AWE = Art, Wellbeing and Edibles.
Another Faroe Island dinner delight. All I had was a blog photo from a dinner at the Faroe Islands restaurant KOKS and the deducing began. Regardless of what their version actually was, these niblets may have been my favorite part of the dinner—this and the celeriac purée. Fortunately …
This is a stone tile creation by Scott of limestone and onyx. A fun little bathroom design and another photo distraction to entertain—like the previews before the movies, sometimes they are the most captivating part of the show! Speaking of star anise… A couple of months ago I heard …
I often trot through our nearby wooded parks and recently stumbled upon this fire pit. Most of our trails were built by volunteers in the mountain biking community…can you tell? Knowing some of this crew I would guess this pit will be used well into the winter …
My sister and I recently went to this display of Flora Metamorphicae, 4,000 flower sculptures created by six Norwegian artists. The flowers travel the world and the displays are changing and unique to the surroundings in which they reside. Each flower is different, some resemble …
I was able to spend some time at an amazing place last weekend. Scattergood Friends School is a small boarding college-prep high school in rural Iowa that nourishes their students with both progressive academics AND an organic farm that produces much of the food for the school. …
October days are either stunningly orange with sunlight filtered through turning leaves, or it’s grey, rainy and chilled giving us a hint of the November to come. This potato soup with a tang of buttermilk, yogurt and dill seed will not let you down during …
(A visit to the Niagara Escarpment, more photos below…) Close your eyes and open your mind to let ketchup become more than you think it is. That red puree we think we know so well has origins in China (doesn’t nearly everything?!?) as a …
For the last month or two colorful eggplants have been brightening the palette of our local Farmer’s Market. This picture of dazzling garden abundance is from my friend and photographer David Cavagnaro of the Pepperfield Project. Color and shapes! Many of these varieties can be used but the size and …
There are many versions of slaw, usually shredded cabbage and vegetables with a dressing or vinaigrette, sometimes sweet and sometimes with a pickled slant. “Koolsalade” or “koolsla” (sla short for salade) was Dutch for cabbage salad, and we easily latched onto that term like …
… Fresh tarragon with sugar was not my original idea, but reading it in a menu convinced me this was the meal I wanted to attempt to recreate for a Scandinavian dinner for my friend Dennis, the generous Dane who loves to host elaborate festivities. The Faroe Islands …
The Holiday Music Motel We were wandering around Sturgeon Bay looking for a place to stay since it appeared as though a storm was descending, and though we like camping…it takes real dedication to set up WHILE it’s raining. Vacationland of Door County is …
On the way home from a conference this summer my sister and I stopped in at the house of a friend. She proceeded to lead us around her town of Mt. Vernon to inspect milkweed leaves and search for monarch eggs or larvae that could …
Nutmeg Iced Tea is great for a summer’s day, so here are photos of a divine location to relax with a glass—a gazebo co-created by Scott and metal-master friend Hung Van Pham. This is the initial design in miniature, before it took an evolutionary turn to include metal. The top…not …
These orange lumps turned out to be great munchables. We served them at an event as a gyro substitute with yogurt tzatziki, then the next day we ate them as leftovers, and the day after that I packed a few along for a road trip …
How is ‘beetroot’ different from a beet? Not. You’ve already heard me say what I’ve said for decades….beets are back. They are back stronger than ever and people are asking for them—I even served a beet salad at a wedding last summer. Don’t be …
Maybe not something you do every night, but these gems are stunning on a plate. I recently made these as a garnish for a wedding dinner to be set atop the saffron rice pilaf next to the pesto green beans. Color!! We eat with our eyes …
Before we get to refreshing cucumbers, here are more photos from the Willow Gathering in June. These are from classes led by the two Danish instructors Ane Lyngsgaard and Eva Seidenfaden. You can see the soaked willow on the floor in the background. …
The plan seemed doable. I wanted a photo of the stuffed mushrooms resting on a serving tray mere minutes before they would be introduced to the hungry post-wedding crowd. Anyone who is or has been involved with catering or restaurants will know how incredibly funny that notion was. Over and …
My friend Robin gave me this recipe from the Real Simple magazine—she said that it has repeatedly been her potluck smash hit. I made a couple of little changes, but not much. Hearty yet lightly sweet-and-sour with a hint of cumin, this could do well in summer …
