Western Indian Spinach

Western Indian Spinach

  Tis the month of spinach and greenery and our livers are thanking us for being drawn to these deep rich colors then serving them up for dinner.  Right now the local spinach is delicate and young, you barely need to add anything.   A side 

Nettle Mint Iced Tea

Nettle Mint Iced Tea

  When life gives you nettles, make nettle tea. I have this greenery growing in my front yard so have been experimenting with ways to eat it…and being careful of its little injection needles full of histamines that give it the ‘stinging’ name.  They say if 

No-Grain Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Lemon Zest

No-Grain Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Lemon Zest

  More woodland flowers from a walk on the bluff top, a pair of Bloodroot blooms.  This North American native is a member of the Poppy family and the root was used as a dye for baskets and clothing.  Here are more tidbits about the medicinal uses of this beautiful Bloodroot, or 

Roasted Chicory

Roasted Chicory

  Coffee lover that I am, I have to secretly admit I’ve been enjoying this dark liquid lately.  That’s right, roasted chicory is carving a new spot in my heart.  It has similar components to a coffee description–acidity, body, aroma, bitterness, sweetness, aftertaste–and a deep rich satisfaction that 

Spring Pea Soup

Spring Pea Soup

  Yay, another pea soup!  I knew that was what you were going to say.  We’ve had a week of spring-emerging: from chill to rain to sunny days which means the buds and grass are finally beginning to explode in greenery.  I even saw blooming 

Cabbage Parsnip Slaw

Cabbage Parsnip Slaw

  Many gardeners in these cold climates overwinter their parsnips in the ground, letting the back-and-forth thawing-and-cooling spring weather sweeten their starches into sugars.  So when little else is local in early April of the upper Midwest…parsnips can be found.   Related and similar to carrots (they look like an albino carrot), 

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  It’s now day five after making these cookies and the one I just ate was still soft and delicious.  Who needs flour?!?  The most difficult part is that I’m trying to save some for a sister’s get-together later this week and I’m really not so sure 

Colcannon

Colcannon

  Though it’s likely I have at least a little Irish blood in me since my ancestors were reportedly evicted from Scotland (due to alleged horse-rustling) and transferred themselves over to Ireland, I was not introduced to colcannon until I worked at the Seward Cafe with historian and cook 

Chia Breakfast Drink

Chia Breakfast Drink

  I’m beginning to understand why people do this.   A year ago I signed up for my first cross country ski race on a 12.5 kilometer classic-only course. Having started this sport as a not-so-young adult it was not an obvious trajectory for me 

Liptauer Cheese

Liptauer Cheese

    I finally got a good photo of the Ukrainian jackets at the International Paralymic Championships here at Telemark, they’re beautiful.  I wish I would have had a cool jacket to trade with him…     Twenty countries! For more amazing footage check out the 

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup

  A few more shots of ABR in Ironwood, Michigan.  Datsa lotta wood.     I forgot to bring my coffee cup out to the ski-in cabin the first night so I made it in a jar in the morning.  The heavy cream went in 

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast

  The International Paralympic Committee’s Nordic Skiing World Championships, right here at Telemark Lodge in Cable, Wisconsin near our winter home-base.  The paralympic equivalent to the World Cup, this is the championships for athletes from around the world competing in biathlon and cross country skiing. 

Turnip Chevre Gratin with Peas

Turnip Chevre Gratin with Peas

.   Once again it’s the time of year when we pack up the trusty (and a little rusty) 4Runner with food and gear and turn her nose northward.  For months we’ve been reading the tales of snow in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and have tried 

Faroe Island Oat Cake

Faroe Island Oat Cake

    On my way to bed recently I happened to glance at this window…what an incredible creation!  The streetlight gives the orange hue, but the morning sunlight would erase this temporary masterpiece so there was to be no waiting until daylight.  I know that my 

Kale Sausage Soup

Kale Sausage Soup

  This may be a good meal for the post-holiday recovery.  Brothy with good protein and the vitamin punch of kale, your liver will thank you.  This is also a favorite of my friend Mary Kay and one that we’ve eaten as she’s been on this stem 

Pepita Dip

Pepita Dip

  If it’s going to continue to be gray outside, it might as well snow a little—and it is!  White flakes are showering down and I’m grateful for even a small change in these overcast days.   Here’s a tasty and healthy little snack for the holidays. 

Sweet Soup (Søtsuppe)

Sweet Soup (Søtsuppe)

    “When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. . This week’s quote can be taken different ways, but it seemed good for the long nights of the solstice season.  Our weather pattern has been stuck in a dreary, foggy, 

Crawfish Étouffée

Crawfish Étouffée

    I have been spending quite a bit of time lately with my dear friend Mary Kay from south Mississippi while she is in the upper midwest.  Recently she wanted to give back to her friends here in the northland the experience of Mississippi/Louisiana hospitality, so 

Burned Leeks with Dill Cream Cheese

Burned Leeks with Dill Cream Cheese

  Another Faroe Island dinner delight. All I had was a blog photo from a dinner at the Faroe Islands restaurant KOKS and the deducing began.  Regardless of what their version actually was, these niblets may have been my favorite part of the dinner—this and the celeriac purée.  Fortunately 

Star Anise Pickled Onions

Star Anise Pickled Onions

  This is a stone tile creation by Scott of limestone and onyx.  A fun little bathroom design and another photo distraction to entertain—like the previews before the movies, sometimes they are the most captivating part of the show!     Speaking of star anise… A couple of months ago I heard