trattoria stella, traverse city, michigan
When thinking of Traverse City, Michigan the word "foodie" hardly came to my mind but apparently it should as there seems to be quite the movement there, focusing on true farm to table philosophies. Trattoria Stella is one restaurant that falls into this category,...
To be a Gardener Means to be an Optimist
It was not too long ago that our community garden group was sitting around a dining room with packets of seeds spread out dreaming of what we'd do with all the bounty. Soon after that we worked the soil into rows at a Sunday afternoon work party and buried those...
Kiwis in Boise?
And no, I'm not talking about New Zealanders although I would have been more apt to think of them over the fruit when someone mentioned the word "kiwi" in reference to Boise, but recently friend Krista Grisel dropped off two plants for me and since I'm almost always...
trending
I had the opportunity to attend the National Restaurant Association (NRA) food show in Chicago for the first time this year and it was a little slice of heaven for a foodie like myself. One of the things I enjoy about shows like this is often they are a sneak peek...
sable kitchen & bar, chicago
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Top Chef and when I have travel plans that take me to a big city, one of the first things I do is look to see if any of the show's contestants have a restaurant there. This past weekend I was in Chicago where in season 9 alone...
Garden of Eatin’
I grew up with a huge garden - and by huge, I mean feed-a-small-third-world-nation kind of huge. There were rows of berries and grapes, suitable for constant grazing. Tall stands of sweet yellow corn to play hide and seek amongst. Melons and zucchinis sending runners...
pumpkin banana cupcakes
I usually look at recipes as just a suggestion of what ingredients might be considered and a method that might be good for said ingredients. A jumping off point if you will. I rarely measure – unless I'm baking. There is definitely more of a science to baking and one...
because it steals the soul of your food
I have a friend that I have this ongoing debate with: he says he cooks, I say he reheats. And there's a difference. There's several components to this discussion but one area of contention is that if his food requires heat, his soul source is a microwave. I don't own...
infused with olive oil knowledge
Yesterday I posted about a cookbook that I'm currently just head over heels for, At Home with Michael Chiarello, and I'm just sure this is just one of many subsequent posts that will be inspired by this book, let alone this chef. In the opening chapter, Chef Chiarello...
comfy with confit
Confit is one of those words that gets thrown around all the time but I was never quite sure what it meant although I was pretty sure a duck was almost always involved. So I did what I always do when in doubt – I Googled it – and found out that confit merely means to...
makes you want to call in sick
One rainy day this winter, I treated myself to a morning at a café that not only has delicious food and a great atmosphere, but also has this wonderful wall of cookbooks. They are the proprietress's collection, open to perusal over a steaming cup of coffee or pastry....
a reason to be excited about morning
A few years ago I went to Switzerland to visit a friend and was introduced to Nespresso. From the very start I was destined to fall in love with this product. Keep in mind, this is way before the single serve coffee machines had gained much popularity in the US. The...