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 

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

  Cheery and light, this is a great soup for any season.     But first, a few more pictures of SNOW. Keweenaw Peninsuala style, that is, as in 274 inches this year (yep, that’s right…nearly 23 FEET of snow!). So far.        

Bereuk, Scattergood style

Bereuk, Scattergood style

  Most of my high school years were spent at a small Quaker boarding school (Scattergood Friends School) where the students participated in the chores of living in a community—in particular the cooking and cleaning tasks of daily life. Students made the bread and granola 

Onion Pie again

Onion Pie again

  Let’s face it, I’m kind of lazy.   I love skiing in the woods and being surrounded by snow-laden trees, appreciating the incredibleness of our world, and once I get moving I love the action. But honestly, what I also love is the wearied-muscle-relief of 

Potato Masa Torpedos/Molotes

Potato Masa Torpedos/Molotes

  Rick Bayless again comes to the rescue providing interesting foods. He does pretty dang well at trying to give the real story of these foods, and the love of Mexico comes through in his writings. This provides good reading and happy thoughts on these chilly 

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 

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 

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 

Creamy Crustless Quiche

Creamy Crustless Quiche

      It’s that time of year and the Willow Weavers of the annual Willow Gathering were again in town for a week and I was able to witness their beautiful creations-in-progress while feeding them throughout the classes. I am always amazed at the 

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 

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 

Pink Gluten Free Gnocchi

Pink Gluten Free Gnocchi

  Yes, they really are this color. At least before cooking, but it’s amazing to work with a food that is such a stunning hue!  It made me happy.  This was going to be a post just in time for Valentine’s Day, but the internet access was far 

Scandinavian Meatballs

Scandinavian Meatballs

  Another Christmas favorite for (and from) all the Scandihoovians around me.  I just finished catering a December wedding with a very Norwegian flair and Meatballs were the main attraction.  Actually I think the gravy was the main attraction…but isn’t it always?  It’s all about 

Chermoula with Roasted Squash

Chermoula with Roasted Squash

  Chermoula is one of my favorite flavor bombs of all times. To quote a comment from my friend Heather on my Chermoula post of years ago: “One word…MAGIC. This little gem creates magical alchemy with anything it touches. And I have been introducing it 

Root Veggie Latkes

Root Veggie Latkes

  Another Autumn treat from 2011 that needs rediscovering…   Pancakes aren’t just for potatoes anymore.  I love potatoes, but there is something endearing about supporting the Underdog.  The humble rutabaga, or ‘Swede’ as the Brits call it, can look huge and weird in the produce section, often 

Chuck Roast with Moroccan Seasonings

Chuck Roast with Moroccan Seasonings

  Patience. I’m finding myself in the middle of numerous catering events and with no time to do a recipe for the post, but I can share with you the lessons that I live and one of those ‘Vague Recipes’.  And some Midwestern autumn images 

Tamari Eggplant

Tamari Eggplant

  Need a bacon substitute for a BLT?    Oh my, the bacon lover in me says there is no substitute for the Fruit of the Pig…but these tamari drenched roasted eggplant pack a load of flavor that gives satisfaction to the Umami Itch.  I made 

Black Bean Burgers

Black Bean Burgers

  The Weavers were back! June is a full and demanding month for me but I get to end it by providing meals for a lovely group of basket weavers from around the world at the Willow Gathering.  This session I peeked in on traditional basket styles 

Sesame Chicken Salad

Sesame Chicken Salad

  I really didn’t intend to make a Chicken Salad, it just happened. It started because I wanted to make a chili-lime slaw as a trial run for something I might do for a catering event this summer.  I then saw the toasted sesame oil in the cupboard so I