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

  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

photo by Coleen Sullins This is our cute little neighbor having lunch at the ABR Rock Fence Cabin, a red squirrel who hung out atop the stack of firewood to better peek in our window.  Here he was eating his own snack…but he was also extremely interested in chewing through the top of our freezer-cooler outside the door.  Not so cute.  I’m sure he would have been more than happy to have a pile of these tasty seedy crackers.  

  This was another hearty soup from the deli days.  The cinnamon and clove really help build the layers of flavor, not to mention they smell heavenly while simmering.  The ingredients and flavors are of a Mexican móle or adobo with the cocoa, oregano and clove.  We used to call it a Mexican Black Bean Soup but I’ll change it to Adobo to be a little more specific.  The cumin-coriander dynamic duo mixes well with cloves and cinnamon, it’s that blurring of sweet

  I was introduced to this dish by my friend Kristen years ago when she created it as a special for the deli.  She made it with peanut butter, served it room temperature and it was a favorite of the clientele. Dan Dan Mien, or ‘peddler’s noodles’, of course has many renditions and adaptations from its origins in the Sichuan region of China.  Sometimes it’s noodles in a hot spicy broth like a soup and sometimes it’s made with a tahini or peanut butter paste and

  Apple Cider Syrup was the first recipe posted on this site and it seemed like time to give it another round.   Last weekend I was one of the guest demo chefs for the local foods extravaganza “FEAST” in Rochester, Minnesota and the obvious item for me to demonstrate was cider syrup.  I’m only 1/4 extrovert so I had to really charge my ‘people’ side battery and fortunately all went well.  The most amazing part of the weekend was meeting and discovering more

  Is this not one of the most beautiful of Maple Syrup images?  Crystalline and glittery, maybe I could wear it as a necklace.  Bees would like me.  This crystal sat around for many weeks waiting for me to take a photo and it remained patiently sparkly.     As fall is quickly slipping away here is another beautiful image (above) from our friend David Cavagnaro of Pepperfield Project.  By now their squash would all be safely tucked away in cool storage areas

  Definitely one of the Star Trek outer space variety of vegetables. Tiny cabbage-like heads on stalks, these at the Farmers Market have had their giant leaves removed.  Usually Brussel sprouts are harvested after a frost which sweetens these cruciferous buddies.  Years when I have grown them I left them in the garden well into December and the snowy season, then would stomp out into the drifts to harvest the adorable little aliens for the holiday meals.     I made this dish for a wedding dinner

  There is something about the slow cook that sweetens everyone.  Roasted garlic becomes less sharp, deeper, sweeter, and in some ways more powerful of a flavor in dishes— a more enduring flavor.   Roasting is also a way you can preserve garlic to extend its life.  Maybe you grew some or scored an awesome deal on a pile of garlic from your Farmer’s Market but you’re not sure if it will keep long enough to use it—roasting and freezing is a great way