AWEsome Cookery

  Years ago we used to organize an all-day street festival called Live on Winnebago, and one of my roles was to feed the numerous bands that were playing during the day and night.  Many of them were on tour across the country or world, and that meant they depended on the venues to provide their meals.  Often the road food provided by venues is much less than amazing… so my goal was to give them road food d’bliss!  I served savory

. The idea is not to just find ways to substitute dairy, but to have a dish be whole and delicious on its own.  To make good food.   The role of ricotta in lasagna is to give some creaminess, some protein, and a mild flavor that will take on the surrounding strong flavors of the sauce.  Here we replace the ricotta with a puree of cannelini beans, leeks and nutritional yeast.  The goal is a fluffy, creamy, salty blend

  I used to cook with tofu like I might cook a fish.  Tofu is somewhat bland and fleshy but with a delicate texture…so I started using it as a blank slate for other flavors.  This concoction became a Deli sandwich, served with a Lemon Caper Aioli, tomatoes and lettuce.   . Let the tofu sit for a few minutes to let the liquids soak in, then sprinkle with the spices.   .. . I like my tofu crispy or chewy,

  Last fall we bought an extra turkey —we love turkey and can’t figure out why we don’t eat it all year round.  This week we cooked it because it’s been so cold and rainy that the idea of a warm oven and turkey aromas sounded cozy and appealing.  The day after turkey-roasting came the stock-making ritual, and we awoke to another rainy chilly day so I was doubly glad to have a that flame and good smell in the

  My sister made this dish for our sister’s weekend and we devoured it—she said that even her finicky teenage boys love it.  The chicken makes it a meal but I’ve also made it without the chicken and it was scrumptious.  When my sister started her new job she found in her office a pile of recipes that someone left behind so we have no idea where the recipe originated, we’re just grateful for this little gem that was in

  I know I keep saying this…but this soup really truly was one of the favorites at the Deli.  The silky broth texture was such a treat.   My friend Kristen shared many a great recipe with the Deli and Hmong Market Soup was no exception.  It was adapted from a recipe she brought us from Savoring the Seasons Of the Northern Heartland. . .  Fresh ginger is available these days in most grocery stores, but unless you have creative

  Here is the second part to the GF Samosa post I did last year after the Edible Alien Theatre performance: “In Profundus“.   The first post was the vegetarian version and here is the beef option we served on these awesome Rorschach inkblot triangular plates that were made by The Clay Studio and members of DArtCo. . Originating in Muslim kitchens for a meal after the morning prayers, Nihari is a beef stew that is slow cooked with garlic, ginger, chilis

. How else other than combining it with the sequel to the story would I get you to look at a post about Liver and Onions?? . The final morning at the Sandstone cabin arrived so we packed up our supplies and readied them to be hauled out to the car parked about 130 feet away.  I took the first load out.  When they heard the cabin door creak the dogs came running out of the bird blind, bounding towards

  We’ve been preparing for our annual North Woods trip, making lists and checking them twice, scurrying around doing last minute tasks.  We’ve also been doing snow dances every day…and with this dry weather it looks like more dancing is in order if we hope to do any cross country skiing.     Even though it’s only 5 1/2 hours to get to our main home-base it takes us days to arrive.  Many people to visit along the way…since summer

  . Party treats! Tasty tidbits with the bonus of striking colors —-Red, Green and White—-these could be perfect for an end-of-December Holiday party, or for celebrating the colors of the flags from Italy, Belarus, Algeria, Burundi, Madagascar, Mexico, Lebanon, Iran, Oman, Hungary or Bulgaria! Versatility, it’s always a good thing..   . I often make these as personal pizzas (I make a batch of small crusts, par bake them, then freeze them), but it can easily be converted into

  . Again I bring you an idea that is not new but is always worth revisiting.  This is a great fall dish and could be an alternative side at the Thanksgiving table—sweet and savory, hearty and warming, I think you’ll enjoy it.   Wild rice, an aquatic-grass seed native to the Upper Midwest and Canada, sacred to our First Nations cousins, is only distantly related to Asian rice.  It’s high in protein, lysine, fiber, B vitamins and other minerals,

. This is an incredible time of year.  The nights are cool enough for sleeping, the mornings are crisp then give way to a warmth that does not bake my brain but makes me actually want to soak up the sun.  The Farmers Markets overflow with produce, piles of squash are beginning to make an appearance, and best of all… fall means that someday soon it will be winter! . Enchiladas are a labor of love and if you are

. . Smoked tofu?!? Remember one of my rules of thumb…”If there is a technique that works for one thing, it might work on other things.”  If you can smoke salmon then you can smoke tofu, yes? Yes. The idea of smoking tofu was first introduced to me by my friend Jase (the cook at the South Pole), which we made indoors in a covered pan under a heavy-duty exhaust hood.  Then I began to learn more about smoking, and

  Lettuce wraps have given me such relief in the summer months—I can eat cold meals, gluten free. Lettuce is a vehicle, an edible cupping tool that gets the filling from the plate into my mouth, without bread.  I have also tried other fillings like tacos, tempeh, sesame beef, and sandwich-makings.  These buddies can be a little messier than bread since the lettuce does not absorb any liquid of the filling, but they work, and are especially great in the

  I often am stumped about what to eat for breakfast.  Though it is easy and I have it sometimes, cereal is not my cup of tea…I crave that dose of protein and oil to get me through until lunch without a blood sugar crash.   I usually have corn tortillas in my refrigerator, and it is not uncommon that they get a little dry around the edges.  Lucky for me that is perfect for chilaquiles! . Chilaquiles: Fried tortilla

  I love Fried Rice because Fried Rice loves miscellaneous veggies. Cleaning out your refrigerator?  Perfect.  Leftover rice?  Perfect.   I used to make my Fried Rice with San-J Teriyaki Sauce, San-J Szechuan Sauce, and Tamari.  Then came the day when gluten was no longer my friend, and I had to concoct an alternative tasty sludge because at the time the San-J products contained soy sauce…which contained wheat. . Recently San-J has switched over to using a wheat-free tamari in

    Today there has been very little physical activity as I begin the process of recovering from the marathon flurry of scrambling to prepare for our Edible Alien Theatre show “In Profundus”.  It is incredible what can happen when there are deadlines, especially when 109 people signed up to see what it is that you have been promising.  A remarkable amount can be pulled together in the final 72 hours! There will eventually be a page for the show

    Too many times I have suggested to a client an interesting idea, and as it is leaving my mouth my brain is shouting, “Stop, you crazy woman! You don’t know how to do that!!” For example: My Mouth “‘Oh yes, we could serve Squash Soup using acorn squash for bowls to 125 people…in a barn.” My Brain, “Shut up!  Shut up!  Stop talking!  Delete!  Delete!”   More often than not these ideas were proposed by me so I have

  If you live in an area where winters are chilly and you have access to local produce, then you know that Spring = Eggs and Greens.      (In some circles Spring also means Maibock Beer, but that’s another story…) . So if Spring = Eggs and Greens, and Eggs and Greens = Frittata, then Spring = Frittata. My 7th grade geometry teacher Mr. Gerhart would be so proud! . . A Frittata could be called a crustless quiche, or an open-faced

  Perhaps part of the purpose of a food blog is not just to give recipes that you have never tried before (which is getting more difficult to do), but to remind you of things you have not thought about in a while.  Maybe there is an unconscious appetite that we tap into, and the reason I was thinking of enchiladas is because you wanted them for dinner, but had not yet come to that realization. . . This is