Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes

I roast and purée and then freeze a handful of farmers market pumpkins every year. I love having the big, beautiful white and golden and green squash around to decorate with in the fall and then, once we’ve moved on to evergreens and holly, it’s time to really enjoy these gifts from the ground. TheyContinue reading “Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes”

Feeding Picky People

  I’ve been cooking dinner for picky people for a long time, now. Thankfully, my husband is not one of them. He’s a pretty low-key kind of guy who has followed along on all manner of food adventures (Let’s try kombucha! Fermented carrots! Maitake mushrooms!) And has often come away embracing the once exotic. But my kids are aContinue reading “Feeding Picky People”

Kielbasa, Corn and Potato Chowder

Potatoes are one of those vegetables that we keep in a box in our basement. Along with the butternut squash and sweet potatoes, the garlic and the onions, we save what we grow in our garden and when those run out, we buy in bulk from our farmers markets. So when the darkest days of winter arrive,Continue reading “Kielbasa, Corn and Potato Chowder”

Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole

  Our garden gives us green beans. We blanch and freeze them. Then, come Thanksgiving, we’ve got what we need for that holiday staple, Green Bean Casserole. But it seems a shame to slather our garden bounty with a can of condensed mushroom soup. So here’s what I make instead. It’s so flavorful, you’ll beContinue reading “Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole”

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

  I’ve heard raves of my Paprika Potatoes recipe ever since I posted it. So now here’s an equally easy, equally tasty, nutritionally even better recipe using sweet potatoes. You know what makes this recipe stand out? You get to leave the potato skins on, saving minutes and increasing goodness. Time to fire up that oven.Continue reading “Roasted Sweet Potato Fries”

Roasted Figs with Honey and Cheese

I have eaten and enjoyed fresh figs but never cooked with them. When I happened upon some local figs, I got busy researching. Here’s my takeaway: You want your figs to be really, really ripe. If you’ve never tried them, think grapes. You eat the skin and all, and they have something of a sweet-but-muskyContinue reading “Roasted Figs with Honey and Cheese”

Cookbook Review — 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous

  When I flip through Lisa Leake’s second cookbook, “100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous,” I can’t help but think of my own kitchen, my own cooking and my own website’s stash of favorite recipes. Like in Lisa’s house, there are no natural flavors in my cabinets, my family knows which snack crackerContinue reading “Cookbook Review — 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous”

Asian Rice Noodle Salad

This is the salad that I’m always ogling when I head to potlucks. But I’ve never tried making it on my own for fear that I couldn’t pull off a real food version that would satisfy. Thankfully, Lisa Leake, author of the 100 Days of Real Food blog and cookbook, has crafted one for me. ThisContinue reading “Asian Rice Noodle Salad”

Sausage and Apple Stuffing Bites

At some point over the last few years, I saw this recipe in a beautiful Food & Wine magazine edition, ripped it out and tucked it away for later. As we are in juicy-apple-and-freshly-processed-local-pork season, when I came across the page recently, I knew that “later” was now. My family has gobbled this delicious and funContinue reading “Sausage and Apple Stuffing Bites”

Honey-Curry Chicken Breasts

Honey is a wonderful addition to sauces and glazes especially for pork and chicken. This sweet and spicy marinade will light up your taste buds — and make your house smell divine. Serve with a scoop of wild rice. Recipe adapted from Taste of Honey by Marie Simmons. Serves 4 Ingredients  3⁄4 cup honey (tryContinue reading “Honey-Curry Chicken Breasts”