It’s true, there was a similar post last year about lemongrass pork patties, but when something tastes this good it’s okay to do variations on a theme. I made these buddies small for a tapas-style potluck, but you could make them larger for full servings or into little balls served on skewers.  The small ones were handy for post-meal snacking, tasty even when they were cold.   Outdoor dinners, they might be the best part about summer.  Serve

  Nothing like trying out new recipes on a few hundred people…   There was a request for plantains at a large graduation party a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve made simple chips before by slicing the starchy fruit and either frying or baking the cute seasoned circles as a side dish.  A friend recommended I try these which were a whole new territory and more like a cracker.  The recipe she sent to me is from the blog Paleo Mom,

  My little Sweet Bean. A few weeks ago a friend asked if I would concoct a hummus out of local ingredients for a celebration at the Farmer’s Market.  They wanted to serve hummus in lettuce leaves which is a traditional Iranian dish of spring, but because the group intended to bring focus to reduction in fossil fuels we looked for ingredients we could use from our region.  This took a little pondering.   Basic Hummus is made from garbanzo

  These are the foods I had so this is what happened for dinner.  You can’t go wrong with asparagus and bacon together so really this is more of a reminder to you than it is a formal recipe.  It probably falls into the Vague Recipe category where there is much leeway given to what you have and it assumes you know some general guidelines of putting things together. I know that vagueness drives some people crazy.  I actually looked

  Spices that launched a thousand ships.  Aren’t they beautiful?   Five Spice Powder is used extensively in Chinese and southeast Asian cooking, often as a rub with meats like duck or in sauces and stews, and as many foods do it has now spread to all corners of the culinary planet.  Though there are variations including the addition of ginger and peppercorns, the commonly used five ingredients are: Sichuan Pepper Star Anise Cloves Cinnamon Fennel or Anise Seeds Aromatic,

 photo by Roy Hampton It has been so fun going through my father’s photos of our times in Mexico.  Good memories of a slower life, and my oh my we all looked so young. This is a print of two nopales (prickly pear cactus) growing on a hilltop.  One grey day while taking a walk on the mesa my father noticed he could see these dancers when he was at a very particular place in the road.  A few feet either

  Red Lentils—one of the most colorful legumes around.  They’re nutritious, delicious and they cook fast if you need some quick protein in a meal.  Check out World’s Healthiest Foods for an afternoon read on these adorable orange delights.  They’re best if rinsed numerous times before cooking: pour water into a bowl with the lentils, stir and swish everything around, then drain and repeat a few times until the water is mostly clear.  Rinsing will help remove the dust as

    Spring means freak snowstorms and a gathering of my sisters…and last week we had both.  Once everyone made it through the weather and to our destination safely we had a lovely weekend of eating, laughing, sharing, sight seeing, and then of course eating some more.  On our last day we hung out at Zanzibar Coffee and enjoyed the (midwestern) Mediterranean scenery, good tea, and freshly roasted coffee.           I normally don’t make the effort

  I’m a little under the weather today so have been enjoying numerous cups of this delicious and potent elixir.   When we think of turmeric we probably think of curry and the golden-orange brilliance it brings to many dishes.  This remarkable root has a bitter side with an earthy backbone that may be an acquired taste by itself, but when mixed with other flavors it takes everything to another level.  It is also known as Indian Saffron or Poor Man’s Saffron because of the saffron-like

  An Irish potato pancake just in time for St. Patrick’s day. These are hearty buddies for any kind of meal and a great way to use your leftover mashed potatoes. The basic idea is to mix mashed potatoes with grated raw potatoes and an egg, but there are infinite possibilities of variables that could be introduced.  Herbs, garlic, curry, jalapeños, horseradish, siracha, yams, caraway, saffron…   The origin of the name is likely the Irish phrase arán bocht tí meaning “poor-house bread”.