I wrote about this a number of years ago and it seemed time to bring it ’round again. It’s a good exercise to review and revamp past writings, like a second chance at getting it right. This topic is way more enormous than can fit into a little post but it’s an introduction and gives some food for thought.   My little mantra when I cook and in recipes is “Taste and Adjust”.  People often ask me “But how do you know

  I’ve been perusing recipes lately, books on the shelf and the random pieces of paper with notes scribbled on them that are stuffed in the books or in my folders labeled “Recipes”. I’ve had this piece of paper for a while, I have no idea who gave it to me or where it’s from but it looked intriguing. Nearly everything with chocolate could be called intriguing, yes? I searched online to find a source for this delectability—it’s very possibly from

  What would we do without Deborah Madison? I don’t actually have that many cookbooks…well okay it’s a couple of shelves, but considering I’m in the food business I don’t have that many. But I do have Deborah’s cookbooks, and I do use them.   In My Kitchen is her latest with new and old recipes and giving more narrative about how her recipes have changed over the years.  Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone sits firmly in the Top Two List of

  While wandering around Port Townsend we stumbled upon this 1917 ship which happened to be docked for one day only and full of a crew ready to give tours. They were from the Sound Experience, an organization working with youth interested in environmental sustainability and maritime careers. They sail to different locations in Puget Sound on the Adventuress using the ‘ship as a teacher’ in a hands-on setting and offer a number of programs including Teen Summer Programs and Apprenticeships. Check out

  My Darling Lemon Thyme by Emma Galloway of New Zealand is one of my favorite food blogs. Emma worked as a pastry chef for a while and it really shows in her amazing creativity with gluten free desserts. This cake is based on one of her recipes she created for Taste Magazine in New Zealand and it sounded like a perfectly seasonal tea-time treat. Check out more rhubarb recipes from Taste Magazine’s Food to Love.     It’s been

  Yesterday a friend said to me, “It seems okay that spring is a crazy busy time, there is so much beauty and life coming up all around that it makes it bearable”.  I would have to agree. Bustling is the word that comes to mind, all the project planning during winter is ramping up into the physical manifestations of those preparations and you just have to ride the wave and try not to fall off.   That’s when pink blossoms,

  Cute and colorful crepes to use as wraps or tacos, these hold together well and give great flavor to a wrap. As the heat of summer approaches these are something to keep in mind for light dinners, like tacos filled with fresh bounty from the garden or farmers market. Bánh Xèo is the name for the real deal Vietnamese Pancake, these are an altered version that are more crepe-like but still a handy little treat. They are best eaten

  I had been to the Pacific Northwest before but had no memory of these spectacular mountains that surrounded us—the Cascades and the Olympics—not to mention the utterly jaw-dropping awe-striking monoliths of the gigantic volcanoes (Rainier, Baker, Adams, St. Helens, Hood). All week we had miraculously sunny weather so the views and hikes were spectacular. It must have been mighty misty, grey, and cloudy on my last visit many years ago, because I would have remembered these splendors of the

  Looking out my window at the mid-April snow drifts it seems hard to believe that within a few weeks we might be seeing local radishes here in the upper midwest. Thank goodness for hoop houses and determined farmers! We seem to be in a perpetual time loop stuck in late February, but for me without the fun parts of being in a location with ski trails.   Radishes and vinegar together—this is not for the faint of heart! Actually I

  Tapioca ranks right up there in the Cute and Curious Food category. People may have vague memories (good or bad) of tapioca pudding, but if you’re in the Special Diet camp you probably are quite familiar with tapioca being in the ingredient list of gluten free products.   Tapioca pearls are made from the cassava root, a tropical plant native to Brazil but is widely used throughout the world. Its sticky quality works well for thickening sauces and is a common ingredient in