the anti resolution
I have mixed feelings about New Year's resolutions. On one hand, I understand the clean slate that is presented by not just turning over a new page on the calendar but starting a whole new calendar altogether. In the darkest days of the year how it's easy to be...
gifts from the heart… and the kitchen
Just a few years ago, Christmas was all about buying presents and buying lots of them. I purchased for every family member and most of my friends and coworkers. I practically started shopping for the next year on December 26. That's when things were more flush. The...
souper party idea
It seems like each holiday season I get invited to a cookie swap and each year I politely decline. It's not that I'm a cookie hater – quite the contrary in fact. It's just that December is already such a sugar high that the last thing I need to do is introduce dozens...
foodie friends meat up
When you have foodie friends, not only does it elevate the quality of dinner parties but also influences almost every interaction. While some people might get together to watch sports, our bonding often takes place in a kitchen or maybe a garden or an orchard. Often...
confessions of a caramel pusher
I try to eat healthy... really, I do. And most of the time, I cook that way too (I mean really... kale and quinoa are staples of my diet – sometimes I even go crazy and put them together!). Oh sure... there's plenty of posts about bacon here but in general, I try to...
butternut squash soup with parmesan & fried sage leaves
There are so many recipes out there that my "to-make" list is longer than most children's letters to Santa, and for that reason, I don't tend to make a lot of things twice. But there are a few rare recipes that are just so good that they are elevated to the select;...
quinoa with kale, squash & walnuts
I have to admit, it wasn't that long ago that I would have scrunched up my nose at the suggestion of eating kale. Quinoa sounds foreign and exotic and maybe hoping to absorb some of those characteristics, I embraced that no problem, but kale, poor kale, fell doomed to...
getting to gnocchi
I always come to a perusing screeching halt when I see gnocchi listed on a menu. What's not to love about these fluffy little pillows of potato usually floating under some wonderful blanket of sauce? Well, except that I always seem to forget how not light they are...
summer: a hard act to follow
The forecast is for 28° tonight. If this was going to be an isolated incidence, I would probably dash out with an armful of sheets and cover my garden but it would only be a futile attempt at prolonging the inevitable. It IS October after all and I should revel in the...
i can’t believe it’s smoked butter
I've smoked a lot of things (I know that sounds bad, but bear with me) – everything from the decadent to seemingly the impossible, but sometimes it's amazing what the most simple of ingredients can yield. In this case, smoked butter. You might wonder how that's even...
as easy as pie?
I would like to talk to whomever came up with the saying "as easy as pie". Pie is NOT easy. At least not if you're making it from scratch and have visions of it ending up beautifully perfect. Well unless you're my mom – she is the mistress of all things pie – with...
gettin’ figgy with it
Fresh figs are one of those decadent indulgences for me because for a long time, they were only available at the local little CoOp and they were definitely premium priced, so when I saw a big carton of them for a little price at Costco, I snatched them up with glee....