Walnut Herb Pesto

Walnut Herb Pesto

  What to do with old food magazines? For years they sat on the shelf and I would occasionally peruse them to search for a new concept or favorite old recipe, but mostly they just sat there taking up space. Last winter I declared them 

Spring Feasts

Spring Feasts

    Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”  . ~Hans Christian Andersen     First, a few delectable moments of spring from last weekend. While we sisters visited inside our little rented getaway house, outside these beauties 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

Crispy Chickpea Fritters

Crispy Chickpea Fritters

  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.   

Vietnamese Crepes

Vietnamese Crepes

  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 

Pickled Radishes

Pickled Radishes

  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 

Fried Cauliflower with a Curry Dip

Fried Cauliflower with a Curry Dip

  How many times have we eaten from street food carts or food trucks, utterly wowed, then spent numerous attempts to re-enact the scrumptious experience? Usually it involves frying and serving with a greasy dip, and is never quite the same as the edible encounters on the 

Hominy

Hominy

  Making hominy gets to the core of slow food cooking.  It’s a process that takes forethought and time, and though the concept is understandable the Complexities of Simplicity emerge.  Simple is not necessarily simple.   Pre-Columbian cultures began the practice of ‘nixtamalization’ in Mesoamerica.  It 

Smoked Deviled Eggs

Smoked Deviled Eggs

    The final leg of our North Woods journey was unexpected but really fun.  We headed deep into Yooper and Husky Territory of Michigan Tech University to ski the final marathon of the season: The Great Bear Chase.  We drove for hours into the Upper Peninsula 

Gluten Free Kimchi Pancakes

Gluten Free Kimchi Pancakes

  Do you need more ways to use your big batch of kimchi?  A surprisingly savory and cute appetizer?  A snack for your next road trip?  Here is an easy savory treat that makes me happy. Kimchi is the traditional Korean side dish of fermented 

Roasted Lemon Chutney

Roasted Lemon Chutney

    Skis without skiers and skis with skiers at the North End Classic. It’s a small but sweet classic-only race organized by the North End Ski club, complete with the Cookie Classic for shorter people.   And while we’re on the subject of ski racing… I’m 

Flax Muffins-Biscuit-Bread

Flax Muffins-Biscuit-Bread

  This recipe was given to me by my friend Deanna who passed it along from her doctor who I think got it from writer Susan Weed.  Deanna scribbled it on a cracker box and I’m finally getting around to making it. It’s a great