Garlic Infused Oil
Here is an easy method for many IBS sufferers and for time-saving! When you need garlic, nothing else will do. It brings so much to the table… warmth and pungency to sauces, soups, dressings, sautes. It is just yummy! Its medicinal properties are extensive. It is used to eliminate toxins from the body, promote […]
Earth – a time of transformation
Late summer harvest belongs to the Earth element. This is a time of transition from summer to fall, and a time of transformation. Soon the bright colors of summer will fade and we will go into our storehouses to prepare for a slower pace. There is often a stillness and we begin to settle in… […]
Macrobiotics – living large
The term “macrobiotics” was first coined be Hippocrates, father of western medicine. Macro, meaning “large” or “long,” and bios, meaning “life”, this term has been revived periodically over the centuries to describe a healthful lifestyle which includes attention to diet. Today, the most prominent figure in the field of Macrobiotics is Michio Kushi, who was […]
Bruschetta – and other finger food?
If you are ever invited to an eat-with-your-fingers party, go for it! Just take lots of napkins… seriously, napkins, towelettes, wet wash cloths… something! uh-hmm, against everything you have ever been taught, or taught your children, you may be asked to eat salad and drippy cheesy saucy pasta shells… with no utensils. Only my girl […]
Grain Coffee
Who are we kidding here? I love coffee – almost as much as I love my kids. I will drink hot coffee mid-summer in a car with no air. There is nothing that “tastes like coffee”. My local coffee roaster has this beautiful vintage drum press, in which they roast fresh beans from fair-trade farms […]
Homemade Crème Fraiche
Smooth crème fraiche (fresh cream) is comparable to sour cream, but slightly less tangy. If you taste it plain, it is creamy and ever-so-slightly nutty when it first hits your palette. Then on the back end, the richness and tanginess intensify. When making a sauce, it does not tend to break easily as does sour cream. […]
Pan-seared Duck with Cherry Sauce & Alfalfa Potato Salad
Cherry season ought to be celebrated, eh? Walking through the market, one can hardly pass the piles of beautiful fresh cherries without their beckoning to jump into the cart. Soooooo… in they go. Then, almost to the check-out counter, and they whisper “you forgot the chevre”… so in goes chevre. Upon arriving home, they offer […]
Caviar by Cold Oil Spherification
Attention home schoolers! …and anyone who likes to play in the kitchen! Molecular gastronomy does not have to be all that difficult. (This is not said to discredit the brilliant minds who created these techniques in the first place.) You need only the right tools and ingredients. And although much of it involves test tubes […]
Artisanal Cheese Plate – featuring beets 3-ways
What does one do with a surplus of beets? Provided that one is not the keenest of beet fans, one might wish to do something other than borscht – not that borscht isn’t lovely. But that vibrant color deserves to be elevated, even celebrated, now and then. How does one elevate a beet? Hmm Maybe, […]
Fire – The Element of Summer
The warmth of a fire attracts us, draws us in, and brings people together. It creates moments of joy, especially at an outdoor gathering of friends. One cannot help but move toward it to be soothed by the glow that emanates from it’s embers. It can capture our attention in a way that leaves us […]