So I am still elated when I come across works of art. Yotam Ottolenghi is a name you may recognize from his London restaurants and numerous cookbooks.  Jerusalem has been on my want-list— he

  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 them, but for the Seed Savers Conference Dinner I wanted an Indian direction to the seasonings since it would be servedwith Smoked Lamb, Chickpea Masala, and Pilau.   The most surprising addition idea to me

    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 the word ‘mum’ in their name, and our mum was a great mum. I’m enjoying seeing their hearty colors everywhere these days and thinking of her.     I suppose it’s human to search for

  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 this as well—black beans, green onions, peppers, tomatoes—feel free to amend. This is the stunning Henry Moore yellow hominy from Anson Mills that I used in a Seed Savers dinner last year. The process of nixtamalization

  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 whatever I can for the flavors and ingredients. Our dining goals back then: good food, lots of garlic, cheap because we were often feeding numerous people, and to use things we had around. The garlic

  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 said they were from Mankato and couldn’t find available campsites in Minnesota so they just kept on driving and crossed the border into Canada to find a place. Hmm…no camping spots available in Minnesota, this