I love dips.  I love spreadable flavor that I can eat on a cracker.  Maybe it’s the social aspect of which it hints—Spreadable and Dip-able concoctions often mean time with friends and wine…and that just sounds like fun. We first tried a version of this in Washington D.C. and the salty-with-a-bite was a combination worth exploring.  It’s simple and could be used as a dip, spread, or enchilada filling.  There are many variations you could do with this

. Ah, the end-of-February Birkie-Season post. The American Birkebeiner is the largest cross country ski race in North America and is a combination of fun, fitness, friends, fretting, fueling, waxing, fretting again, throw in some stress and insanity for entertainment, and if all goes well…skiing on snow for up to 56 kilometers.   Friday before Race Day we stopped in to pick up wax from Vermont ski-guru Zach Caldwell. I waited in the car to stay dry, and what you’re

photo by Coleen Sullins . Time spent skiing alone in the quiet woods with only my body, skis, and thoughts tends to birth an unending stream of Life-Ski analogies.   Observation of the Day: Momentum is Sweet. Momentum propels you halfway up the next hill with no effort.  Life is good, you feel like you’ve ‘got it’…momentum allows you to fly without working hard.  But momentum can disappear for various reasons (falling, slow glide, deep snow, whatever) and once you have lost

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.  

  . An incredible morning at the Rock Fence Cabin at ABR…it makes it easy to get up at dawn.  All of these awesome winterland and cabin photos are by Coleen Sullins who is joining us here in the land of snow while her home in North Carolina is currently under a massive pile of…you guessed it: snow. . . . Snow Snakes quietly sleeping.  Most people don’t realize how prolific they are here in the north woods, and how

  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

  Photos from the Mars Rover? Microscopic view of caterpillar skin? The inside of volcano Popocatépetl in Mexico? Satellite images of erosion in Death Valley? A Fire Lizard?         ….or extremely curious skin from my baked squash with light shining through it.     I’m not sure if enough time has passed since the ‘Pumpkin Everything’ phase but hopefully it’s safe to introduce yet another pumpkiny recipe.  I still have quite a few squash stored in a cool

  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

      Finally a little northern hemisphere winter magic…   Happy New Year to you all!        Favorites December 2015 . . Blooming wonder  . . Danish restaurant magic Höst . . Watercolor for your digital world . . Butternut Gnocchi sounds good for a winter’s eve . . Cozy winter getaway and another . . City of Nights . . For your New Years Resolution oh and maybe add a 52 Week Challenge . . More mobile Adorableness . . Soundage

  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